SC - French Bread - a period recipe (long)

[Lee-Gwen]

All this discussion about Mexican Chocolate Bread made me think of this
bread recipe which I published on the Ynys Fawr webpage.  There is also a
recipe for making this bread in a (big) breadmaker which follows the more
conventional version.  I really like this bread.  It makes a dense loaf with
a very fine crumb.  It is also very rich (all that butter and egg!) - not
good if you are dieting!


French Bread
Taken from French Food in the Renaissance:  A Survey of Recipes from the
14th to the 17th Centuries - Compleat Anachronist #102
by Anne-Marie Rousseau (Maîtresse Anne-Marie d'Ailleurs)

I know that the amount of yeast (and the total lack of sugar) given in this
recipe looks entirely too little for the quantity of flour, but it works
like a charm!  All the eggs and milk make it work, I suppose.  The author of
this translation of the recipe says: 'the original recipe calls for beer
yeast.  Dry yeast is easier to obtain, so we chose to use it instead.  Beer
yeast would work as well, and give a slight beer-like flavor (sic) to the
bread.'  I made this bread both ways and I found no noticeable difference at
all.

Ingredients:
1c butter (200g)
1 3/4c milk
1.2 oz yeast (1tsp)
about 6c unbleached white flour
2tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
Optional Garnishes:
beaten egg, poppy seeds, almonds, lemon peel, sugar, rosewater.

Method:
Heat butter with milk until butter is melted.  Let cool until the mixture is
just warm to the touch (this step can be simplified by heating only 1c of
milk and then adding the cold milk after the butter is melted). Add the
yeast and let it dissolve, mixing with a fork.  This may take 5 minutes.

Sift 5c of the flour and the salt into a large bowl, or onto a flat work
surface.   Make a well in the flour, and pour in the beaten eggs, and
butter-yeast solution.   With your hands, mix, drawing in the flour until
you have a nice, soft dough.   Add more flour as needed.  Knead on a floured
surface until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).

Shape your loaf into a ball, and set on a floured cookie sheet.  Cover with
a cloth dampened with hot water, and set in a warm place to rise for 1 - 1.5
hours, or until surface begins to split and crack.  Shape into a round loaf,
and garnish as desired.   You may slash the top, sprinkle with chopped
almonds or lemon peel, brush with an egg glaze of 1 beaten egg with 1 - 2
tsp salt, and even sprinkle poppy seeds over the egg glaze.

Bake at 400 F for 1/2 hour.  turn down the heat to 350 , and bake for about
50 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when rapped.  Cool on a rack.
If desired, dust with sugar and sprinkle with rose water.


Variation (for the Easy Bake Bread Machine):
Put 3/4c cold milk into bread pan.  Add 2 eggs.  Melt the butter into the
remaining 1c of milk (2 - 4 minutes in a microwave) and add to pan.  Put 5
1/2c flour into pan (reserve the rest in case you need to add it during the
mixing process).  Add the salt and the yeast.

Cook on "FRENCH" dark crust.


About this Variation:
Because I don't have an oven at present but I do have an Easy Bake Bread
Machine, I decided, with some trepidation, to make this bread by machine.  I
needn't have worried!  The bread worked very well indeed.  I have never
eaten this bread made conventionally, but I imagine that the major
difference between my loaf and the original is that the original would
probably be crustier all over - that is a function of baking bread without a
tin.

As well, I cannot say for certain that this recipe will translate well to
any other make of bread machine.  Mine is designed to take 6 - 8c of flour
easily and most machines are smaller than that.  I have given the order
required by my machine - if you choose to attempt this in a different make,
follow the order given for yours.  Good Luck!

Gwynydd