Asiago French Bread

There is a bit of a dark cloud that comes with homemade bread. It's a sense of dread that can be quite a wall for some people, myself included. I find my mind flooded with self-doubt and excuses like I don't have time for the dough to rise or Kneading is hard or What if it doesn't taste good after all that work?

But you know what? Those are pretty silly reasons to skip homemade bread. Yes, it takes time. But what about that time when you spent the entire day at home slowly tidying and doing laundry without stepping foot outside? Or that afternoon you spent watching the entire season of Orange is the New Black on Netflix? Heck, even a day or afternoon where you only are out and about for no more than an hour  or two at a time? Yes, my friends, those are all examples of you having enough time to make homemade bread. Especially this bread. Asiago French Bread.

Start-to-finish this recipe takes roughly 3 hours. But actual hands-on effort is more like 10 minutes. Yes, 10 minutes. The other time you will simply be waiting: for the dough to rise or for the loaf to bake. Plus, the taste of homemade bread is just indescribably better than store-bought. Plain and simple. Don't believe me? Give it a whirl.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups all purpose flour + extra for dusting your work surface 
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan (use a microplane grater if you have it!)

Directions:

1. Pour the water into a large bowl, then add the yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes. Prepare a work surface for kneading your dough by generously scattering flour  on it (I also place a small bowl with extra flour for easy scattering later on if needed).
2. Add the salt and vinegar, stir to mix, then add the flour. Use your hands to combine the dough, then take the dough to the prepared work surface for kneading.  Knead for about 7-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (no longer shaggy but still slightly sticky to touch).
3. Clean out the bowl you used for mixing so you can minimize dishes later on. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl, turning to coat. Place the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rise undisturbed for 1 1/2 hrs or longer if needed. Check the dough: stick your finger in the dough - if the dough springs back let it rise another 15 minutes and test again. Dough is ready when the indent remains. 
4. Punch down the dough and scatter the cheese across the dough, then fold into itself to form into a ball (will be all greased up from the oil so don't expect perfection, not much handling is needed or helpful). Place the dough on a baking sheet (or a bread stone if you have it!!). Let the dough rise again in a warm place undisturbed for 45 minutes. Brush the loaf with olive oil, then season with salt. Let the dough rise again for another 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven while the dough rises to 400 F. Place one rack on the lowest shelf and one rack in the center of the oven. 
6. Pour 4 cups of water into a pan then place on the bottom rack in the oven. Slash the top of the dough into a crisscross or swirl, then place the pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake the bread for 35 minutes. The loaf with be golden brown and will sound hollow if you lightly knock on it. Place on a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. 

Serve as is with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to dip, or toasted and topped with your favorite sliced meats. Or make a sandwich. Or dip it in some soup. Or slather it with jelly. 

This recipe has been adapted from the French Bread recipe in this Bon Appétit cookbook  (which, by the way, is a fantastic cookbook).