First and most of all, I would like to thank Mary and Sara for their hard work explaining every step in making Julia Child’s French bread. Thank you, ladies!
I was very pleased with this month’s challenge, as I love bread very much. I love to eat it, to smell it, to touch it’ and to watch it rise slowly in the oven. I don’t imagine a table without some crusty bread. And a salad; but that’s another story.
As I said before, I was pleased to be making French bread, but also very nervous. Especially after the “assiduous student” told us how much it took them to make this bread: ten hours. Yes, ten!
After days of insomnia and hot flushes thinking about the ten hours, I finally get the courage to make it two days ago. I read the recipe over and over again. I read my fellow Daring Bakers advices and misfortunes. I set my ingredients, tied my apron around my waist, performed The All Blacks Haka and started making French bread. The dance really helped!
Although the recipe is very long, it took me about eight hours from start to finish, it wasn’t that complicated. It’s mainly flour, water, yeast and salt mixed together, and most of the time was about the rising of the dough.
The only thing I did differently from the recipe is reducing the amount of salt to 1½ tsp as a lot had complained about the bread being too salty.
Overall, the bread developed a nice crust and a beautiful golden color. But the crumb was a bit dense and chewy. I am presuming it had to do with the last rise where I was in a hurry to bake it.
Thanks again Mary and Sara for this wonderful challenge and for all your efforts and generosity. For more information about the recipe, head over to their blogs; and don’t forget to visit my fellow Daring Bakers chef d’oeuvre.
35 comments:
Nice loaf, Warda! Love the golden colour of the crust. I see that we both chose to make a boule.
I'll remember to do the haka for the next challenge ;-)
Your bread looks great! And I'm not saying that because it looks just like mine. The recipe sure was daunting, but you did wonderfully! Yay for Daring Bakers.
Beautiful boule! It looks so scrumptious ...I wish I had olive oil to dip it in.
I'd have loved to see you do the Haka!! Well done - great looking bread!
That's a beautiful loaf, Warda. I am so envious of your golden crust. Mine turned out pretty pale~
Warda, beautiful job! I too love the golden color! I enjoyed this bread quite a bit as well. Too bad I forgot to to do the haka first!
What a gorgeous loaf. The crust looks to die for :)
for some reason I can't imagine you screaming like that in you kitchen and hitting yourself. i am sure that it put that bread in it's place.
Beautiful crust on your bread.
Very nice crumb and crust. Great job!
Your bread is lovely and the crumb just right.
Thanks for participating with Sara and I this month.
Cheers,
It was a long process, but your loaf looks so wonderfully crusty! Beautiful!
This bread looks fantastic! Thanks for giving me some courage- making french bread has always been SO intimidating to me. Daring Baker, indeed-though I'm sure the haka dancing would be even more intimidating! ha!
this is so beautiful, i think next time i will do the big round one! congratulation to you!
Yes, bread is my weakness, fresh, warm bread. Yours looks lovely!
I'm sure it was the All Blacks haka that made all the difference!
Warda, that is a beautiful looking boule.
What a beautiful golden color you have there Warda. Looks absolutely gorgeous!
The inner texture looks so good, I could almost write a poem about that. Wonderful work!
Your bread is beautiful!
Look at the gorgeous shine on that bread! A+ in the looks dept!
Beautifully done!
Gorgeous gorgesous bread. I am dying to get that shine!
Looks great!! I really think the last rise was the hardest to wait for.
that is one stunning crust you have there. i hope no one was injured during lunch!
Well done, and regarding the dense crumb, perhaps your dough was too dry?
that's the apron & haka effects :)))))
WOnderful job, as usual ! I knew you were going to succeed in the last hours of the challenge :)
I'm coming with the home-made jelly ok ? ;)
Your bread looks so appetizing,
Congratulation!
Ulrike from Küchenlatein
It must be hard, after waiting eight hours for the dough to rise, to wait any longer! But yes, I think you're right that the crumb would develop more fully with a bit more rising time. No matter -- your boule looks lovely and I would be happy to help polish off any leftovers!
Your bread looks so delicious. Congratulations.
I am convinced that I need to give this bread one more chance (in the future).
Quel beau pain !Et je pourrais dire j'en suis sure"quel bon pain !!"
Il a vraiment belle allure .Rien de tel que du pain sur une table,çà met en appétit,c'est l'aliment par excellence,irremplaçable.Alors s'il est fait maison c'est le top .bravo et biz.
That is a really gorgeous boule! And the idea of the All Blacks Haka before baking is great. I've got to show that to my son-in-law who is a wresting coach. Thanks for the laugh.
Hi, my first visit to your blog and I will surely be back. Just the kind of food I like to drool at! Beautiful photos too, well done. I'm not brave enough to join the Daring Bakers yet, but who knows, perhaps one day!
Well,with the All Blacks on your side,that is success allright! Beautiful job!
What a gorgeous looking loaf! Its absolutely beautiful!!
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