The French Bread
I've fine-tuned this French bread recipe to meet my standards—crispy exterior, and airy softness within. I trust you'll savor these delightful loaves just as much as I do!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 10 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
- 2 teaspoons cornmeal
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Place the sourdough starter, water, olive oil, salt, sugar, yeast, and flour in that order into the pan of a bread machine, set the machine on the dough cycle, and start the machine.
- After the machine has finished its cycle, turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead several times; mix in more flour if the dough is very sticky. Cut the dough in half and roll each piece of dough out into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches and 1/2-inch thick. Roll the rectangles into loaves the long way, pinch the seams, and taper and pinch the ends of the loaves.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and sprinkle paper with cornmeal. Place the loaves gently onto the prepared baking sheets, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Place a large baking stone onto the center rack of oven and place a baking dish onto a lower rack. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish.
- Remove plastic wrap from loaves, and slash several 1/2-inch-deep cuts into each loaf with a sharp knife. Whisk egg yolk and milk together in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed and brush the loaves with the egg yolk mixture.
- Place the loaves into the preheated oven on top of the baking stone, and quickly spray the inside of the oven 4 or 5 times with a water-filled spray bottle. Shut oven door; wait 1 minute, and spray again; repeat twice more, spraying the oven 4 times with water at 1-minute intervals.
- Bake about 15 minutes and remove the water-filled baking dish. Continue to bake until the bread is browned, and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped, about 15 more minutes. Remove bread to cool on racks.
Notes
- The sourdough starter is a large amount, so be sure to make it ahead of time if you don’t have enough.
- The bread machine, baking stone, and spraying of the oven are all optional and serve to make a more perfect loaf of French bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 173kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 6gFat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gCalcium: 24mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!