Mixer French Bread
Submitted by Agatha
This recipe is for a kitchen aid mixer, but any heavy duty mixer with a dough hook should do.
5 cups flour
2 cups water
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 1/2 tsp salt
Put water and flour in mixer bowl and mix on low until it sticks together really well.
Turn off mixer and let it set for 15 minutes.
Turn mixer on low and slowly add yeast.
Turn mixer on medium for 2 minutes
Turn mixer on low and slowly add salt.
Turn mixer on medium for 5 minutes.
Put a little flour on the counter and knead the bread a little, then knead it into a nice dome-shaped mound. Cover with a cloth and let this appx. double in size. Could take a couple hours, depending on the temperature.
Knead the dough a little more and form it into two loaves. Cover these with a towel and let them rise for an hour or two until they have risen to a little under double in size.
Preheat the oven to 425, and right before you put the loaves in, toss a half cup of water in the oven. You can put a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven if you don't want to just toss the water in willy nilly and risk warping the floor of your oven. Bake the loaves on top of parchment on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes. When they are gold loafs, hahaha, they are done. They should sound hollow when you thud them with your knuckle.
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