Confessions of a French Baker (6 page)

Additional step:
Add 5 1/4 ounces of softened Roquefort to the dough after it comes away from the sides of the bowl in Step 1. Continue to mix the dough until the cheese is incorporated.

Tiny cubes of sauteed garlic are mixed right into the dough of these universally appealing loaves. Almost any cheese tastes better accompanied by a few warm slices of this garlic bread. Be sure to use the very freshest garlic available, and dice it—don't crush it. Note: Add only 1 cup of water (90-100°F) to the dry ingredients in Step 1 to make this slightly stiffer dough.

Additional
step: Dice 6 cloves of garlic into 1/8-inch pieces. Toss the tiny cubes in a tablespoon of flour until they are well coated. Scatter them evenly in the mixing bowl after the dough has pulled away from the sides in Step 1. Continue to mix until the garlic is incorporated.

Adding chopped walnuts generously to this special bread ensures that you will get some in every rose-toned slice. It is an ideal companion to cheeses of all kinds and is the perfect accompaniment to a simple green salad dressed with olive oil.

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) salt

5/8 cup (5 ounces) water (90-100°F)

5/8 cup (5 ounces) red wine

4 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 ounce) instant yeast

2 cups (12 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Sift the flour and salt together into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and mix on medium to low speed, gradually adding the water and wine, until the dough comes away from the bowl, between 5 and 10 minutes. Scatter the walnuts evenly over the dough and continue mixing until they are incorporated.
   

2. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes. Return it to the mixing bowl and place on mixer so the dough hook plunges into the middle of the dough. Mix on medium speed until the dough is soft and pliable, about 15—20 minutes or until the dough passes the “windowpane” windowpane. (See page 45.)
   

3. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl onto a counter and gather it up in your hands in a rough ball. Bring the full length of your thumbs into the center of the ball so that they meet, and
   stretch the dough from the center out, as if opening a book, into an oblong shape. Turn the dough a quarter turn and stretch the dough again the same way, creating a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and set aside in a draft-free place at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, in about 45 minutes.
   

4. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces (about 1 pound each) and shape it into 2 smooth balls again, as you did before the first rise. Find a surface in your kitchen free from drafts and lay a kitchen towel dusted with flour on it. Place the balls on the towel and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent a crust from forming on the surface. Leave the loaves to proof at room temperature until they double in size, in about 20—25 minutes.
   

5. Shape the loaves by first patting down the balls to allow the carbonic gasses that have developed to disperse. To make
   boules
   , gather up the dough in a rough ball and shape it as in Step 3. To make
   batards
   , pat down the dough and shape it
   into a rough 4-by-10-inch rectangle. With a long side facing you, fold the bottom third of the dough to the center and press to seal it. Fold the top over it and seal along the edge.
   

6. Place the loaves, seam side down, on the kitchen towel dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the loaves rise at room temperature for the final time until they have doubled in size, about 35—45 minutes.
   

7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Carefully place the loaves on a baking sheet. Brush them with water using a pastry brush. With a sharp razor blade, make a lozenge-shaped cut on the surface of each loaf by scoring it from end to end in 2 swift motions. To do this successfully, use just the tip of the blade.
   

8. Just before you are ready to slide the baking sheet into the oven, spray the inside of the oven with water using a spray bottle or plant mister and close the door immediately. This will create steam, which promotes a good crust. Put the bread in the oven and bake for 20—25 minutes or until it makes a hollow sound when you knock on
   the bottom of it with your knuckles. Transfer the bread to a rack and allow it to cool before slicing.
   

For all of the breads made with wine, the ratio of liquid to dry ingredients remains the same and the amount will always total 1 1/4 cups. The quantity of each liquid will vary from recipe to recipe.

Lightly sauteed onions and white wine delicately flavor this bread, a good one for toasting and dunking into a bowl of hot soup. Note: Some of the wine in this recipe is used to deglaze the pan in which the onions are sauteed.

Ingredient preparation:
Before you begin mixing the dough, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over
medium-low heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of diced onions (about 2 small ones) and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and slightly golden. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of white wine. Drain the onions, reserving the liquid. Set both aside to cool.

Liquid substitution:
Pour the cooking liquid into a measuring cup and add enough white wine to make 5/8 cup. Add it and 5/8 cup of water to the dry ingredients.

Additional step:
Add the sauteed onions after the dough passes the windowpane test in Step 2. Continue mixing until they are incorporated.

Dense with savory nuts and sweet raisins, this bread is popular among Gerard's customers during the autumn months. It makes wonderful
breakfast toast, slathered with butter, jam, or honey.

Liquid substitution:
Add 3/4 cup of red wine plus 1/2 cup of water to the dry mixture.

Additional step:
Omit the walnuts and instead add 1/3 cup each of raisins, chopped almonds, and chopped hazelnuts plus 2 tablespoons each of pine nuts and pistachio nuts to the dough just after it comes away from the bowl in Step 1.

Crispy bits of sauteed bacon flavor this country loaf, which is substantial enough to stand up to such hearty dishes as choucroute and cassoulet.

Ingredient preparation:
Cut 7 ounces of bacon into l/2-inch-by-l/4-inch strips. Fry the bacon in a skillet over high heat until crisp. Drain the fat. Add 3/4 cup of white wine to the pan and bring to
a boil. Drain, reserving the liquid, and set aside the bacon and liquid to cool.

Liquid substitution:
Pour the reserved cooking liquid into a measuring cup and add enough white wine to make 3/4 cup. Add it and 1/2 cup of water to the dry ingredients.

Additional
step: Add the drained bacon after the dough pulls away from the sides in Step 1. Continue mixing until the bacon is incorporated.

Pain aux Olives

This is the kind of bread that you can't help but tear off a piece to eat for a snack. It is also a nice bread to cut up into small slices and serve on an hors d'oeuvre tray with cheeses, dips, and spreads. When a hearty meat dish is on the dinner menu, this is the bread to serve.

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) salt

4 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 ounce) instant yeast

3/4 cup (6 ounces) water (90-100°F)

l/2 cup (4 ounces) olive oil

3/4 cup (4 ounces) pitted black olives

3/4 cup (4 ounces) pitted green olives

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

1. Sift the flour and salt together into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the contents and mix on medium to low speed, gradually adding the water and the olive oil, until the dough comes away from the bowl, about 5—10 minutes. Scatter the olives and the herbs over the dough and continue mixing until they are incorporated.
   

2. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes. Return it to the mixing bowl and place on the mixer so the dough hook plunges into the middle of the dough. Mix on medium speed until the dough is soft and pliable, about 15—20 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. (See page 45.)
   

3. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl to the counter and gather it up in your hands in a
   rough ball. Bring the full length of your thumbs into the center of the ball so that they meet, and stretch the dough from the center out, as if opening a book, into an oblong shape. Turn the dough a quarter turn and stretch the dough again the same way, creating a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and set it aside in a draft-free place at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, in about 45 minutes.
   

4. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces (about 1 pound each) and shape them into 2 smooth balls again, as you did before the first rise. Find a surface in your kitchen free from drafts and lay a kitchen towel dusted with flour on it. Place the balls on the towel and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent a crust from forming on the surface. Leave the loaves to proof at room temperature until they double in size, in 20—25 minutes.
   

5. Shape the loaves by first patting down the balls to allow the carbonic gasses that have developed to disperse. To make
   boules
   , gather up the
   dough in a rough ball and shape it as in Step 3. To make
   batards
   , pat down the dough and shape it into a rough 4-by-10-inch rectangle. With a long side facing you, fold the bottom third of the dough to the center and press to seal it. Fold the top over it and seal along the edge.
   

6. Place the loaves, seam side down, on the towel dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the loaves rise at room temperature for the final time until they have doubled in size, in about 35—45 minutes.
   

7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Carefully place the loaves on a baking sheet. Brush them with water using a pastry brush. Using a sharp razor blade, make a lozenge-shaped cut on the surface of each loaf by scoring it from end to end in 2 swift motions. To do this successfully, use just the tip of the blade.
   

8. Just before you are ready to slide the baking sheet into the oven, spray the inside of the oven with water using a spray bottle or plant mister and close the door immediately. This will create steam, which promotes a good crust. Put the bread in the oven and bake for 20—25 minutes or
   until the bread makes a hollow sound when you knock on the bottom of it with your knuckles. Transfer the bread to a rack and allow it to cool before slicing.
   

Named for the soup that features the same flavors that infuse this bread—saffron, fennel, garlic, and
herbes de Provence
—this bread is delightful sliced, quartered, and grilled or fried, then topped with a filet of marinated fish or floating in fish soup. It is equally delicious spread with garlic mayonnaise
(Provençal aioli).

Additional
step: Sift a pinch of saffron with the flour and salt.

Liquid substitutions:
Add 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup olive oil to the dry ingredients.

Additional steps: Add 2 teaspoons of fennel and 1 teaspoon of
herbes de Provence
to the mixture right after the liquid ingredients have been added. Add 1 tablespoon of diced garlic, dusted with flour, to the dough after it has passed the windowpane test in Step 2. Continue to mix until the garlic is incorporated.