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Artisan Country Bread

Artisan Country BreadThis versatile recipe makes a soft, wholesome bread with a fine crumb. It's perfect for dinner rolls, shaped loaves, and slicing with jam or honey. Enjoy!

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Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 2-3 shaped loaves or 2 dozen rolls

Source: I tweaked a standard French bread recipe over the years until the loaf was more nutritious, had a soft crust, and kept longer. A good recipe for true French bread is in The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking (1995) by Brother Rick Curry, S.J.

Ingredients:

Tip: My mother told me to never use a plastic bowl or spoon when baking bread. Heavy duty ceramic is my favorite. Steel and glass also produce good results.

Steps:

  1. Sprinkle sugar and yeast evenly over 1/4 cup warm water. The water should be almost hot to touch but not burning, like a bath. Stir until mostly dissolved, then set aside for 5 minutes to let the yeast rise.
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  3. Add the remaining milk, water, salt, and the wheat flour. Whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute until smooth and slightly elastic. Then beat in a cup of all-purpose flour and whisk for another 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
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  5. Using a sturdy mixing spoon, gradually beat in the remaining cup of flour. Knead dough slightly in the bowl to incorporate the rest of the flour. Note: the dough needs to come out of the bowl somewhat sticky so it doesn't become tough during the next stage of kneading. Reserve 1/4-1/2 cup flour.
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  7. Turn out the dough onto a smooth, lightly floured surface and knead 8-12 minutes, until the dough's surface is smooth and bounces back under slight pressure from your finger. The dough should also indicate subtle air bubbles when gently pulled back under itself.
  8. Place dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm area for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in bulk.
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  10. Punch dough down to let the air escape, then let it rest for about five minutes. Shape loaves and/or rolls as desired and place on lightly greased cookie sheet to rise a second time for about 30-40 minutes. The rolls/loaves should be just under twice the original size before they go into the oven. The following images for steps 7 and 8 show what the loaves or rolls should look like rising.
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  12. To make the pan brie loaf, simply cut half the dough and form into a rounded disk. Make 5 or 6 evenly spaced slashes with a serrated knife. They should be just 1/4 inch deep. You can also curve the two outer slashes to follow the form of the loaf.
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  14. To form simple rolls, pinch off dough roughly half the size of a medium apple. Turn the rough edges under, gently stretching each corner under itself.
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  16. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-45 minutes, or until dark golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.
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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
December 4, 20160 found this helpful

This looks great. Thanks for posting.

Reply Was this helpful? Yes
December 13, 20160 found this helpful

Cool. :) Hope you enjoy!

Reply Was this helpful? Yes

Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 278 Feedbacks
December 20, 20160 found this helpful

Looks great! Love to give it a try. I think your mother was right about the plastic bowl. I do remember my mother alway used glass bowls for her bread.

Reply Was this helpful? Yes

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