Fondue Who?

Mark and I decided on a last minute in-home date night last night; an impromptu fondue-Chinoise, which meant last minute thawing and preparing of meats and cheese, and last minute baking of a tasty baguette to accompany the meat and cheese!  Not wanting to drive to the grocery store to pick up a baguette, I decided to open up my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and whip up my own!  This was definitely a recipe that I decided not to alter.  Usually I like to experiment with whole wheat flour and other grains when I bake bread.  But for the night's feast, I decided to stick to the all-purpose flour.  I did halve the recipe, only because I figured that Mark and I didn't need 4 baguettes, and I wasn't sure if I had the 6 cups of flour the recipe called for!  When it came out of the oven Mark decided that I should start my own bread-making business, it looked so good.  Tasted fantastic too!

French Bread (Baguette-style) From Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp) 
3/4 tsp salt 
1 1/4 cups warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)

Cornmeal 
1 egg white, slightly beaten 
1 tbsp water

Directions:

1.  In the bowl of a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, (or large mixing bowl) stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt. Add the warm water to the flour mixture. Mix on speed 2, scraping bowl constantly. (Alternately: beat on medium speed with hand mixer for 30 secs, then on high speed for 3 minutes). Continue to mix on speed 2 and add as much of the remaining flour as you can (Alternately: stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible, mixing with a wooden spoon).

2. Knead, on speed 2 for 8-10 minutes.  (Alternately: turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).

3. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal.

4. Roll each portion of the dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. Pinch ends and pull slightly to taper. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir together egg white and water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaves. Let rise until nearly double in size (35 to 45 minutes).

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

6. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of each loaf. 

7. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove bread from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 baguettes (or one French loaf).

So delicious!  Especially when warm!  Crusty outside and soft on the inside!  Mmmm...I'm drooling just thinking about it again!  While super tasty toasted with our fondue dinner, it would also taste really great with some brie!

Nutrition Facts (French Bread)

Servings Per Recipe 14 (2 baguette slices)

Calories 85
Protein (gm) 3
Carbohydrate (gm) 18
Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 1