French Bread!

Yes, that's right, courtesy of my favourite mom & dad (thank you thank you thank you), I am now the proud owner of this most holy grail of kitchen appliances. (As far as I know, drinking from it's stainless steel bowl will not guarantee eternal life, but a lifetime of perfectly mixed ingredients is guaranteed.)

To inaugurate this new addition to my life, I made bread. French bread, to be specific. The mixer came with a manual that includes several recipes, French bread among them. In 3 minutes (3 minutes!), my dough was kneaded and ready to rise. C'est magnifique!

FRENCH BREAD

2 pkgs (4.5tsp) active dry yeast

2.5c warm water

1T salt

1T butter, melted

7c all-purpose flour

2tsp cornmeal

1 egg white

1T cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, butter, and flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute, or until well blended. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into 12" x 15" rectangle. Roll dough tightly, from longest side, tapering ends if desired. Place loaves on greased baking sheets that have been dusted with cornmeal. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

With sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Beat egg white and water together with a fork. Brush each loaf with egg mixture. Return to oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

Yield: 30 servings (15 slices per loaf)

Per serving: About 114cal, 3g protein, 23g carb, 1g fat, 0mg chol, 221mg sodium

Personal Notes: Kind of cool today, 1st rising in 170F oven, 2nd rising in 170F oven turned off. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour ($4.49/5lbs). Rolled out on pastry marble - so much better than formica countertop. Loaves bigger than I expected - next time use 2 pans. Post egg wash, baked for full 10 minutes.