Bread

The bread that I made a few days ago turned out pretty well, but it didn't rise all that well -- I ended up with three baguettes, but they were each about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter, not the two to four that I expected and wanted. So, I made them again, but this time, I shaped it into two loaves, not three -- and they came out just fine. I would by no means say that they are great bread, but they meet our desires -- good buttered, good in French toast. So, tomorrow, I'm going to do two different things with bread -- make the first batch of the Amish Friendship Bread (a very sweet bread), whose starter has been glooping along nicely for about nine days, and I'm going to try a different recipe for a crusty loaf -- one that, according to the note I put on the recipe, I made with 'good results' (I was a little vague!) back in January. This one, you can make in a day -- no overnight for the starter, like the ones I just made, let alone rising in the refrigerator. So we'll see how it goes.

This is the recipe I used for the bread that turned out pretty well. It's from the King Arthur Flour site, though I modded it a little bit.

Baguettes

Starter
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cool water
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Bread Flour
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast (1/10 tsp active dry yeast)

Dough

1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water*
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Bread Flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
All of the starter

*If you use bread flour, increase the water to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 ounces).


The Starter: Mix the starter ingredients together till smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight is good.

The Dough (once the Starter is ready):
If you're using active dry yeast (rather than instant), mix it with the lukewarm water; if you're using instant yeast, there's no need to do this.

Combine the yeast, 1 cup water, flour, salt, and starter and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough.
Allow the dough to rise, covered with lightly greased plastic wrap, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface.
Divide the dough into two pieces.
Shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel or edge of your hand.
Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again.
With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 10" log .
Place the logs in the folds of a floured couche or floured cotton dish towel, which you've set onto a sheet pan or pans. Or place them directly onto the pan (lightly greased or parchment-lined).
Cover them with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise till they have become quite puffy, but haven't doubled in size; this will take about 60 to 90 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450°F; if you're using a baking stone, place it on the lowest shelf.
Roll the risen baguettes from the couche onto the lightly greased or parchment-lined pan or onto a peel, if you're baking directly on the stone.
Spritz the baguettes heavily with warm water; this will help them develop a crackly-crisp crust.
Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8" vertical slashes in each baguette.
Place the baguettes in the oven.

Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack.
Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2 inches, and allow the baguettes to cool in the oven.