Mini French Bread Loaves Serves 2 Recipes

MINI FRENCH LOAVES

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, seasonings, cheeses and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll each half into a 15x10-in. rectangle. Roll up from long side; seal well. Cut each into three 5-in. loaves; seal ends. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush loaves with water. Cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray; let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes With a very sharp knife, make three shallow diagonal cuts across top. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack Brush with butter.

KITCHEN AID FRENCH BREAD LOAF

Steps:

• 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl of electric stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add salt butter and flour. Turn to low and mix until blended about 1 minute. Knead on low about 2 minutes longer. Dough will be sticky.
• 2. Place dough in greased bowl, turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• 3. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into 12 X 15 rectangle. Roll tightly, from longest side, tapering ends if desired. Place loaves on greased baking sheets that have been dusted with corn meal. Cover & let rise in warm place free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• 4. With a sharp knife make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees F. 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 minutes longer. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

MINI FRENCH BREAD LOAVES (SERVES 2)

Steps:

• Place the bread flour, salt, and yeast in a food processor, and process for 3 seconds to blend. With the machine running, pour 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons water through the feed tub; process until the dough holds together, about 20 seconds. The dough should be a sticky mass, and it should appear difficult to knead by hand. If the dough is too dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, processing for 5 seconds after each addition.
• Lightly grease a medium-size mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has nearly doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.
• Punch the dough down and let it rise again until nearly doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Sprinkle a cutting board or work surface with a little flour, place the dough on it, and cut the dough into 2 pieces. Shape the pieces into balls, sprinkling them with a little flour if necessary to make them easier to handle. Place the balls of dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle a little flour over each round (to keep the plastic wrap from sticking), and cover them lightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough balls rise until nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To make a crisp crust, fill a clean spray bottle with water and spritz the inside of the oven with water just before you slide the bread into the oven.
• Bake the bread rounds until golden and crusty, about 10 minutes. Fremove the baking sheet from the oven or, If you like a crustier loaf, leave the bread in the oven with the door closed for 5 minutes after you have turned off the oven.
• Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

CRUSTY MINI LOAVES

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place the first six ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed)., When the cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into four portions; shape into 6-in. loaves. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cut slits in the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and water; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

SMALL LOAF FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Combine the yeast and 1 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees) in large bowl,stirring until dissolved.
• 2. Mix in oil,garlic,and salt
• 3. Add 2 cups flour and stir till smooth.Stir in enough additional flour untill the dough forms a ball.
• 4. Knead dough on floured surface and add more flour if too sticky.Knead till smooth and elastic.
• 5. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover in a warm place to rise until its double in size,about 1 hour.
• 6. Punch down dough and divide into two loaves.Shape each dough into a loaf about 9 inches long.
• 7. Place loaves on greased baking sheet.Make three 1/2 diagonal cuts on the top.
• 8. Loosely cover with plastice wrap and let dough rise 20-30 minutes.
• 9. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes till golden brown.