Julia's French Bread
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 13
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 126.2
- Total Fat: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 404.5 mg
- Total Carbs: 26.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
View full nutritional breakdown of Julia's French Bread calories by ingredient
Number of Servings: 13
Ingredients
-
1-3/4 teaspoons (7 gr) instant yeast or 1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup (75 ml) warm water, not over 100 F/38 C
3-1/2 cups (490 gr) unbleached all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons (12 gr) sea salt
1-1/4 cups (280 to 300 ml) tepid water, 70 to 74 F/21 to 23 C
extra flour for dusting
fine cornmeal
Directions
Julia Child's French Bread (yeast, mixing, dough ball, dough rising)
Preparation
Step 1. MIX THE DOUGH (le fraisage): In the bowl of the stand mixer, work all the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are all wet. Attach the bowl to the mixer base and work on low speed (2 on the KitchenAid) until a dough ball is formed, stopping the mixer and scrapping the bits of flour and chunks of dough off the bottom of the bowl and pressing them into the dough ball. Continue to mix the dough on a low speed until all the bits of flour and loose chunks of dough have formed a solid dough ball. If the dough is very dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together. If the dough is very wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is soft and only slightly sticky. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Let the dough rest for 2 to 3 minutes while you wash and dry the bowl and the dough hook.
Step 2. KEADING (petrissage): Place dough back into the bowl and using the dough hook attachment at the recommended speed (low), knead the dough for about 5 to 7 minutes. At about the 5 minute mark, stop the mixer and push at the dough with your fingertips. If it springs back quickly, you have kneaded the dough enough. If it doesn’t spring back continue to knead, stopping the mixer and retesting every 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to your fingers, toss a sprinkling of flour onto the dough and continue to knead. The dough should be light and springy when it is ready. Mary also recommends finishing with about 1 to 2 minutes of hand kneading just to get a good feel for how the gluten is formed.
Let dough rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Knead by hand for a minute. The surface should now look smooth; the dough will be less sticky but will still remain soft. It is now ready for its first rise.
3. FIRST RISE (pointage premiere temps): Put the dough into your lightly greased rising container/bowl and attach the lid or cover with plastic. Put in a warm place free of drafts, such as inside the microwave or in the oven with the light on. (Julia recommended putting the bowl/container into a large plastic bag or covering with plastic, and topping with a folded bath towel. Set on a wooden surface (marble or stone are too cold), or on a folded towel or pillow, and let rise free from drafts anyplace where the temperature is around 70 degrees F. If the room is too hot, set bowl in water and keep renewing water to maintain around 70 degrees F.) Dough should take at least 3 to 4 hours to rise to 10-1/2 cups, tripling in size, though if you used instant yeast rising time will be faster. If temperature is lower than 70 degrees F, it will simply take longer.
When fully risen, the dough will be humped into a slight dome, showing that the yeast is still active; it will be light and spongy when pressed. There will usually be some big bubbly blisters on the surface, and if you are using a glass bowl you will see bubbles through the glass.
If you don’t have an oven light, like Mary, you can turn the oven on to its lowest setting about 5 minutes before you begin your rise. Leave on for 1 to 5 minutes until the temperature is around 75- 80 degrees F. Turn off oven, when you open the door to put the dough in to rise, your oven will be around 70 degrees F. Another trick is to put your dough on top of your hot water heater. Place a folded towel on top of the hot water heater and let rise. Also a heating pad works well. Mary also has used those give away shower caps from hotels to cover her bowls and the bowl covers for the metal mixing bowls work well too. Always lightly grease the plastic wrap or bowl cover so if the risen dough touches it, the dough won’t stick.
4. DEFLATING AND SECOND RISE (rupture; pointage deuxieme temps): With a rubber spatula, dislodge dough from inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, scraping bowl clean. If dough seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Lightly flour the palms of your hands and flatten the dough firmly but not too roughly into a circle, deflating any gas bubbles by pinching them. Lift a corner of the near side and flip it down on the far side. Do the same with the left side, then the right side. Finally, lift the near side and tuck it just under the edge of the far side. The mass of dough will look like a rounded cushion. Slip the sides of your hands under the dough and return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise again, this time to not quite triple, but again until it is dome shaped and light and spongy when touched. You may need to lightly re-grease your bowl and plastic wrap for the second rise to prevent sticking.
5. CUTTING AND RESTING: Loosen dough all around inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Because of its two long rises, the dough will have much more body. If it seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle lightly with flour. Making clean, sure cuts with a large knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into:
* 3 equal pieces for long loaves (baguettes or batards) or small round loaves (boules only)
* 5 – 6 equal pieces for long thin loaves (ficelles)
* 10 – 12 equal pieces for small oval rolls (petits pains, tire-bouchons) or small round rolls (petits pains, champignons)
* 2 equal pieces for medium round loaves (pain de menage or miche only)
If you making one large round loaf (pain de menage, miche, or pain boulot), you will not cut the dough at all and just need to follow the directions below.
After you have cut each piece, lift one end and flip it over onto the opposite end to fold the dough into two; place dough at far side of kneading surface. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic and let rest for 5 minutes before forming. This relaxes the gluten enough for shaping but not long enough for dough to begin rising again.
While the dough is resting, prepare the rising surface; smooth the canvas or linen towelling on a large tray or baking sheet, and rub flour thoroughly into the entire surface of the cloth to prevent the dough from sticking.
6. FORMING THE LOAVE (la tourne; la mise en forme des patons): Because French bread stands free in the oven and is not baked in a pan, it has to be formed in such a way that the tension of the coagulated gluten cloak on the surface will hold the dough in shape.
Serving Size: 15 slices
Number of Servings: 13
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CELLODRAGON.
Preparation
Step 1. MIX THE DOUGH (le fraisage): In the bowl of the stand mixer, work all the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are all wet. Attach the bowl to the mixer base and work on low speed (2 on the KitchenAid) until a dough ball is formed, stopping the mixer and scrapping the bits of flour and chunks of dough off the bottom of the bowl and pressing them into the dough ball. Continue to mix the dough on a low speed until all the bits of flour and loose chunks of dough have formed a solid dough ball. If the dough is very dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together. If the dough is very wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is soft and only slightly sticky. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured kneading surface, scraping bowl clean. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Let the dough rest for 2 to 3 minutes while you wash and dry the bowl and the dough hook.
Step 2. KEADING (petrissage): Place dough back into the bowl and using the dough hook attachment at the recommended speed (low), knead the dough for about 5 to 7 minutes. At about the 5 minute mark, stop the mixer and push at the dough with your fingertips. If it springs back quickly, you have kneaded the dough enough. If it doesn’t spring back continue to knead, stopping the mixer and retesting every 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to your fingers, toss a sprinkling of flour onto the dough and continue to knead. The dough should be light and springy when it is ready. Mary also recommends finishing with about 1 to 2 minutes of hand kneading just to get a good feel for how the gluten is formed.
Let dough rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Knead by hand for a minute. The surface should now look smooth; the dough will be less sticky but will still remain soft. It is now ready for its first rise.
3. FIRST RISE (pointage premiere temps): Put the dough into your lightly greased rising container/bowl and attach the lid or cover with plastic. Put in a warm place free of drafts, such as inside the microwave or in the oven with the light on. (Julia recommended putting the bowl/container into a large plastic bag or covering with plastic, and topping with a folded bath towel. Set on a wooden surface (marble or stone are too cold), or on a folded towel or pillow, and let rise free from drafts anyplace where the temperature is around 70 degrees F. If the room is too hot, set bowl in water and keep renewing water to maintain around 70 degrees F.) Dough should take at least 3 to 4 hours to rise to 10-1/2 cups, tripling in size, though if you used instant yeast rising time will be faster. If temperature is lower than 70 degrees F, it will simply take longer.
When fully risen, the dough will be humped into a slight dome, showing that the yeast is still active; it will be light and spongy when pressed. There will usually be some big bubbly blisters on the surface, and if you are using a glass bowl you will see bubbles through the glass.
If you don’t have an oven light, like Mary, you can turn the oven on to its lowest setting about 5 minutes before you begin your rise. Leave on for 1 to 5 minutes until the temperature is around 75- 80 degrees F. Turn off oven, when you open the door to put the dough in to rise, your oven will be around 70 degrees F. Another trick is to put your dough on top of your hot water heater. Place a folded towel on top of the hot water heater and let rise. Also a heating pad works well. Mary also has used those give away shower caps from hotels to cover her bowls and the bowl covers for the metal mixing bowls work well too. Always lightly grease the plastic wrap or bowl cover so if the risen dough touches it, the dough won’t stick.
4. DEFLATING AND SECOND RISE (rupture; pointage deuxieme temps): With a rubber spatula, dislodge dough from inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, scraping bowl clean. If dough seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Lightly flour the palms of your hands and flatten the dough firmly but not too roughly into a circle, deflating any gas bubbles by pinching them. Lift a corner of the near side and flip it down on the far side. Do the same with the left side, then the right side. Finally, lift the near side and tuck it just under the edge of the far side. The mass of dough will look like a rounded cushion. Slip the sides of your hands under the dough and return it to the bowl. Cover and let rise again, this time to not quite triple, but again until it is dome shaped and light and spongy when touched. You may need to lightly re-grease your bowl and plastic wrap for the second rise to prevent sticking.
5. CUTTING AND RESTING: Loosen dough all around inside of bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Because of its two long rises, the dough will have much more body. If it seems damp and sweaty, sprinkle lightly with flour. Making clean, sure cuts with a large knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into:
* 3 equal pieces for long loaves (baguettes or batards) or small round loaves (boules only)
* 5 – 6 equal pieces for long thin loaves (ficelles)
* 10 – 12 equal pieces for small oval rolls (petits pains, tire-bouchons) or small round rolls (petits pains, champignons)
* 2 equal pieces for medium round loaves (pain de menage or miche only)
If you making one large round loaf (pain de menage, miche, or pain boulot), you will not cut the dough at all and just need to follow the directions below.
After you have cut each piece, lift one end and flip it over onto the opposite end to fold the dough into two; place dough at far side of kneading surface. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic and let rest for 5 minutes before forming. This relaxes the gluten enough for shaping but not long enough for dough to begin rising again.
While the dough is resting, prepare the rising surface; smooth the canvas or linen towelling on a large tray or baking sheet, and rub flour thoroughly into the entire surface of the cloth to prevent the dough from sticking.
6. FORMING THE LOAVE (la tourne; la mise en forme des patons): Because French bread stands free in the oven and is not baked in a pan, it has to be formed in such a way that the tension of the coagulated gluten cloak on the surface will hold the dough in shape.
Serving Size: 15 slices
Number of Servings: 13
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CELLODRAGON.