Fresh bread! The smell. The taste. The crunchy exterior followed by the soft fluffy inside. This bread is good great! 😀
I would describe this bread as a cross between a baguette and a ciabatta… perfect for making into sandwiches (cheese & pickle anyone?) or just tearing bits off and popping them in your mouth! This bread will disappear really quickly!
Now, if you know me or follow this blog regularly, you should know by now that all the bread in the Life Diet Health house is homemade! The last sliced bread that was bought was September 2018! Usually (read 2-3 times a week), we make our standard bread either as loaves or rolls and store any extra in the freezer so we always have a supply!
Last week I was baking a lot and thought I’d try something different! If you saw my hot cross bun recipe, you’ll see that was based on a bread recipe. I also made some wraps using vegetables in the dough (very good – recipe when I get some photos)! I then had a think about all the breads that I used to enjoy and remembered that my late Dad and I used to always buy a French Stick. Correction, we actually used to buy two French sticks! 😛 One of the breads would be the one Mum had asked for, the other was for Dad and I to enjoy on the way home! 😛 I’m most certain that Dad would have loved this bread! When we are allowed out again, I will make some for Mum (someone remind me)!
Here’s the recipe…
Long crusty loaves perfect for making sandwiches.
- 500 g strong flour
- 10 g salt
- 10 g sugar
- 10 g yeast (fast acting)
- 375 ml cold water
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Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and mix to combine.
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Gradually add the water, mixing well until it is all combined.
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Tip the dough onto the work surface and knead for 10 minutes.
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Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise for an hour.
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Gently remove the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Stretch each piece into a long (30-35cm) rope, rolling slightly to get the round shape. Dust the tops with flour, cover again and leave for another hour.
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Heat the oven to Gas Mark 9 ((475f / 240c) then put a bowl of ice in the bottom of the oven. Cook the sticks for 25-30 minutes (they should be golden brown). Allow to cool (or not!)
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Enjoy!
Now, this bread I would suggest you just enjoy as it is – with a slather of butter, maybe Marmite (or maybe not 😛 )! How long does it last? About an hour! 😛 Honestly, this bread disappeared so quickly I have no idea of its shelf life, but I would expect it to last a couple of days if kept wrapped up!
I’m sharing this bread over at Angie’s Fiesta Friday! This week the Fiesta is co-hosted by Diann @ Of Goats and Greens and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons Why not come over and say hello! 🙂
This week, as well as baking I’ve been playing with some easy meals based on tinned foods – I have another one cooking at the minute so once I’ve perfected the recipes I will share! 🙂
Here’s a few more ideas for things to do whilst you have more time than normal!
- Go for a virtual tour of Italy: Cinque Terre Coast or Norway
- Listen and watch the sea lions at Hanson Island, British Columbia, Canada (There were 8 when I looked last).
- Search for and read up on those hard to find books.
That’s enough for now! Let me know how you’re spending your time at the minute. Drop me a comment below and if you make this bread (or any of our other recipes), tag us @LifeDietHealth or use #LifeDietHealth so we can see what you’ve made!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Speak soon
Laurena x