Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (105 f)
1 1/2 package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 1/2 cup all-purpose or unbleached flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (105 f)
Directions
Makes 2 loaves
Flour
Generously grease baguette pans.
Combine 1/2 cup warm water with yeast and 1 tsp sugar in small bowl
and let stand until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 5
minutes.
Combine flour, salt, remaining sugar and yeast mixture in work bowl
of food processor. With machine running, slowly begin adding 1 cup
warm water. A soft ball should form in several seconds; if not, add a
little more warm water. Let machine run 15 to 20 seconds, adding
more flour if dough seems too soft.
Transfer dough to lightly floured board and knead with a little
additional flour for several turns. Divide dough in half and shape
into two cylinders 8 to 10 inches long. Transfer to prepared pans and
cut 3 or 4 diagonal slashes in top of each loaf with tip of knife or
single-edged razor blade. Cover and let rise in warm place until
doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
After about 30 minutes, place racks in middle and lower quarters of
oven and begin preheating to 450 F. Center shallow pan of water on
lower rack. When dough has doubled, place on middle rack directly
above water and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 F and continue
baking an additional 15 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and
have a hollow sound when tapped with finger.
Bon Appetit
Servings: 2 servings
Processor French Bread Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; French
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to follow the history of recipes back into the far past, certainly as far as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further. In practice though, mostly, these early recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic instructions for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to academics is a series of clay tablets in the Sumerian language which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel wonderful and blissful. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a number of scripts showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he describes how the ancient cooks used a good variety of spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like thyme, mint and parsley. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back a variety of spices and herbs from the Middle-East, such as parsley and basil. These new herbs and spices prompted an explosion in books on cookery, many of which are kept safe in academic collections. Over the succeeding few centuries, the powerful and rich houses strove to serve up the most exotic banquets, and as a result cooks and their recipe collections were at a premium. Even so, it wasn`t until the 19th century that fine cooking and recipe collections reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted their lives to collecting, testing, and publishing recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. The arrival of TV gave us TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing us all to access thousands of recipes such as those found on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Processor French Bread recipe.
