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Classic French Bread

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SPONGE
125g French flour - Type 55
2.5g finest sea salt
1 pinch of yeast
70 ml cold water

1. Mix to a fully developed dough
2. Stand for 12-16 hrs at room temperature.

FRENCH BREAD DOUGH
500g Shipton's French Flour Type 55
10g Finest sea salt
10g Fresh yeast
195g Sponge - all of what was made
280ml Water
Finished dough temperature 25ºC

METHOD
1. Mix dough to a fully developed silky dough.
2. Stand covered with a cloth at an ambient temperature for 30-45minutes in bulk.
3. Scale to desired weight and mould to shape.
4. Place on a tray or in a tin and put into a sealed plastic bag to retain as much humidity as possible then prove for 2 hours at room temperature.
5. Remove from bag; score top 3-4 times diagonally with a knife and dust liberally with flour
6. Place into oven 210ºC/410ºF/Gas mark 7 for approximately 25 minutes.

* This product is considerably improved by throwing a small amount of water onto the sole of the oven. To do this safely and without risk of damaging the elements, place a separate baking tray onto bottom of oven when you switch oven on. When the oven and tray are up to temperature, throw half a glass of water onto the tin. The steam generated will help to form the lovely crackly glaze so typical of French loaves.

Added by: webmaster

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Low water content?

the water content in this dough seems quite low at 56%. Is this amount correct ?

beaudelicious: 2010-04-01 Add reply

What is the sponge for in classic french bread? and at which point does it get added to the main dough? It is not very clear in the recipe listed.

peaceofmind@homecall.co.uk: 2010-01-17 Add reply

RE: adding the sponge

From other recipes that i have tried and read, the sponge is added either right at the beginning (add it in small pieces) of the main dough mix, or roughly 1/2 way through the main dough mixing- again tear into small pieces. Not sure how much of a difference it makes whether you add it at the beginning or in the middle of the main mix. Try making two small loaves where you add the sponge at different times during the main mix.

beaudelicious: 2010-04-01