Making bread in France

And what is left today. I'd say that the texture of the crumb isn't quite the same. The one cooked in France had a more open texture. Not sure why.

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morning glory said:
Thank you. I will post it. But its really quite a simple recipe - the only thing I did slightly differently was to make a rather wet dough which is hard to work with and to shape it into a baguette style using a technique which I've seen Paul Hollywood use. Its almost impossible to describe this in words! So I'll hunt for a video link tomorrow.
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Thanks so much! The latest bread photo is beautiful by the way. Thanks for going the extra mile in order to share the recipe. I can't wait to try out the recipe myself!
 
morning glory said:
Have you made bread before? If not, I can suggest a simpler recipe (in terms of technique).
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Honestly I tried once, but it came out so hard, that it was inedible. I'm serious, it was like a rock. I even took it outside and threw it in the middle of the street in front of the house to see what happened, and nothing happened. A tiny scratch perhaps. I had to toss the whole thing out. I gave up on trying to make bread since then, but the desire of making good bread never left. So yes, I appreciate any help I can get.
 
MichelleVL said:
Honestly I tried once, but it came out so hard, that it was inedible. I'm serious, it was like a rock. I even took it outside and threw it in the middle of the street in front of the house to see what happened, and nothing happened. A tiny scratch perhaps. I had to toss the whole thing out. I gave up on trying to make bread since then, but the desire of making good bread never left. So yes, I appreciate any help I can get.
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That made me laugh! You should get together with @winterybella! I'll try and post a really easy recipe... although I may have posted one already somewhere here. Hmmn...
 
@MichelleVL, meet your sister. Like @morning glory said we need to get together. I had a similar experience with my one attempt but mine was tough but edible. I passed it off quickly to my son and husband but still had to throw some out. Again like you the desire to make a good bread is still there, but there is also that quiet fear of failure. Yet I will try again until I succeed.
 
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MG - am seriously impressed. Both loaves look like perfect Pain de Compagne or Pain Rustique. I bet they were tasty - your family obviously thinks so.
Your uk version could be different because of all the variables involved. Even if you used the same flour, same yeast, etc ambient and oven temperatures are likely to have been different. But you would know more about this than me!!
 
Shadow said:
MG - am seriously impressed. Both loaves look like perfect Pain de Compagne or Pain Rustique. I bet they were tasty - your family obviously thinks so.
Your uk version could be different because of all the variables involved. Even if you used the same flour, same yeast, etc ambient and oven temperatures are likely to have been different. But you would know more about this than me!!
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Thank you @Shadow. Well, I sort of impressed myself! I'm an experienced bread-maker but don't very often achieve results that look this good! Anyway, an update:
Can't get the same flour here but have ordered 5 kilos of French bread flour courtesy of Amazon. It arrived today so I will no doubt be experimenting over the weekend. It was very reasonably priced - £11 with free next day delivery as I have Amazon Prime. Cheaper, in fact, than buying it in the supermarket in France.
 
I also noticed a difference making bread with french T55 flour - since moving house I've got out of the habit of baking bread (I'm gradually getting back into it now though) and I previously bookmarked this place which sells T55 flour for when I run out the bags I brought back from my last trip to France: http://www.shipton-mill.com/flour-direct/french-white-flour-type-55-102.htm £1.30 per kilo, or £21.50 for a 25kg sack (plus delivery).
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I also noticed a difference making bread with french T55 flour - since moving house I've got out of the habit of baking bread (I'm gradually getting back into it now though) and I previously bookmarked this place which sells T55 flour for when I run out the bags I brought back from my last trip to France: http://www.shipton-mill.com/flour-direct/french-white-flour-type-55-102.htm £1.30 per kilo, or £21.50 for a 25kg sack (plus delivery).
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That's a good price. I've never ordered whole sacks before, mainly because I simply have nowhere to keep them! What does T55 mean, I wonder.... goes off to google...
 
Before my last trip to France I looked into the flour a lot but I've lost the links which explained it all. Basically there are lots of different types of flour depending on the wheat used - there's much more to it than just white, strong white, etc... its why pasta flour is often referred to as type 00.
I just found this place which explains some of it: http://www.wessexmill.co.uk/acatalog/Flour-Types-T55-T45-Type-0-or-Type-00.html

I remember also reading about protein contents in supermarket flours and how the different levels give different results even with the same recipe (I think Waitrose Canadian White came out as the "strongest" in the tests). I've lost that link too, but I'll see if I can find it again.

Edited to add:
This is the experiment I was talking about: http://www.azeliaskitchen.net/empathy-with-sourdough-novices-1-recipe-5-flours/
And this is another interesting article dealing with flour types by the same person: http://www.azeliaskitchen.net/bread-flour-obsession-with-hydration-is-pointless/

PS. I love food and cooking - I also love the science behind it :)
 
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I have been insterested in bread making when I was young. But when I learned the rigors of baking bread, particularly the morning bread that is difficult to mix, I banished that thought. With french bread, it is the favore of my father-in-law so I never fail to buy when he would come for dinner in our house. But maybe if I could do just one baking, I would bake french bread for him. I remember him tearing a piece of bread and appyling butter before biting it and chewing slowly. That's the way to eat french bread, he said.
 
morning glory said:
That made me laugh! You should get together with @winterybella! I'll try and post a really easy recipe... although I may have posted one already somewhere here. Hmmn...
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Thanks so much Morning Glory. I need a "How to Make Bread for Dummies" Book. LOL I wonder if those exist? If you can share that recipe with me that would be great! I could maybe give it a try for Thanksgiving.

winterybella said:
@MichelleVL, meet your sister. Like @morning glory said we need to get together. I had a similar experience with my one attempt but mine was tough but edible. I passed it off quickly to my son and husband but still had to throw some out. Again like you the desire to make a good bread is still there, but there is also that quiet fear of failure. Yet I will try again until I succeed.
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Hi Winterybella! Sorry about your bread mishap, I totally know how you feel. I have wanted to make bread forever, but after the "my bread is the hardest material in existence" incident (LOL) I developed a tiny fear of failure. That is until I saw Morning Glory's home ,awesome home made bread, and I just kind of gave me the guts to give it a try again. Thanks ladies!
 
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