French Bread

TRKOF on Bread

French bread and pancetta.  Mmmmm. Our local French bread is okay, but then I'll go someplace like New York and get the "real thing."  Oye.  Which brings me to my latest "Stuff the Works." When I bought this bread machine from Woot  last month (I think it was about $50), MoSup was annoyed.  Why?  Because she hates stuff sitting on counters.  I mean, anything.  So, what with the ice cream machine, Food Saver, panini grill, toaster and  coffee maker, she sees interminable clutter. "And, you won't use it," she added. "You said that about the Food Saver too ... Didn't you?" I had her. I always wanted a bread machine.  Several years ago I bought Beard on Bread, and went nuts for a few months.  My bread never really stacked up with bakery bread, however, so what the hell.  But!  When I got around to making French bread with the machine a few weeks ago, I went deja-vu nuts all over again .  IMO, this bread is the equal to, or better than, the best I've had.  Deliciously crunchy crust all around; lovely soft texture betwixt.  If I was put in prison, on a diet of (this) bread and water; Brier Patch! The ingredient list for French bread is as simple as simple can be (Cuisinart recipe) . water flour salt yeast Which made me wonder why my past attempts at making French bread failed?  Interestingly, once you plop the ingredients in, and select "French/Italian bread," the timer sets to a range of 3:50 regardless of it being a 1, 1½, or 2 pound loaf.  All but 1:05  is used in kneading, rising, and kneading.  The recipes I just looked at all call for about 3 hours, beginning too end; at an oven temp of 350 º, and a cooking time of around 40-50 minutes.  So, no matter how you slice it, the machine cooks for an additional 20-25 minutes.  I assume at a lower heat.  I've also noted that when doing French bread, the window is covered with condensation not observed with other breads. My guess is that there is a higher concentration of water, or the "rising" cycle temperature is higher?  Finally, there is no sugar, or honey used to feed the yeast. That differs from other recipes, and must enter into the equation.  ! Just now realized that I make my pizza dough using the same ingredients; flour, water, salt, and yeast - no sugar.  Except I don't let the dough rise.  A pizza king gave me the tip. Try it. Yum, that didn't last long. I love the word slather