French Onion Bread

 

1 package active dry yeast or 1 cake compressed yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1 envelope onion soup mix 2 cups water 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil 6 to 6 1/2 cups sifted enriched flour Cornmeal

Soften dry yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water or compressed yeast in lukewarm water.

Combine soup mix and the 2 cups water; simmer covered 10 minutes.

Add sugar, salt cheese and shortening. Stir. Cool to lukewarm.

Stir in 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Stir in yeast. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Knead until smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes).

Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let double in warm place (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down; divide in half. Cover and let rest ten minutes.

Shape into 2 long loaves, tapering ends. Place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Slash tops diagonally, 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Cover and let almost double (about 1 hour).

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Brush with mixture of one egg white and one tablespoon water. Bake 10 to 12 minutes longer or until done.

Foccacia

 

1 package dry yeast 1 cup warm water 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup olive oil 2 2/3 to 3 cups flour 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Fresh or dried rosemary leaves

Dissolve yeast in water. Let stand until bubbly. Stir in sugar, salt and olive oil. Add 2 cups flour and beat until elastic. Stir in 2/3 cup more flour. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Put into a greased bowl. Turn over to coat well. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Heat 1/4 cup oil. Add garlic and cook until soft and yellow. Set aside.

Punch dough down and knead briefly. Roll with a rolling pin and stretch to fit a greased 15 x 10−inch cookie sheet (with sides). Pierce dough with the end of a wooden spoon at 1−inch intervals. Drizzle garlic and oil all over. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and rosemary. Let rise, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes.

Alternate Toppings Rosemary: Just before baking, dimple the top of the dough and drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt and a sprinkling of fresh or dried rosemary leaves

Provençale: After the dough is stretched into the pan, stir together 1 can plum tomatoes (drained and chopped) and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil. Spread the mixture over the dough. Cover with a towel and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.

Dimple the dough again and top with 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 1 can sliced black olives, 4 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt.

Flower Pot Herb Loaves

 

1 pound all−purpose flour 1 ounce fresh yeast 2/3 cup lukewarm milk Pinch of granulated sugar 2 onions, chopped finely 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 ounces butter 2 large eggs, beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt Pinch of grated nutmeg 2 teaspoons dried dill 1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary 2 new (4−inch) clay flower pots*

Note: Purchase only clay pots made in the United States. If made outside the United States, lead is mixed in with the clay.

Grease the flower pots.

Sift the flour into a bowl and form a well in the center. Combine yeast, milk and sugar in a bowl and leave for a few minutes, then pour into well. Sprinkle a little flour over, cover and leave in a warm place for 15 to 20 minutes.

Melt butter and mix with eggs, salt, nutmeg, dill and rosemary. Add onion. Mix everything with the flour and yeast liquid and knead well, until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave to stand until doubled in size.

Knead again lightly and put half the dough in each flower pot. Let rise for 20 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush surface of dough with water and sprinkle lightly with aniseed or fennel, if desired. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

French Bread

 

2 packages dry yeast 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 2 cups warm water 6 to 7 cups all−purpose flour 2 tablespoons olive oil

Put yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup very warm water and stir to dissolve and allow to "proof."

Meanwhile, measure salt and 2 cups of flour into mixing bowl. After yeast has "proofed," add enough very warm water to bring level to 2 cups. Add to flour and salt and mix with a spoon. As dough begins to form, add 2 more cups flour and 2 tablespoons oil. Using dough hook on electric mixer (or mix by hand), add 1 or 1 1/2 cups more flour, mixing by machine or by hand to get a stiff but pliable dough. Knead vigorously 10 minutes, finishing by kneading by hand on floured board, working up to 1/2 to 1 more cups flour into dough until it is smooth and elastic. Scrape out mixing bowl, wash and dry, and coat inside of bowl with oil or liquid margarine. Turn dough around in bowl several times to coat entire surface with oil or margarine. Cover with towel dampened in warm water, and place in draft−free place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Return dough to lightly floured board and punch down to remove as much trapped air and gas as possible. This should not take more than a minute or so. Using a knife, cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into an elongated loaf about 15 inches long and 1 inch wide, rolling back and forth to smooth out the loaf. Place loaves on a lightly greased cornmeal−dusted baking sheet. Using a very sharp knife or razor blade, make slashes in loaves diagonally about 4 inches apart. Place baking sheets in cold oven and allow to rise again until doubled or more in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Turn on oven to 400 degrees F, but do not remove bread from oven. After 5 minutes brush bread with mixture of egg white mixed with 2 tablespoons water and, while damp, sprinkle with sesame seeds and coarse or kosher salt. Turn heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking 40 minutes. Test loaves by tapping on bottom . If sound is hollow, bread is done.

Remove from oven and place on racks to cool. Loaves may be frozen if well wrapped when completely cool.

Foolproof French Bread

 

1 package dry yeast 2 cups lukewarm water 4 cups all−purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

In large bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar together.

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Pour yeast mixture over other ingredients. Stir and mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise 4 hours.

Punch down, but do not knead. Place in greased soufflé dish. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour. Bread may need to be covered during the last 15 minutes if it browns too quickly. If you do not want a hard crust, brush loaf with butter after removing from oven