Archive for September, 2011
September 28th, 2011 | 
Author: French Bread
"A crisp, crunchy crust and slightly chewy center make this bread as traditional as the breads served in France."
Original Recipe Source: allrecipes.com
Picture Source: absfavoriterecipes
Course: Breads
Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 40 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min
Serves: 30
Ingredients
- 5 –6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1⁄2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions
- In a small bowl combine the water, yeast and sugar. Mix to combine and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the yeast can do its magic.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour,and salt. Stir in yeast mixture, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour 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, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 15 to 20 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.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 94
Fat: 0.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 119mg
Carbohydrate: 19.5g
Fiber: 0.8g
Protein: 2.9g
My Review
Nothing like a hot piece of French bread to go with a yummy pasta dish or soup. I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com. I have made this two times now and its going to be a keeper.
What I changed
The one thing I have found to be important when using an allrecipes.com recipe is to read the reviews. One person made the comment that they added a tbsp. of sugar to the water/yeast mix so I did the same. The original recipe also calls for 6 cups of flour but I would start with 5 and only add enough to get the dough just right. I also put a pan of water(2 cups) on the bottom rack while the bread bakes gives you an even better crust!
What I liked
This recipe is pretty simple and even a beginner can make this bread. I love the crunchy crust and soft bread inside. Mmmm!
What I didn’t like
I need to experiment with the salt and yeast amount. The first time it tasted to salty and the 2nd time it tasted a little yeasty.
Overall
This is a keeper! It makes two loafs and we eat one and then I freeze the other. I also added some garlic powder the first time I made it which I liked as well. I still have some tweaking to make this a great recipe but over all a good recipe.
My Rating
Recipe Box Worthy
Notes: 1 pg. of active dry yeast = .25 ounces or 2 and 1/2 teaspoons per packet. To freeze 2nd loaf wrap in tin foil and freeze for up to 3 months( if you can!).
Scalloped Potatoes
Source: www.seriouseats.com
Picture Source: www.seriouseats.com
Course: Side Dishes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1⁄4 pounds russet potatoes peeled and sliced 1/8th inch thick
- 1⁄2 medium onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- 1 Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Heat a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When melted, add the onion. Cook for 4 minutes, or until soft.
- 2 Toss in the garlic and thyme, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Dump in the potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes.
- 3 Remove the cover, sprinkle the cheese on top, and place the iron skillet in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
My Review
I found this recipe through the a neat site called foodily.com. It basically searches food blogs and sites for recipes and then you search there site by ingredients etc. This recipe came from seriouseats.com. I had never stumbled upon this site before but I bookmarked it!
I really like scallop potatoes but I have not found a recipe that is both relatively easy as well as tasty.
What I changed
I followed the original recipe pretty close. I used bottled garlic and dried thyme. I also doubled the recipe.
What I liked
Cooking the potatoes first on the stovetop and then in the oven resulted in perfectly cooked potatoes. This also allowed for the recipe to be started later in the meal preparations. I did cut the potatoes up then let them sit in water until I was ready to start the recipe.
What I didn’t like
The flavor was kind of bland. The thyme was okay but it needs something else as well. Also for me it did not thicken up as much as I would have liked and was a complaint of my husbands as well.
Overall
As is I probably would not make this recipe again. I do like how simple it is though and plan to play around with it maybe add some sour cream or other cheeses to the mix.
My Rating
Has potential
One last note. I hope to add pictures as I go. My camera is not a high end device so I struggle with taking pictures of my recipes. I hope to get a better camera soon. So for now I will add them when I can or use the original picture from the site I get the recipe. Also bear with me as I figure out a good format for writing my reviews. Happy Cooking!
Do you have a great Scalloped Potato recipe? Did you try this recipe, how did you like it? Feel free to share your feedback in the comments! 
When I first created this blog I wanted to create a place that I could easily access my recipes from as well as share them with others. This worked well for a while till I found Plantoeat.com. I found myself not posting recipes here as much because I had a great place to store them. So for a while I tried reviewing cookbooks but soon found that was not my thing either. So here my food blog sits with very little use. I still want to use it but how.. So I got to thinking. I also have a book blog where I review books I have read and I really enjoy that. So why not review recipes? So I am going to give it a try. I would love to see more interactions with the people who read this blog and reviewing recipes might be a way to make that happen so I am going to give it a try. Stay tuned!
