# French Bread video



## JoeV (Sep 16, 2008)

I was set back a step or two when I watched this video, and realized I might be spending a bit more time at measuring and kneading than is really necessary. I'm going to give this a try because it's just so darn easy. (I also got all goofy at the sound effects when he cuts and butters the bread.)

YouTube - Bake perfect French Bread in ten minutes

Joe


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## babetoo (Sep 16, 2008)

cool, i might even try that. thanks joe


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## quicksilver (Sep 16, 2008)

That was so easy. I learned the Julia Childs method/pinch. And I LOVE how he threw the water in the oven to make steam.         
Thanks, JoeV


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## pacanis (Sep 16, 2008)

Wow. Like you said the other day, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thanks for the post.


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## kitchenelf (Sep 16, 2008)

Thanks for posting this - I'm a "teach me" kind of person versus reading.


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## Andy M. (Sep 16, 2008)

Ok, now I'm going to have to make some bread.


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## pacanis (Sep 17, 2008)

The thing that stuck out to me, every time he did it, was the kneading part.
The times I made crusty bread I only used enough flour to dust the counter with and left it there. This guy kept picking up flour and tossing it into his dough as he was kneading it and I think that helped the doughball firm up quickly, because it looked kinda loose when he first pulled it out of the bowl, like mine does.


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## JoeV (Sep 17, 2008)

pacanis said:


> The thing that stuck out to me, every time he did it, was the kneading part.
> The times I made crusty bread I only used enough flour to dust the counter with and left it there. This guy kept picking up flour and tossing it into his dough as he was kneading it and I think that helped the doughball firm up quickly, because it looked kinda loose when he first pulled it out of the bowl, like mine does.



Did you hear that bread when he cut it and then when he chomped down on it? Awesome sound for a bread foodie. When is yours coming out of the oven? I have to work all week remodeling a bathroom, so I won't get to bake until the weekend at the soonest. Get busy and give us some pictures.

JoeV


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## pacanis (Sep 17, 2008)

Your dern tootin' I heard that light, flaky _crunch!_

My father is coming out for a visit today, which means he'll be bringing some mixing bowls my sister doesn't use anymore (I needed some new ones and she has a lot of stuff she's replaced or doesn't use anymore), which means one of them is supposedly a large _glass_ one, which means I should be able to replicate this guy's "technique" pretty closely, which means...... pics to follow 

Question: If I use instant yeast, does it need proofed?


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## JoeV (Sep 17, 2008)

pacanis said:


> Your dern tootin' I heard that light, flaky _crunch!_
> 
> My father is coming out for a visit today, which means he'll be bringing some mixing bowls my sister doesn't use anymore (I needed some new ones and she has a lot of stuff she's replaced or doesn't use anymore), which means one of them is supposedly a large _glass_ one, which means I should be able to replicate this guy's "technique" pretty closely, which means...... pics to follow
> 
> Question: If I use instant yeast, does it need proofed?



Just mix Instant Yeast in with your dry ingredients. It does not require proofing.

Hope you get some good stuff from your sister's hand-me-downs. I stopped in a Thrift Store yesterday on the way to a jobsite, and got this 3qt ovensafe baker for $4. Not a bad deal. With the high top lid, the volume is 4 qt, so the dough can rise nicely.







Off to work. Be back tonight.

Joe

Joe


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## LadyCook61 (Sep 17, 2008)

JoeV said:


> I was set back a step or two when I watched this video, and realized I might be spending a bit more time at measuring and kneading than is really necessary. I'm going to give this a try because it's just so darn easy. (I also got all goofy at the sound effects when he cuts and butters the bread.)
> 
> YouTube - Bake perfect French Bread in ten minutes
> 
> Joe


 
Too bad I can't hear what the guy was saying but I watched it .  Did he provide a recipe or measurements  for the ingredients?


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## Essiebunny (Sep 17, 2008)

Doesn't throwing the water in damage the oven?


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## justplainbill (Sep 17, 2008)

LadyCook61 said:


> Too bad I can't hear what the guy was saying but I watched it . Did he provide a recipe or measurements for the ingredients?


He said, for two loaves:
-Four cups flour, tablespoon salt, tablespoon of dry yeast, add yeast water and enough additional water to flour in bowl to make a dough that comes away from sides of bowl. 
-Two hours for first rise and one to one and one half hours for final rise. 
-Preheated 350 to 375 oven for about 35 minutes.

It appears that his second rise may have been too long and that it prevented a good oven spring, as indicated by the flat bottoms of the loaves and slashes that did not fill out very well.


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## LadyCook61 (Sep 17, 2008)

justplainbill said:


> He said, for two loaves:
> -Four cups flour, tablespoon salt, tablespoon of dry yeast, add yeast water and enough additional water to flour in bowl to make a dough that comes away from sides of bowl.
> -Two hours for first rise and one to one and one half hours for final rise.
> -Preheated 350 to 375 oven for about 35 minutes.
> ...


 
thank you very much!  I'm deaf so can't hear things on youtube and such.


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## justplainbill (Sep 17, 2008)

Your most welcome LadyCook. He mixes the salt to distribute it throughout the dry flour and says the amount of water added is based on his 35 years of experience. His karate chops, pinching of the dough, the appearance of the dough when it's ready to be turned out of the bowl for kneading and the alternate kneading of each of the two pieces of dough (to allow relaxation of each piece while the other is being kneaded) seem to be the high points of his presentation.

Bottom line still is you gotta get up at 3 AM if you want to be eating homemade handmade bread by 7 AM.  Ten minutes is a catchy phrase but doesn't tell the whole story.


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## LadyCook61 (Sep 17, 2008)

justplainbill said:


> Your most welcome LadyCook. He mixes the salt to distribute it throughout the dry flour and says the amount of water added is based on his 35 years of experience. His karate chops, pinching of the dough, the appearance of the dough when it's ready to be turned out of the bowl for kneading and the alternate kneading of each of the two pieces of dough (to allow relaxation of each piece while the other is being kneaded) seem to be the high points of his presentation.
> 
> Bottom line still is you gotta get up at 3 AM if you want to be eating homemade handmade bread by 7 AM. Ten minutes is a catchy phrase but doesn't tell the whole story.


 
I'm not about to get up that early .  Dinner time is good enough to have french bread.


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## jpmcgrew (Sep 17, 2008)

Essiebunny said:


> Doesn't throwing the water in damage the oven?


 
 It can. I put the broiler pan on the bottom shelf let it preheat with the oven after putting bread in I pour a cup of hot water in broiler pan. Be careful doing this and close oven door as quickly as possible.


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