La Metairies French Bread Recipes

NEW ORLEANS FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast, salt and sugar in warm water.
• Gradually stir in flour, adding only until the mixture refuses to absorb more.
• On a floured board knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and brush the top lightly with butter.
• Cover with a damp cloth.
• Set the dough aside in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until it is double in bulk.
• Butter a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal, shaking off the excess.
• Punch down the dough.
• Transfer the dough to a floured board and divide it into thirds.
• Roll each portion into an 8 x 13 inch rectangle.
• Roll each rectangle up from the long side, seal and shape ends.
• Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet and with a sharp knife make several diagonal cuts across the tops.
• Brush lightly with melted butter.
• Let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.
• Place the bread on the middle rack in oven.
• Place a pan of hot water on bottom of oven.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes.
• Note: Cooking time includes rising times.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and vinegar in a food processor to combine.
• Stir together yeast and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) With motor running, pour yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water into flour mixture in processor, blending until dough forms a ball and pulls away from side of processor bowl, about 1 minute.
• Cover processor feed tube and let dough rise until it fills bowl, about 1 hour. Pulse several times to deflate dough.
• Generously oil bread pans with olive oil.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half (dough will be very soft). Press 1 half into a 10- by 8-inch rectangle and fold in the 2 short outer sides to meet in the middle, pinching edges together. Turn over (seam side down), then roll and stretch into a 15-inch-long irregular loaf. Put loaf, seam side up, in bread pan and turn to coat with oil, leaving loaf seam side down.
• Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Let loaves rise, uncovered, in a warm draft-free place 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven, then put a large roasting pan with 1 inch of water in it on bottom of gas oven or on lowest rack of electric oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Make 3 shallow diagonal slashes down length of each loaf with razor. Bake loaves 30 minutes, then carefully remove pan of water from oven. Remove bread from pans and turn upside down on upper oven rack, then bake until golden and crusty all over, about 5 minutes more. Cool loaves on a rack.

LA METAIRIE'S FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Put 4 1/2 cups of flour in large mixing bowl and add salt.
• Put yeast in small bowl and add water. Stir to dissolve.
• Melt butter and set aside.
• To flour add milk and stir, kneading with hands to partly blend. Add yeast mixture and continue kneading. Add butter and stir to blend well.
• Gradually add 1 1/2 cups flour to make stiff but still kneadable dough, which should not be sticky. Shape into ball and place in clean bowl. Cover with clean towel and let stand at room temperature in fairly warm room until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Lightly flour surface of baking sheet.
• Using floured fingers, knead dough briefly. Divide dough into 3 portions of equal size. Knead and shape each into round ball. Arrange balls on baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
• Using sharp knife or razor blade, cut a cross into top of each loaf. Cover with clean cloth and let stand at room temperature in fairly warm room until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Fifteen minutes before bread has risen, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place loaves in oven and bake 35 minutes until browned and crusty on top. Let cool before slicing.