Confessions of a French Baker (7 page)

Pain au Lait

Essentially breakfast bread—it's excellent toasted and spread with butter, jam, or honey—this loaf is rather compact, making it good for sandwiches, too. Gerard likes to eat a slice of this bread with ham and cheese, in particular, but doesn't shy away from slathering it with butter and melted chocolate. Milk Bread may be torpedo-shaped, or, for special occasions, twisted into braids.

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

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) softened butter

3 tablespoons (1 ounce) powdered milk

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) water (90-100°F)

Beaten egg, for glaze (optional)

Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

Sugar, for topping (optional)

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, drop the butter into the middle of the flour, and mix on medium to low speed, gradually putting in the powdered milk and sugar. Slowly add in the water and mix until the dough comes away from the bowl, in about 5—10 minutes.
   

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes. Return the dough to the 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 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 into 2 smooth balls again, as you did before the first rise. If you want to make braided loaves, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Find a surface in your kitchen free from drafts and lay a kitchen towel dusted with flour on it. Place the balls on the kitchen 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
   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. To make a braided loaf, pull each of the six balls out lengthwise until they are about 8 inches long. If the dough resists, set it aside to rest for a few minutes. Working with 3 pieces at a time, connect them at 1 end by pinching them together. Beginning with the strand on the right, bring it up and over the middle strand, so that it becomes the middle strand. Next, bring the strand on the left up and over the middle strand. Continue bringing the right and left strands over the middle strand until you reach the end of the strands. Connect them at the end by pinching them together, as you did to begin the braid.
   

6. Place the loaves (seam side down if they are
   bdtards)
   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 425°F. Carefully place the loaves on a baking sheet. Brush them with water or the egg glaze using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the sesame seeds or sugar evenly on top, if using. 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 minutes for a soft bread, 25 minutes for a crustier bread. Transfer the bread to a rack and allow it to cool before slicing.
   

Though it looks like it requires special skills to make,
fougasse
is essentially a
batard
that is flattened, scored in a decorative pattern, and folded in half to enclose any number of sweet or savory fillings.

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

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) softened butter

3 tablespoons (1 ounce) powdered milk

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) water (90°-100°F)

Beaten egg for glaze (optional)

Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

Sugar, for topping (optional)

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, drop the butter into the middle of the mixture, and mix on medium to low speed, gradually putting in the powdered milk and sugar. Slowly add in the water and mix until the dough comes away from the bowl, in 5—10 minutes.
   

2. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes. Return it to the 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, 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. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Shape the
   fougasse
   by first patting down the balls to allow the carbonic gasses that have developed to disperse. Pat down the dough and shape it into a rough 4-by-10-inch rectangle. Spread the desired filling (see page 83) down the length of 1/2 of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch rim around the edge. The other half of the dough should be bare. Score this half using the tip of a sharp razor
   blade, making 4—6 diagonal slashes along its length. This will be the top of the bread. Fold the scored half over the filled half and seal the dough together with your hands, tucking it underneath itself as you go.
   

   

6. Carefully place the loaves on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with the beaten egg using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the sesame seeds or sugar evenly on top, if using. 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 it for 20 minutes. Transfer the
   fougasse
   to a rack and allow it to cool before slicing.
   

D
ECIDING
which wine to drink with which bread might seem, to most of us, merely a matter of reaching for the nearest bottle and the nearest loaf. This would be a mistake, as the following tasting notes, compiled by wine experts Joy V. Land and Joseph Uris, show. There is no recommendation for the traditional
baguette, boule
, or
batard
because every wine is suitable with them.

The wines provided range from the affordable and easily found to the rarer and more extravagant bottles. Vintages have been omitted to avoid confusing those readers not thoroughly familiar with the dizzying array of wines now available.