On 25 Jan 2006 10:11:33 -0800, "aem" > wrote:

>Kathy in NZ wrote:
>> [snip]
>> I used my bread machine to mix the dough, then did the rest by hand. I
>> am keen to try another batch next weekend, to perfect them.
>>
>Careful, trying to perfect French bread can become an obsession. ;-)
>Julia Child went through all sorts of tips and tricks trying to get the
>perfect combination of crustiness and airy interior. Does your
>recipe/procedure talk about misting or putting a pan of water in the
>oven?
>
>Incidentally, when I was making bread I discovered that it often went
>stale faster than we could eat it. Learned an important lesson from
>that, namely, that (after making bread crumbs until you have more than
>enough in the freezer) it is OKAY to throw out the stale stuff and make
>a new loaf. -aem


When I bake, I am liable to make 5-6 loaves at a time and I freeze
what we are not going to use immediately. Bread freezes wonderfully.

If you find that you are tossing out stale bread, scale down the sizes
of your loaves when you bake, so that you get, perhaps, 3 loaves from
a 2-loaf recipe, then freeze the rest..


To re-heat, wet your hands and rub them over the loaf. Wrap in foil
and set in a 325 oven. After about 15 minutes, remove the foil to
crisp the crust. The times will vary by size of loaf, obviously.

Another interesting thing I have discovered about home made bread,
that after the 2nd day, when it is past fresh, toss the rest into the
fridge (OH, I know - a sacrilege!) and use it for toast within the
next few days. Home made bread a week old made into toast is still
better than any store-bought bread used that way.


Another option is to experiment with sourdough. Sourdough breads stay
fresher longer.

Boron