FRENCH BREAD MADE IN THE BREAD MACHINE

Home made French bread rolls, ready to fill with sausages, mustard and fried onions

This started out as a recipe from The Woman’s Institute Big Book of Baking, which is such an amazing book that the spine on my copy is starting to wear out! I adapted it for the bread machine, then use the ‘dough’ setting and shape it into rolls or baguettes. I cheat and use silicone bread formers but you may be more artitistic and able to do it free form.

Bread machines differ, so you know whether you put dry before wet or the other way round in yours. I adapted it to suit my machine but as always, don’t add all the liquid and adjust it as necessary once it’s started its cycle. I often use the pizza programme and let it rise for longer because then I can use the timer programme which I can’t with the dough programme.

It makes a nice sized loaf, 9 good sized rolls, 4 baguettes or 2 French sticks. Your choice.

275g/ 13oz strong white bread flour

115g 4oz plain white flour

5g/ 1 teaspoon sugar

5g 1 teaspoon salt

7.5g/ I 1/2 teaspoons easy blend dried yeast.

300ml 1/2 pint water.

You know better than I do how your bread machine works, but I start with the yeast and the sugar, then add the 2 lots of flour, then put the salt on top and add the liquid. Then into the bread machine it goes, the longer the programme the better, but a minimum of an hour and a half.

Shape it as desired, leave it to rise for at least 45 minutes but I like an hour and a half, then bake at 200c for 20 minutes for rolls or 25 minutes for a loaf. It should be golden brown and smell amazing. It’s the best burger bun I’ve ever found.