Home Made French Bread

Home Made French Bread

Preparation: 90 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 5 cups bread flour
* 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon cornmeal
* 1 egg white
* 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, melted butter, warm water and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups flour, and beat until well blended. Gradually add the rest of the flour.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place (the microwave) until doubled.
3. Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. *Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.*
4. Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
5. With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from this recipe.

I made this bread to go with our dinner tonight and we loved it! It's definitely a keeper! I had never made french bread before, and thought it was going to be difficult. I was surprised at how easy it was! It turned out wonderfully and tasted (almost) better than Albertson's, which says a lot!

I served it with whole grain pasta, garlic pasta sauce and grilled romaine hearts. Let me know what you think if you try it! :)


*P.S. Don't be afraid to roll the dough up. I was thinking of just skipping that and placing a big blob of dough shaped like a loaf of french bread and I am so glad I didn't. When you roll it up, it allows air to flow through the pockets and it creates a fluffy texture to the bread. So roll away!*

3 Cheese Monte Cristo

As a result of my Disney blog posts, David and I daydreamed and reminisced about our favorite parts of our time together at Disneyland. One of them was discovering the 3 Cheese Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. You see, David and I ate at Blue Bayou the last two times we had been to Disneyland, and we both ordered the original Monte Cristo (made with swiss cheese and ham). David and I at Blue Bayou in September 2008:
Being vegetarian, we were depressed at the thought of missing out on such a yummy tradition over a piece of ham. While we were perusing various menus looking for something to equally satisfy, we stopped at Cafe Orleans and discovered that not only did they carry the original Monte Cristo (for $10 less than Blue Bayou, no less!), but they also carried a vegetarian friendly 3 Cheese Monte Cristo! We jubilantly put our name in for a table and waited as patiently as we could. For pictures and details of our meal, go to our family blog and scroll down.

When we returned home to Louisiana after our trip to Disneyland in 2008, we made the traditional version (with ham) based on the recipe here, which is what I have saved in my recipe binder, and was the foundation for our recipe below. David and I made our own version of the 3 Cheese Monte Cristo last night and we were quite happy with the way it turned out! Even if you are not a vegetarian, if you love cheese (like we do!) try the 3 Cheese version- you won't be disappointed!


3 Cheese Monte Cristo

For the Batter:::

In separate bowls,

whisk together:
1 egg
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (we did a 1/4 cup of each)

combine:
2/3 cup flour
1 3/4 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Then whisk flour combination slowly into the egg mixture and set aside.

Bread:::
I used Earth Grains Potato, but any white sandwich bread will do. (I left the crust on).

Cheese Filling:::

Swiss
Brie
Mozzarella


This is tricky to describe. Basically, you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich with all 3 cheeses. Use as much or as little of each as you wish. My only advice is to lay the brie in between the mozzarella and the swiss, since it's the softest cheese, it will hold it all together.

Make your sandwiches*, and cut into quarters. Secure with a toothpick in the middle of each quarter. Cover with batter liberally and gently lift with fingers and carefully drop into the oil. It should be golden brown within 45 seconds. Allow the oil to drip off (I left it on the slotted metal spoon over a bowl) until the next one is ready to come out, then place on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to cool slightly before sprinkling for better presentation, otherwise the sugar will melt.


*About halfway through your sandwich prep, heat 2-4 inches of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan (unless you have a deep fryer) over medium heat. Test the temperature by dropping a teaspoon of batter into the oil- it should turn golden brown within 10 seconds and not burn within 20 seconds.


Remove toothpicks and serve with fruit, warm blackberry sauce (or your favorite fruit compote) and Disney music! Let me know how you like it!




James ate half of a sandwich dipped in blackberry sauce!

He loves berries!

David, thoroughly enjoying himself!


P.S.
I enjoyed this guy's review of the Monte Cristo sandwich and whole-heartedly agree with his analysis concluding that this is a very dessert like dinner. It reminds me very much of typical Southern cuisine (fried) and closely resembles beignets, but that's for another post!

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

I made this for dinner tonight and both David and I loved it. Definitely comfort food!

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

What you'll need:

Mashed Potatoes

6 large russet potatoes; peeled, cubed and boiled
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix together to make mashed potatoes.

Lentil Filling

1 can of lentils or 1 lb faux ground beef (I used lentils)
2 cups assorted vegetables such as peas, carrots, corn and green beans (I used frozen but would recommend fresh or canned)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
vegetable bouillon (1 cube)

Mix the cream of mushroom soup, water, and vegetable bouillon together in a pot. Add vegetables and lentils and heat through.

Shred 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese.

Spoon vegetable mixture into an 8x8 pan, cover with mashed potatoes and top with cheddar cheese.

Bake @ 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

(picture next time!)