Vive la France!

Posted on by

I gotta stop reading all those recipes on Facebook! It’s just they look so appetizing.😒

These french bread rolls are a basic bread dough, slightly enriched by 20 g of butter. They was easy to make and only required 2 1/2 hours of elapsed time and 30 minutes of hands on. Next time I may form the logs and batards a little longer. These were 6” and I think 7” might be better.

In any event, they were flavorful, had a good crust and crumb.

French Bread Rolls

INGREDIENTS
Starter
• 35g Bread flour
• 7g Instant dry yeast
• 40g Warm water

Dough
• 380g AP flour
• 10g Sugar
• 7g Salt (1 ½ tsp)
• 20g Unsalted butter
• 210g Cold water

METHOD
Starter

  1. Mix 40g water with 7g yeast, stir to mix
  2. Add 35g bread flour, mix thoroughly then cover and set aside for 20 minutes
    Bread dough
  3. In a large bowl mix 380g AP flour and 10g sugar, mix thoroughly
  4. Add 210g cold water, sponge from above, and mix thoroughly
  5. Knead the dough in the bowl for 2-3 minutes
  6. Add 7g salt and continue to knead/mix for 2-3 minutes
  7. Cover and let rest 20 minutes
  8. Transfer dough to a floured counter and spread into a thick rectangle
  9. Spread 20g room temperature butter over the rectangle
  10. Knead until smooth 8-10 minutes
  11. Cover and rest 20 minutes
  12. Transfer to a floured counter and divide into 6 equal parts, each ~120g
  13. Spread into a rough circle 5-6” diameter. Fold edges to center in 6 places, fold together and form a ball.
  14. Roll ball against the counter with an open cupped hand to tension the surface
  15. Roll into an oval log ~ 5×2”, cover and rest 20 minutes
  16. Flatten log and roll into an oval ~ 4×7”. Starting at the furthest short end fold the “shoulders” inward toward the center, followed by folding the top center down to meet the folded shoulders. Repeat until fully rolled up
  17. Pinch the seams, including the ends tightly together, roll back and forth under a cupped hand to tension the surface
  18. Rest until doubled in size
  19. Score each batard with a razor, lame or sharp knife. One long cut the length of the batard with a very slight curve
  20. Bake in preheat 400⁰ F oven for 13 – 15 minutes

Leave a comment