easy french bread

true to its name. this particular bread is truly easy to make. aeons ago, i tried making french bread, the technique and long kneading time put me off. thanks to this wonderful blog, Dailydelicious ,i managed to make this wonderful bread, minus the hard work. Thanks once again, Pook! :-)

okay, since the website where i took this recipe from has already a step-by-step ohh baby...remember this song? method to make this bread, so i guess, i don't need to make one for this particular entry, yes?

okay, let's cut to the chase. these are the ingredients:

300g bread flour

1 tsp honey

1½ tsp instant yeast - i use Saf-Instant yeast

1 tbs olive oil

200ml water

1½ coarse sea salt - i use Maldon sea salt

yellow cornmeal, for sprinkling

2 cups boiling water

the how to:

1. mix olive oil, honey and water together.

2. put flour, instant yeast and salt in a mixing bowl, pour in the olive oil, honey and water mixture, whisk till combine.

3. put in a bowl and connect the hook attachment to mixer. knead on low (speed 2) for about 5-8 minutes. (this is the only part i changed because i can no longer knead bread due to my wrist.)

4. if the dough is a bit dry, sprinkle with 1-2tbsp water. the objective here is to get the dough all elastic.

5. put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. place the bowl in a warm place and let it rest till it become double the size (about 1 - 1½ hours)

6. once done, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat, or use a french bread pan (i don't have this one...boohoohoo) and sprinkle with yellow cornmeal.

7. divide the dough into two.

8. roll them into balls and let it rest for 10 minutes.

9. press the ball lightly and shape into a long oval, do the same with the other dough.

10. use the side of your hand to press the center of the dough and roll again (do it until you get the length that you want.)

11. let the dough rest until it becomes double the size, about 30 minutes.

12. preheat oven to 220°C and place a roasting pan at the lowest shelf of the oven.

13. using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on the dough about ¼inch deep across top of each loaf.

14. put the loaves into the oven and pour boiling water into the roasting pan, bake for 10 minutes.

15. after the first 10 minutes, reduce heat to 200°C and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown.

16. remove from baking sheet, cool on wire rack...orrrrrrr...cut them up and have them immediately with some butter or jam, just like i did! :-)

easy, right? well, one thing's for sure mine will be turned into garlic in about a few minutes. hehehehe...

please try this, because, nothing can beat a loaf of freshly baked bread!

recipe source: Dailydelicious