French Bread

I was looking for something to go with my chili, so I thought some good quality bread would be nice. I bought a baguette pan a while ago, so now is the time to use it. Disclosure: I don’t have a bread maker and see no need to buy one. I like my 800 watt Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine as I’ve already smoked one KitchenAid stand mixer.

My first effort was tasty. I tried using a high altitude bread recipe. I found the dough a little dry, but it seemed to proof ok. The oven was too hot, so I reduced the cooking time by 5 minutes. Next time, I will try 360F, the temperature that I use for my Chinese bao. The bread is sturdy and chewy.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the baked goods at Safeway? I will buy their bread in a pinch (I make an exception for their bagels) but there is an awful lot of polysyllabic words in there. So if I want bread, I’ll just bake it myself or buy from a local bakery.

All ready for the oven
All ready for the oven
Finished product
Finished product
Good with homemade preserves!
Good with homemade preserves!