The Art of Crafting Perfect “French” Bread

This recipe in the King Arthur Baking School cookbook is titled French Bread, but it’s similar to “straight” breads made in multiple bread traditions. I love this kind of bread.

The night before baking I mixed the preferment (a poolish in this case, with equal amounts of flour and water): flour, water, yeast, and time.

14 hours later I mixed the dough in my KitchenAid mixer. I dislike the feeling of a very sticky dough on my hands, so I prefer to use tools to mitigate the stickiness. After the initial mix I kneaded the dough in the mixer for a few minutes, then covered it and set it aside to rise.

The dough rose for 1 1/2 hours with a fold in the middle to enhance the gluten structure. in the photos below you can see how much the bread rose during this period.

I divided the dough in half by eye, and preshaped each half.

While the preshaped dough rested I floured my bannetons. After 20 minutes I did the final shaping, put the dough in the bannetons (seam-side up), and covered them for the final rise. I also started my oven and my baking vessels preheating.

The bread needed a full hour for its final rise.

After the final rise was complete I turned the dough out of the bannetons onto parchment paper. I brushed away the excess flour, and scored the dough before putting the dough into my baking vessels and into the oven.

I kept the lids on the baking vessels for 15 minutes to allow the dough to bake with steam. I removed the covers and lowered the oven temperature after 15 minutes.

The bread baked for an additional 30 minutes uncovered (45 minutes total).

First of all, this bread is pretty. I love how scoring can be decorative as well as functional. Secondly, this bread is delicious. It has a tight crumb with few large holes. It tastes almost like a sandwich bread, except for the thicker, tougher crust. I love a crusty bread. This bread does feel more sophisticated or refined, or maybe less rustic than similar breads made with less yeast and more time.

Until the next time: may your yeast always rise and your flour never run out.