Une Baguette Pour Vous, et Des Petit Biscuits

Miracle of miracles! Today I got the afternoon off of work. It was pretty awesome.

So what did I do? I went to Border's. (Yes, I think you CAN see where this is going :-) )
And on the drive there I remembered Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day, which I had been thinking about buying, but waiting for the right sale and time and, well you know... A little distance from my other recent baking book purchases.
And it turns out I got a coupon e-mailed from Border's this morning for 33% off any book of my choice! And in typical Jessica fashion- I immediately had to bake from it when I got home. :-)
Since I've been in kind of a bread-y mood, I decided that the perfect recipe to christen the new addition to my library, a French Baguette. Mmm-yum!

Also, in my efforts to actually get something NEW done here, I whipped up some super quick shortbread and a Mushroom, Asparagus and Green and Yellow Bean Saute in a white wine reduction. (Yes, it sounds a lot fancier than it is!) So here are some recipes I hope you'll try out:


Five-Minute Artisan Bread
(from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois)

• 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
• 1 ¼ tablespoons (1 packet) granulated yeast
• 11.5 ml salt
• 3 ¼ cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
  

1. In a large stand mixer, mix yeast and salt into 1.5 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using dough hook attachment, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of container. Cover with a linen cloth.
2. Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours.

*At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Since refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.*

French Baguettes

- Artisan Bread dough
- whole wheat flour

1. Start with a 1 lb ball of Artisan Bread dough. (About half of dough you just made) With floured hands, grab a peach-sized glob of dough, and quickly form into a ball by tucking the ends under each quarter turn (about 30 seconds), using a bit more flour if needed.

2. Pull the dough gently and roll it into a baguette shape- it should be about 2 inches in diameter. If this size is too long for your oven- cut it in half so you have 2 smaller baguettes.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
*Remember to put the sheet you plan on using to bake the bread in the oven to preheat too- so that the bottom of the dough heats at the same time too.*

3. After the baguettes have risen, using a pastry brush, lightly paint the loaf with water. Now, using a sharp knife, make several diagonal slashed in the bread (about 4-5 for a full-sized baguette.)

4. Quickly take out the baking sheet from the oven and place the baguette on the pre-heated pan before returning it to the oven.
*Remember to add 1 cup of water to an oven-safe bowl/ramequin and place on a lower rack where it will not interfere with the bread’s rising, to keep the dough nice and moist.*

5. Bake the baguette at 450 degrees F for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow-sounding. (Each oven is different, so make sure you keep an eye on your baguette after the 20-minute mark!) Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 1 hour.


Healthier Shortbread
(from Cooking Light, November 2008)
Ingredients:

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornstarch, lemon rind, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

2. Place sugar, butter, and oil in a medium bowl; mix with hands until combined. Add flour mixture, and mix with hands until combined; knead dough lightly 4 times or just until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 325°.

4. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; press dough into an 8 x 5–inch rectangle about 3/8-inch thick. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or just until set and edges are golden. Cut shortbread into 24 pieces. Cool completely.

Happy Baking!
Jessica

Quelle réussite! La brioche française!

Before

Today I baked my brioche! After a very long wait and now lots of sore muscles- mixing that dough by hand was painful! I can finally share this delicious buttery bread with you. I chose Dorie Greenspan's recipe because I had yet to try one of her breads so I was hoping for the best. And it was splendid!After letting it rise for the last 2 hours during our family hike, I came back and glazed it and popped it in the oven. This is SO buttery and tasty- but I find it tastes even better the next day, toasted and smothered with jam or nutella. :)I used a loaf pan and a brioche pan for the dough, but isn't the brioche

one so much cuter? A worthy investment if you ask me. :) I hope you enjoy this brioche, all you French Foodies!

Golden Brioche Loaves

(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk (I used buttermilk)
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For the Glaze:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves and let proof for 10 minutes.Add flour and salt, mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs on low speed, then add sugar.
3. On medium speed, beat until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, two tablespoons at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next.
5. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
7. Punch the dough down to deflate it every 30 minutes until it stops rising (it will take 2 hours in total). Cover bowl with plastic and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
8. The next day, butter and flour 2 large loaf pans. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Cut each dough half into 4 logs. Arrange logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pans on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 2 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the brioches with the egg wash and bake until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes.
10. Let cool to room temperature, then run a knife around the side of the pans and turn the loaves out onto a rack.
11. The loaves can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.

Happy Baking! (and waiting)

Jessica

FRENCH BAGUETTE!!

As I sit here typing this, I am also SAVORING a piece of crusty French baguette, FRESH from the oven! Bread honestly NEVER ceases to amaze me. You take 4 simple ingredients: yeast, water, flour and salt (okay and an egg mixed with a tablespoon of milk for the egg wash) and after mixing and kneading and punching and waiting and punching and waiting and then baking and waiting- you have INCREDIBLE bread! With a little patience and as little as 4 ingredients, you have this amazing delicious piece of heaven. I really suggest you try this recipe, because I'm telling you: there is nothing quite like making your own bread. It's time-consuming, but it's so satisfying to know that you can make something that you have probably bought at the store hundreds of times and maybe never given a second thought to.

Baguette

(From Ultimate Bread by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (I used instant)
• 1 2/3 cups (375 ml) water
• 3 1/2 cups (500 g) unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

(For egg wash: Whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk with a fork)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the yeast into 1 1/2 cups (300 ml) of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast.
2. Use a wooden spoon to draw enough of the flour into the dissolved yeast to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let "sponge" until frothy and risen, 20 minutes.
3. Mix in the flour and add the remaining water, as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a soft, sticky dough.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until soft, smooth, and supple, about 10 minutes. Try to avoid adding extra flour while kneading the dough.
5. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Punch down, re-cover, and let rise for 45 minutes longer. Punch down again, re-cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into two baguettes, each about 12 inches in length.Place on a floured baking sheet or in a floured baguette tray; cover with a dish towel. Proof until doubled in size, about 50 minutes.
8. Cut several diagonal slashes across the top. Paint on the egg wash at this point if you wish to use it, and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (I baked mine for 22 1/2 minutes), until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

So here, if this can convince you to even think about making your own bread, whatever the recipe, I will feel infinitely happy. :-)

Most Happy Baking!!

Jessica