Artisan French Bread

Barbara

Bake a loaf with a soft airy center surrounded by a crunchy crust with a great chew. This bread is fantastic with a minimum of fuss.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Rise time 2 45

Total Time 3 30

Course Bread

Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup lukewarm water, add 1 tablespoon yeast and stir. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour and salt.
Once yeast starts to bubble in the water add it to the flour and salt and add another 2 cups lukewarm water.
Use a wooden spoon to stir all the ingredients together. You will have a sticky, shaggy looking dough.
Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for 2 hours to allow the dough to rise.
Place dough in the refrigerator. Dough will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Place a metal broiler pan on the lowest shelf in the oven. Place a baking stone on the center rack in the oven.
Preheat oven to 450°.
While oven is preheating take the dough out of the refrigerator.
Place about a teaspoon of cornmeal onto a pizza peel, and spread it out in a thin layer.
Coat your hands with flour and grab up about a grapefruit sized piece of dough.
Pull the dough smooth, pulling it slightly from the center and tucking under while holding the dough in your hands until you have a nice smooth top.
Place loaf onto the prepared pizza peel, and smooth a thin layer of flour over the top of the loaf.
Allow the loaf to rest for 45 minutes.
Using a serrated knife cut 5 evenly spaced, ½ inch deep slashes into the top of the loaf.
Open oven door, slide loaf from the pizza peel onto the baking stone in the oven. Carefully pour a cup of water into the broiler pan below the baking stone and close the oven door to keep in as much of the steam as possible.
Bake loaf for 25-30 minutes or until a rich golden brown. Loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for at least one hour on a wire rack before cutting into it.

Keyword Artisan bread