Julia Child's French Bread - Simplified

Julia Child's French Bread is the ultimate in Artist Breads. A wonderful loaf, simplified to the essentials to get it done with less fuss. While speed was not a goal, it was a total of 5 hours from start to cooling rack. The results are GREAT. Thank you Julia.

In my previous post on my first try for a Julia Child's Bread HERE, I really tried to follow the recipe which was nine pages and was already "simplified" to some extent. It just didn't work for me. Be it the house temperature, the yeast or just me, it didn't work well for my simple mind. I reviewed the recipe and decided what was important and what was just the way it's been done. I cut to the essentials and added some touches to improve success and simply. Nine pages became just over one.
 

First, I keep everything warm, heating the mixing bowls with warm water. Second, I mixed the yeast with most of the warm water before adding. I really like this because it distributes the yeast though out the dough with the water. Third, I used rapid rise yeast. It's the same organism but just produced differently and more organisms are alive.  Forth, I did all three rises this time and still finished in less than half the time. And finally, I baked this on a baking stone as originally recommended not in a dutch oven.

Rate 9.5 Crust 9.5 Crumb 9.5 Texture 9.5 Taste 9.5 Very close to the "Holy Grail" of bread for me. I have never given a 10.

Notes: I used a sheet of parchment paper to make transfer of dough easier. This worked great but the bottom of the loaf didn't brown as much. Next time I will remove the parchment paper at part way though the baking to crisp it up a little more. The recipe reflects this.

A large pizza stone was my baking stone. We all have one of those. I happen to have a large pizza peel also that was handy but a cookie sheet without an edge should work or just pick up the raised dough by the parchment paper edges and move it that way. A large glass serving bowl was used for the raising bowl. The straight sides and larger volume are necessary to judge the rise and was very handy to cover for the last rise so nothing stuck to the dough. I used the bottom of the broiler pan than came with the oven on the bottom rack for the water.

The components that I think are most important:
The rest of the dough before kneading.
The short amount of hand kneading.
The large initial rise.
The use of tripling not doubling in size for the second and third rise.
And finally the baking method. I used the dutch oven method last time and it was fine but the stone is better but fussier. The moisture, both with the pan and brushing, are critical to the crust.

I will try different configurations and perhaps some whole wheat variations in the future. Stayed tuned.>

(Printable Recipe)
Tools: Stand mixer with dough hook; large bowl with straight sides, baking stone 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cup flour
2 1/4 t salt
1 1/2 cup water at 105 degrees
1 pack rapid or instant dry yeast
1 T water

Instructions:

1) Preheat stand mixer bowl with warm water. Dry and add flour and salt. Spray dough hook with Pam and install. Start mixer on 2 and allow to mix while doing step 2. Use a spatula to help mix well.
2) Combine 1 1/2 cup 105 degree water with yeast and mix well. Add yeast mixture to mixer and uses one additional tablespoon of water to rinse the measuring cup and add that water to the mixer. Continue to mix until ball forms be sure to scrape sides and bottom. Dough should pull away from sides and have about 2 inch sticking in the bottom. Add flour 1 T at a time if needed, Time: about 2 minutes. 
3) Stop mixer and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes with hook out of dough. If hook is dirty, wipe off and apply Pam again.

4) Knead on 2. At 5 minutes in to kneading, stop mixer and check for "spring" by pressing your finger on the dough. It is done when this springs back. keep checking every 2 minute of kneading. Will usually take 5-7 minutes total.

5) While dough is kneading,  measure 10 1/2 cups very warm water into the large bowl with straight sides. Mark the top of the water for reference and pour out water, dry bowl and spray lightly with Pam or oil or butter.

6) Place on floured surface and hand knead for 2 minutes. Place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic and towel. Place in warm spot until raise to your mark. About 2-3 hours.

7) With a rubber spatula sprayed with Pam, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. If dough seems very wet then sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Press to somewhat flatten and form an about 12 inch square. Fold lower left corner to upper right. Lower right to upper left. Fold on it's self several more folds. Then form in to a rounded ball with the folds underneath and the top rounded like a cushion.

8) Re-spray the large mixing bowl with Pam and place dough in and cover again with plastic wrap and towel. Place in warm spot to rise to about triple in size. About 1 hours.

9) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface again. Flatten slightly and gently into round. Start turning edges underneath forming into a rounded ball stretching the "skin" to form a firmer ball of dough but not deflating the raise completely.

10) Place a square of parchment paper on a large wooden peel or a cookie sheet with no edge. Place dough in center and cover (I used the bowl I used for raising after you spray it again with Pam to prevent any sticking if it happens to touch the dough). Allow to raise until approximately triple in size again.

11) Preheat oven to 450 (not convection) with baking stone on middle rack and pan for water on the bottom rack for at least 30 minutes.

12) Cut top of dough about 1/4 inch deep with three cuts. Brush top liberally with water. Transfer on parchment paper to the baking stone and add 1 cup of hot water to the pan in the oven. At 3, 6 and 9 minutes, brush dough liberally with water. Add more 1 cup water to pan at 6 minutes and remove the parchment paper at this point. Continue to bake until top is browned and internal temp 200-205. About 25-30 minutes total.

13) Remove from oven and cool on rack for 2 hours before cutting. 

Notes: A spray bottle would work great instead of the brush for the water on the dough in the oven. 

Julia Child's French Bread - Simplified

by DrDan at 101 Cooking For Two April 4, 2010

Julia Child's French Bread is the ultimate in Artist Breads. A wonderful loaf, simplified to the essentials to get it done with less fuss. While speed was not a goal, it was a total of 5 hours from start to cooling rack

Ingredients

3 1/2 cup All purpose flour2 1/4 t salt1 1/2 cup water at 105 degrees1 pack rapid or instant dry yeast1 T water

Instructions

1) Preheat stand mixer bowl with warm water. Dry and add flour and salt. Spray dough hook with Pam and install. Start mixer on 2 and allow to mix while doing step 2. Use a spatula to help mix well. 2) Combine 1 1/2 cup 105 degree water with yeast and mix well. Add yeast mixture to mixer and uses one additional tablespoon of water to rinse the measuring cup and add that water to the mixer. Continue to mix until ball forms be sure to scrape sides and bottom. Dough should pull away from sides and have about 2 inch sticking in the bottom. Add flour 1 T at a time if needed, Time: about 2 minutes. 3) Stop mixer and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes with hook out of dough. If hook is dirty, wipe off and apply Pam again.4) Knead on 2. At 5 minutes in to kneading, stop mixer and check for "spring" by pressing your finger on the dough. It is done when this springs back. keep checking every 2 minute of kneading. Will usually take 5-7 minutes total.5) While dough is kneading, measure 10 1/2 cups very warm water into the large bowl with straight sides. Mark the top of the water for reference and pour out water, dry bowl and spray lightly with Pam or oil or butter.6) Place on floured surface and hand knead for 2 minutes. Place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic and towel. Place in warm spot until raise to your mark. About 2-3 hours.7) With a rubber spatula sprayed with Pam, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. If dough seems very wet then sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Press to somewhat flatten and form an about 12 inch square. Fold lower left corner to upper right. Lower right to upper left. Fold on it's self several more folds. Then form in to a rounded ball with the folds underneath and the top rounded like a cushion.8) Re-spray the large mixing bowl with Pam and place dough in and cover again with plastic wrap and towel. Place in warm spot to rise to about triple in size. About 1 hours.9) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface again. Flatten slightly and gently into round. Start turning edges underneath forming into a rounded ball stretching the "skin" to form a firmer ball of dough but not deflating the raise completely.10) Place a square of parchment paper on a large wooden peel or a cookie sheet with no edge. Place dough in center and cover (I used the bowl I used for raising after you spray it again with Pam to prevent any sticking if it happens to touch the dough). Allow to raise until approximately triple in size again.11) Preheat oven to 450 (not convection) with baking stone on middle rack and pan for water on the bottom rack for at least 30 minut12) Cut top of dough about 1/4 inch deep with three cuts. Brush top liberally with water. Transfer on parchment paper to the baking stone and add 1 cup of hot water to the pan in the oven. At 3, 6 and 9 minutes, brush dough liberally with water. Add more 1 cup water to pan at 6 minutes and remove the parchment paper at this point. Continue to bake until top is browned and internal temp 200-205. About 25-30 minutes total.13) Remove from oven and cool on rack for 2 hours before cutting.

Details

Prep time: 4 hour 30 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 5 hour Yield: large loaf

Updated

April 20, 2011