Classic French Bread (with your stand-up mixer)
Crusty on the outside and soft in the inside: that is what good bread is made of. An easy french bread recipe to accompany any and all soups, stews, and salads this fall.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds all-purpose flour or 7 cups
- 1/2 ounce dry active yeast or 2 pkgs
- 2 1/2 cups water 110-115℉
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- cornmeal for dusting
- ice cubes
Instructions
- In a medium glass bowl, mix water, yeast and sugar together.
- In a large bowl of stand-up mixer, mix flour and salt.
- Add water mixture and mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment for 8 minutes. Dough will feel warm to the touch.
- Add small amount of olive oil to glass bowl and rub top side of dough over oil and then flip over and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Split dough into 2 halves and shape into baguettes.
- Place on a cornmeal dusted baking sheet.
- Let dough proof (sit) for one more hour.
- With 15 minutes left of proof-time preheat oven to 425℉. Place a cast iron pan on bottom rack of oven. Just before transferring dough to oven, add several ice cubes to cast iron pan to create steam which helps form a good crust.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Active prep time is 20 minutes and 2 hours of prep time is allowing bread to rise and proof.