FRENCH BREAD & CORNSTARCH GLAZE (PLUS FLOUR EQUIVALENTS)
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… Top Secret Recipes a la Carte (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Sept. 1979, p. 23)
FLOUR BY EQUIVALENTS:
White Flour, 1-lb = 4 cups sifted
Cake Flour, 1-lb = 4½ cups sifted
Whole Wheat, 1-lb = 3½ cups sifted
INGREDIENTS:
1¼ cups warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast or cake yeast or compressed
1½ tsp salt
1 TB soft shortening
1 TB sugar
3½ cups sifted enriched flour
Cornstarch Glaze* (see below)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Measure water into a large mixing bowl (warm, not hot, for dry active yeast; lukewarm for compressed yeast). Sprinkle or crumble in yeast. Stir until dissolved. Add salt, shortening, and sugar. Add in flour and stir. Turn dough out on lightly floured board. Knead 8-10 times or until dough is springy like elastic and does not stick to the board.
Place in greased bowl and brush top lightly with melted shortening. Cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down and let it rise again until almost doubled in bulk, 30 minutes.
Punch down, turn out on floured board and cut dough into two equal portions. Roll each half out, into an oblong [shape] about 8” x 10”. Beginning with the widest side, roll up tightly. Seal edges, by pinching together. With hands on each end of roll, rolling gently back and forth to lengthen loaf and taper ends.
Place loaves on a greased baking sheet, sprinkled lightly with yellow cornmeal. Brush loaves with Cornstarch Glaze* (below).
*CORNSTARCH GLAZE: Mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tsp COLD water. Combine [that mixture] with ½ cup boiling water. Cook [and stir] until smooth.
With a sharp knife, make ¼ inch slashes in dough at 2-inch intervals. Bake at 400°F (a moderately hot oven) for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with Cornstarch Glaze*. Return [to oven] and bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
See also…
