Perfect French Bread (fat, sugar, oil free)

Hey there!

I'm super excited about this recipe! It's not a creation of my own, but just the fact that it worked makes me so happy! I found this recipe in an old, Relief Society cookbook of mom's and I knew I had to try it. Ever since discovering I have IBS, I've been eating LOTS of french bread. It's great on my stomach because it is made of soluble fiber and is easily digested in my stomach. Now, I'm not saying that I like it more than whole grain/whole wheat bread because that is not the case. I wish I could eat wheat bread, but for now I'm sticking with the nice, soluble, fiber that easy on my stomach.

Anywho, as I was saying, we've been buying lots of french bread recently. It's a good thing we're in Cambodia because they have nothing but french bread! People sell it in HUGE baskets on the street (we get it from the stores!). So, when I saw this recipe I thought, "hey, why not give it a go? It can't be that hard." So that is exactly what I did (I conveniently didn't have school today!).

 I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous while making it because I tend to not have huge success with making bread-y stuff. They usually come out done on the outside but dooey on the inside.

But that is not the case today! They turned out PERFECT!! Or in mom's words, "better than perfect!"

 In order to make them a little more nutritious, I replaced the oil/butter with Greek yogurt. Yep, that's right. There's protein in this bread!! I thought it would make it more dooey, but I was wrong! There is no trace of yogurt in the texture whatsoever. There is a trace of the yogurt in the flavor, but it is a very yummy trace. The Greek yogurt makes it have a mild sourdough-ish taste. I love it!! It's great for those of us who 1) don't have time and/or 2) are unsuccessful at making sourdough bread.

I also cut out the sugar. The recipe said 2 Tbsp. but I thought I would start out not using it. I thought it would make it not work, but again, no trace of it's absence in taste or texture!

Artesian beauty!!

Perfect French Bread (adapted from Ruth Pexton's recipe in "Village Sampler")

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
6 c. flour, divided
corn meal
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. water
sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Directions:

Mmmmm! Long, crusty, golden goodness!

Pour warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top to soften. Add salt, yogurt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat well. Add remaining flour, stirring well with heavy spoon (it's okay if it looks lumpy-it will smooth out in the rolling process). Leave spoon in and allow dough to rest 10 minutes. Stir down and rest 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Turn dough out on a floured board and knead 2-3 times. Divide dough in half. Roll each into a 9x12 inch rectangle with a rolling pin. Roll dough up and place, seam side down, on corn meal sprinkled baking sheet. Cover lightly and allow to rise 30 minutes. 

With a very sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at angle on top of each loaf. Brush with an eggwash of the egg white and water. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 30 minutes or until brown. Makes 2 loaves. 

 My favorite topping (the only one I've tried :)) -  prune jam with feta cheese. So French :)

 This is my favorite picture! The loaf on top is the store-bought french bread. The bottom loaf is my homemade loaf. Now let's be honest, I'm pretty sure we all know which one looks more delicious. :) Homemade always trumps store-bought.

Way more surface area on the homemade-clearly the winner! :)

See ya!!