A quick French bread
So yesterday around 11am we decided on a meal that a loaf of fresh bread would be good with. I didn't have a refreshed starter or preferment going, but I quickly mixed up a cup of AP flour, a cup of luke warm water, and about a third of a teaspoon of yeast and let it sit while I figured out what I wanted to do with it.
About two hours later I took a look. It wasn't even close to ripe and had just a few bubbles, but it was better than nothing, so I mixed it is with around 600 more grams AP flour, 400 or so grams water, and 15 grams kosher salt. Oh yeah, and another 2/3 teaspoon yeast. Mixed it up real well until I could see good gluten development and then let it sit.
Folded an hour or so later, around 2pm, then again around 3pm. I split and shaped it around 4 and baked it around 5.
It came out really nice. The crumb is lovely, I think, about as nice as I've ever gotten from a dough without a meaningful preferment and with such a short rise time. I guess that is the sign of the better gluten development?
The flavour is a bit plain, as one would expect, but not bad at all. It is also staling slower than I typically expect a straight dough to stale. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I'll have to try this again.
Comments
The crust and crumb look beautiful. I bet the loaves were delicious too when they served hot from the oven just in time with the dinner.
Beautiful bake!
Annie
Hi Floyd,
Such a beautiful crumb, bloom and crust color.
This dough looks like it's got great potential to make baguettes, producing a crumb and crust like that.
:^) breadsong
Those are beautiful loaves, Floyd. Excellent crust and crumb structure.
-Khalid
Great job Floyd....it's always nice to throw something together and hope it comes out good. In this case you hit it out of the park.
Ian
as any more difficult and longer methods - but the taste is a bit plain but not bad. Those are the consequences for the bread we bake :-) Well and quickly done Floyd
When you baked what were the oven settings and did you mist. Just want to try and recreate that lovely looking crust.
My technique right now is to preheat the stone at 465, place the loaves on the stone, then cover them with an inverted aluminum baking pan like the kind folks bake their Thanksgiving turkeys in. After about 15 minutes I remove the cover and let them brown until they are done.