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FRENCH BREAD |
Basic french bread is very simple. It contains wheat, water, yeast and salt. Unlike sourdough bread, French bread doesn't use a starter. Because it doesn't have any fat among its ingredients, French bread goes stale very fast. Some French wives used to shop for bread not once but twice a day, so as to provide their families with fresh bread for lunch and dinner.
Along with Crème Caramel and Chinatown Chicken Salad, our French rolls are one of the offerings that put us "on the map" in 1984. We have never changed the recipe. In 1997 we started using a mixer instead of kneading the dough by hand. Today, we use an average of 80 cups of flour a day.
You can make our rolls at home. It is not a difficult recipe, but it takes time from start to finish. Make it at least once as I explain it, and then you may want to experiment with flours, seeds, and shapes.
You will need two cookie sheets that are not too flimsy, a clean water sprayer, and a timer.
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RECIPE |
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur and Ceresota are excellent)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
oil and cornmeal to prepare the sheets Reserve one cup flour for dusting your surface and adding later.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl until manageable.
Turn onto a smooth and lightly floured surface.
Knead for about 10 to 12 minutes while progressively incorporating the reserved flour.
I knead by pushing the dough away with the heel of my hand and then folding it back.
You may also use a stand mixer with the dough hook.
When the dough is smooth and elastic, turn it into a large greased bowl. Flip it once so that the top of the dough is greasy, and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
Let the dough rise for an hour.
Give the dough a good punch and one or two folds.
Cover again and let rise again, either for one hour at room temperature , or overnight refrigerated.
Give the dough another punch.
Prepare two cookie sheets by wiping them with oil and lightly dusting them with cornmeal.
Turn the dough onto a smooth and lightly floured surface.
Cut the dough into 24 lemon-size chunks.
Shape the chunks into nice balls by rolling them between one flat hand and one cupped hand.
Place the rolls on the sheet, seem-side down, 12 on each sheet.
Preheat oven to 440°, with the racks 1/3 and 2/3 up.
When the rolls are nicely plump (it will take longer if you refrigerated the dough, of course), give each one a neat slit. I use a serrated knife, but you may use a paring knife or a blade. The slit should go down one third of the height of the roll.
With your sprayer in the mist position, give your rolls a nice spritz.
Change sprayer to stream.
Open the oven and quickly spray water inside. 20 squeezes is about right.
Place one sheet on each rack.
Set your timer for 18 minutes.
When it rings, rotate the sheets: top to bottom, left to right.
Set your timer for 18 minutes again.
Your rolls should be ready now. Cool them on racks. Don't wrap them in any way until they are cool.
Freeze them if you don't need them today. Reheat them in a 350° oven.
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