Artisan French Bread (or diary of a bread-aholic)
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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There are two things which make French bread so amazing. 1) Flavor: Mixing the yeast with a little flour and water ahead of time gives a big flavor boost. This is called a poolish or preferment. Slow and cool yeast development is the secret to good flavor. 2) Texture: Achieving a soft interior and thin, shattering crust. You do this by adding moisture while baking and using steady, high heat. A spray bottle and baking stone are the best we can do in our homes. This recipe is an adaptation of a King Arthur Flour bread recipe. I’ve been tweaking it for years.
Servings Prep Time
3 loaves 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 3 days
Servings Prep Time
3 loaves 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 3 days
Artisan French Bread (or diary of a bread-aholic)
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
There are two things which make French bread so amazing. 1) Flavor: Mixing the yeast with a little flour and water ahead of time gives a big flavor boost. This is called a poolish or preferment. Slow and cool yeast development is the secret to good flavor. 2) Texture: Achieving a soft interior and thin, shattering crust. You do this by adding moisture while baking and using steady, high heat. A spray bottle and baking stone are the best we can do in our homes. This recipe is an adaptation of a King Arthur Flour bread recipe. I’ve been tweaking it for years.
Servings Prep Time
3 loaves 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 3 days
Servings Prep Time
3 loaves 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 3 days
Ingredients
Poolish:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup water (cool)
  • 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
Dough:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 cup water (cool)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp instant-
Servings: loaves
Units:
Instructions
Day 1
  1. To make the poolish: In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together 2 cups flour, 1 cup cool water, and 1/8 teaspoon yeast. Cover with a damp towel and let sit in a cool spot for 14-24 hours.
Day 2
  1. When the poolish is 2-3 times larger and full of bubbles, add 1 tsp yeast, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 cups flour and 1 cup water. Use the slap and fold method to form a dough ball. After a few folds, it won’t stick any more. After about ten folds, get most of the goo off your hands and see if it is still sticky. If it is, work in extra flour. You’re looking for a very soft, moist dough. But not sticky. If it is a rainy day – or humid – you will definitely need more flour. Place in large bowl and cover with damp hand towel. Place over a bowl of ice if you don’t have a cool spot.
Day 3
  1. Take the dough out of the bowl, slap it around a few times, shape into a ball. It should be airy and soft. It’s already so different from yesterday – the gluten has developed. Return to bowl, cover it back up with damp hand towel for 3 hours.
  2. Cut the dough into 3 pieces and shape into logs. Let rest 20 minutes. Try not to disturb the holes. Be gentle at this point. Put baking stone in oven and preheat to 450F.
  3. Slit with a razor, spray with water, and bake at 450F until cooked – about 20 minutes. Bake directly on stone or baking sheet.