Daring Bakers Challenge - French Bread!

This month's Daring BakersChallenge (my first!) was hosted by Mary at The Sour Dough (this link is where the recipe is at) and Sara at I Like to Cook .

They chose a recipe from one of my most favorite people ever - Julia Child. Her 18 page-long recipe for Pain Francais (French Bread) seems daunting at first, but once you get going, it's not difficult at all, just time-consuming. All told I spent 8 hours making this bread! It is so very worth it, though. My own bread certainly didn't turn out bakery-pretty, but it was absolutely delicious!

Here's my bread making day in photos:

Flour - I used King Arthur's unbleached bread flour - and salt.

Dissolved yeast.



Everything together.



Dough formed.



The kneaded dough ready to rise.



Three batards shaped and risen.



My state-of-the-art unmolding board.



The finished-if-not-so-pretty bread.

Almost Meatless Dinner

Dinner last night for us could very well be dinner tonight for anyone who observes Lent and meatless Fridays. Let me say beforehand, it was good.

Fettuccine Alfredo
Layered Salad
Steamed Broccoli
Garlic and Herb French Bread
Assorted Olives
Cheesecake

I'm not posting exact recipes here since most of it is so easy to do. I make my Alfredo in the minimalist way; fettuccine tossed with whole butter and grated Parmesan. The fettuccine was already garlic flavored, so I left that out this time.

The layered salad was packed out with veggies; Romaine lettuce, shredded carrot, broccoli florets, red and yellow peppers, celery, halved grape tomatoes, shredded cheddar and turkey bacon topped with Ranch dressing.

The steamed broccoli stands alone quite well as do the assorted olives. The bread was my own laced with garlic and basil and the cheesecake was a standard quick version in a graham crust.

Leave out the bacon and you're set for a meatless meal!