I have a much greater appreciation of Julia Child's work after reading the book My Life In France . The research that went into her books is astounding. And I thought she'd just fired off a book in her spare time. I doubt she had any spare time. Each recipe was tested over and over until perfect. Which is why I find her recipes always work.
Breadchick at The Sour Dough and Sara at I Like To Cook have chosen the Julia Child method for French Bread from her book From Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume Two by Julia Child and Simone Beck.
I decided on the one big loaf. My sous chef was home for the weekend so he helped with the kneading. I also needed a photo for this event which I'm hoping you will all join.
Unfortunately I was little impatient and didn't give the final rise the treatment it deserved. Which is why I have a small dense loaf. It didn't detract from the taste in any way. The bread had almost a hint of sour dough with just the right amount of chewiness and crispness in the crust. We had it for lunch today with some excellent Australian washed rind cheese from Tasmania.
Thanks Mary and Sara for hosting the February Daring Bakers (check out the other entries). Thanks also to the Daring Bakers creators Ivonne and Lis .
