breadwinner

bread is, and has always been, one of the most important food-related symbols in our world.  it exists in idioms, in religion, in 70’s soft-rock, and perhaps most importantly of all, in cockney rhyming slang.  so very deep-rooted in history, there is evidence that primitive breads might even have been baked 30,000 years ago (that is, until caveman adkins came along and grunted “carbs bad.  exist only on nuts, berries, and roast pteranodon).  bread has survived ever-fluctuating trends, fashions and diets over the centuries, remaining ever-cool; the little black dress of foodstuffs. 

now, let’s begin with an admission of sorts.  baking your own bread might just go against the general anti-faff rule i have with cooking.  that much is true.  BUT, saying that, as bread-making goes, this recipe is delightfully lazy.  there are no “starters” to be cultivated, there’s no day-long rising process, and there’s only enough kneading for you to juuust work out your aggression over the existence of the honey boo boo show, or of johnny depp shacking up with a 24 yr old, and then your hard labour is done and the dough chills (literally) in the fridge overnight.  this recipe also makes enough dough for two loaves, so when you’re seemingly baking your pals a completely altruistic loaf of freshly-baked bread, you can cackle slyly in your mind knowing that you’re getting one too.  (note to my friends: i never do that.  no, no.  it’s all for you, promise.)  so, yes, this might not be as easy as popping to the shop down the road and buying a loaf for a couple of bucks, but as far as i’m concerned, a still-warm loaf of crusty deliciousness and a house that smells perfectly like a parisian bakery might just be worth a little extra faff once in a while.

classic french bread (adapted from peter reinhart’s “artisanal breads every day”)

makes 2 large baguettes.

5-1/3 cups unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2-1/4 teaspoons (one 7g packet) instant yeast
2 cups lukewarm water

do ahead

combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.  if using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute.  if mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute, until well blended and smooth.  the dough should form a coarse, shaggy ball.  let it rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes (or knead by hand for about 2 minutes) adjusting with flour or water as needed.  the dough should be smooth and supple (ooh la la), tacky but not sticky.

knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for about 1 minute more (or put darling daughter to work, with or without dragon costume), portion into two, then transfer each to a clean, lightly oiled bowl.  cover the bowls with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.

on baking day

remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake. gently transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible (one of the few times in the world where “gas” is actually a good thing).

to shape the dough into baguettes, gently press the dough into a rectangle, fold the top and the bottom into the center and pinch the seam shut.  let rest for 5-10 minutes.  repeat the folds to the center and pinch the new seam shut, then roll dough back and forth until you reach your desired length.

mist the top of the dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.

meanwhile, preheat the oven to 550°F or as high as it will go, heating two baking sheets inside the oven.

remove the plastic wrap and score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife.   try not to let the knife drag the dough, as i have poorly done here.  oops.  

transfer the dough onto one of the hot baking sheets, place in oven, and pour 1 cup of hot water into the other, lower baking sheet (creating steam), then reduce the oven temperature to 450°F.

bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown, and the loaves sound hollow when thumped.

lumpy.  but that just means i can call it "artisanal," right??

mmm…  crusty…  enjoy with pretty much anything, but especially with salmon rillettes or oven-roasted heirloom tomatoes (see previous posts), and red wine.  because, let’s be honest, we should be enjoying pretty much everything with red wine, right??