French Bread
Most people have heard of Julia Child, and most foodies think of her fondly. What I am most fond about her was her ability to make mistakes on camera, deal with it, and move on. Now a days the ol’ Food Network would never show someone dropping a piece of meat on the ground, picking it up, dusting it off and using it. The horror. I mean if I drop a $50 beef tenderloin on the floor at home, I am going to throw it out, right? Not.
I’m quite fed up with the Food Network and their on going quest to provide less and less actual cooking on the network. They seemed to be more concerned with making sure Rachel Ray has highlights in her hair and Giada’s boobs are peaking out at every possible moment. And the thing that irks me the most is that everything is “perfect, just perfect” to quote Ina Garten. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the Barefoot Contessa, but really, how can every fricken thing she makes be perfect? I experiment in the kitchen a lot. Sometimes what I make turns out like crap. Now granted, they probably aren’t going to put the crap recipe on their show, but you can’t tell me her soup doesn’t need more seasoning every now and again?
So when this month’s recipe was chosen, I was happy to see Julia Child’s name attached. I knew it would be a long one, but one that would no doubt please, and it did just that. I am giving you the recipe, just a link. It’s a LONG one. But don’t let that scare you. If you just break it down step by step, you will have no problems making this bread. Breadchick Mary (The Sour Dough) & Sara (I Like to Cook) were the co-hostesses for this month’s Daring Baker Challenge and what a lovely one it was.
This makes for a surprisingly flavorful bread, though it could have helped that I used fresh yeast.
Mine were made into one loaf and then several little mini batards to go with my beef barley soup.
If you’ve got the time, you should give this bread a go.
To see what the hundreds and hundreds of other Daring Bakers did, go here.
Bon Appetit!
February 29th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Yesss. Wow, that’s gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous French bread. The little blisters, I can almost hear it crackling from here.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Your bread looks wonderful. Fantastic!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Absolutely beautiful - they look excellent!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:38 am
The bread are absolutely perfect! The crust is simply amazing
February 29th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Crusty! So simple and beautiful.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:08 am
Well done! They look delicious, and the photos are fantastic. Do you have any bread left?
Andreia
February 29th, 2008 at 2:11 am
The blisters on that bread, that crumb… Very, very good looking bread! Great job!
February 29th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Congratulations on your daring! I remember following that recipe years ago using my mother-in-law’s oven. Hot bricks, the works … I still remember the look on her face when we hurled the hot brick into the oven
The bread was good but we were never brave enough to bake it again, and now I live in France, so I don’t need to. Yours looks fantastic, better than our local baker’s.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:32 am
Divinely bread there! Lovely core as well!
February 29th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Great looking bread. Very crustastic! Never previously used many of Julia Child recipes before, but after this success, I just might..
February 29th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Beautiful loaves of bread. I would like to try this one with fresh yeast (something I have never used before!) and see the difference. Thanks for the encouragement to do so!
February 29th, 2008 at 4:17 am
I hear ya on the food network and their lack of mistakes and perfectness.. My dog once pulled a raw steak down from the counter onto the floor and we cleaned it off and cooked it up anyway. I mean, grilling it kills those germs anyway, right?
Your bread looks lovely!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:25 am
Perfect, just perfect!
Seriously, your bread really does look perfect. And I know it tasted perfect because mine did (even if it didn’t look so perfect). Such a great recipe, this is!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Julia couldn’t have done it better, and neither could Ina. If it tasted as good as it looked, it was perfect, just perfect!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Glad we share the same ideas about the Food Network! For your exact reasons, I never watch it. I’d rather watch ole’ Julia on my dvds showing everybody that yes you can make gourmet meals at home and yes it’s okay to drop that $50 tenderloin on the floor ;).
I must say that it is one gorgeous bread!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Oh your bread is beautifull! I couldn’t agree more about the food network. I used non-fresh yeast and mined turned out super tasty too.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Your bread looks amazing! I love the inside and the crust is just gorgeous!
February 29th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Peabody - You did a fabulous job on your bread. It looks simply scrumptious sitting there next to your soup. I’m inspired to bake this bread again and make a hearty soup to go with it.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
February 29th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I want bread and soup now…and it is not even 10am!! The bread looks fabulous, nice and crusty, with all the good yummy insides! Hope you are feeling better!
February 29th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Bravo! Oh, and can I have a slice, please?
February 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
How absolutely amazingly beautiful! Nice slashing, LOL.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:53 am
The bread looks so lovely!
February 29th, 2008 at 6:54 am
That loaf looks scrumptious! Are you sure that you’re not a professional bread baker?
February 29th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Dang, I think I had the most trouble with the slashes. Yours really are perfect!
This is a bread to love!
Gorgeous crumb on your loaves Peabody.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I hear you on the Food Network thing - I started my cooking in life practically glued to the channel, but these days I rarely turn to it (only to watch Ace of Cakes, because that Duff guy is oddly charming).
Anyhoo, back to the meat of the matter - your bread is absolutely beautiful, it is making me CRAVE a nice chunk of baguette at the moment. Great job, and I hope you are feeling better after your bout with that nasty cold!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Yours is beautiful of course. I love the soup that goes with it too.
Yeah I do worry that The Food Network will go the way of MTV when they decided to stop playing videos.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Oh gahhhh that looks like pure awesomeness.
Fantastic job, I hope you are feeling better. :o)
February 29th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Peabody,
As usual your post and your DB creation are spot on! Julia would be chortling with great joy at looking at your bread.
Thanks for participating with Sara and I this month!
(go Flames!)
February 29th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Mahhhvelous! I wish I had soup with mine, but the day I baked, it was 85 degrees!
February 29th, 2008 at 8:22 am
How gorgeous is your bread!? Absolutely beautiful! And I’m with you on the Food Network stuff, it’s all so sterile!
February 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I’m with you, enough with the ‘perfection’, it doesn’t exist!
Your bread does look pretty awesome though…
February 29th, 2008 at 8:38 am
to quote Ina Garten- this is perfect! Really.And you have captured the essense of the french bread well. I like the second shot in this post a lot.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Good thoughts about the current shows on the Food Network. We don’t watch it at all for pretty much the same reason you explained. Everyone is always so perky perfect. I wonder how many times they shoot each episode to get it the way they want.
We just put up our first cooking video and there’s lots of mistakes on it, but we use those mistakes to make fun of ourselves. Come by for a visit anytime!
February 29th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Peabody,
Your bread looks so lovely! Everyone is making me want to remake it!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Your bread looks fantastic! I wish I had that bread and soup for lunch today!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:09 am
GORGEOUS!!! You did a stunning job, and I loved reading your post- it was spot-on!!!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Your loaves are just beautiful, and what makes them beautiful is the little imperfections! And I bet they tasted wonderful with that soup, which also looks really good! Well said on the whole cooking shows thing…I think that’s the reason why I’m not watching cooking shows these days, too much focus on perfection and not enough on real cooking.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Even if you sometimes make mistakes in the kichen (as we all do!), this bread looks absolutely perfect. I strive for such a tasty looking crumb and a crispy, crunchy exterior. I’m very jealous of this bread!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Great air pockets you managed to get in your loaves. My ideal bread is pillowy soft and full of pockets to gather up butter/nuttella/whatever.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Talk about perfect, just perfect, those loaves look awesome! Great job. I can’t wait to make these.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Your bread looks perfectly amazing! Your photos are so beautiful!
February 29th, 2008 at 10:38 am
You are such a skilled baker! MIAM!
February 29th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Eh, I can’t get too made at FN for showing perfection. Not everything I make is perfect, but I surely don’t blog the stuff that’s inedible
February 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Some of the best looking bread I’ve seen P. You do it right! I agree with you about the FN at least when I still watched it and was willing to pay for a television service I didn’t spend much other time watching. I’d like to see them keep it real.
Take Care!
x x x
February 29th, 2008 at 11:45 am
What a lovely bread! Great job, Peabody.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Absolutely perfect in every way. Great job!
-Clara
February 29th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I may have just eaten lunch but looking at your mouth-watering pictures makes me want to head right back into the kitchen! Cheers
February 29th, 2008 at 11:55 am
That bread is looking good. This was not long this was a novel!! I was really freaked by this one.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Excellent job, as always. The loaves look superb. I can’t say I’ve ever watched the FN (no brain rot box), but you know how I feel about celeb chefs… meh. Julia was something else, wasn’t she? I love her no nonsense approach to life. The world could really use more Julias.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Yup, just once, I would like to see Nigella’s perfectly coiffed hair go into her face, like it would for any other “normal” woman! And how come no one ever gets flour or splashes on their clothing?!?
Your loaves look wonderful and are making me hungry, even though lunch was late and only an hour or so ago!
February 29th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Simply beautiful. And I wholeheartedly agree. The screw ups are the posts I enjoy the most on blogs, because it makes me feel more human for all the mess-ups I have in my kitchen.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
They look perfect, just the way they should. I envy your slash action!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Wow…I thought I did ALRIGHT on the challenge until I saw your bread. It really looks absolutely perfect. Definitely incentive to try it again and make it work!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Here, here, Peabody! Right ON! I can’t deal with Giada’s boobs. Ever. As for keeping the cooking real and being honest about mistakes — that’s what I’m all about. It’s what’s fun about it even if it does really get me going sometimes. Your bread is spectacularly beautiful. The color, the interior. Beautiful.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Perfect bread!! I’m starting to think mine didn’t turn out as well as I thought it did after seeing so many great loaves. I might have to give this a try again tomorrow!!
February 29th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
beautiful! and i totally agree w/you about the FN… i can’t stand all the boob shots they seem to be getting lately!
February 29th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
It’s a beautiful thing Peabody. Did I really expect anything else?!
February 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Your batards look really beautiful! I love their wonderful golden color and tempting crust! Very well done!
Cheers,
Rosa
February 29th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Your bread looks perfect! (Couldn’t resist) and I’ll bet you didn’t even drop it on the floor. I agree, that was one of the treasures of Julia’ show…she just kept cooking and made cake rolls out of fallen souffle’.
Your crust is particularly appealing. Where’s the butter?
February 29th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
So gorgeous! I only hope with practice I can make bread that looks this awesome!! You rock!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I can’t think of anything original to say because I am too busy having serious loaf envy! Your bread looks perfect and incredible!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Your bread is bakery worthy! It is sooooooo good looking. The crust, the holes…wow. Good job!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You’ve got some hardcore slashing skills there, Peabody! Beautiful!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
MMMMM-the bread looks divine! Im jealous, and am gonna try the recipe someday. I agree with you about Food Network- it’s like the Stepford Wives of cooking.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Whoa! I’m shocked! You mean, not everything you make turns out perfectly? So far, everything I’ve seen has been gorgeous, including Julia’s bread. I’ll be having some of mine with black bean soup tonight.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Your bread looks so good. It is perfectly golden brown.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Your bread looks great! If you dropped it on the floor, I’d certainly still eat it!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Amen re: Food Network…but we aren’t in their demographic, are we?
Gorgeous photos, love the second one in particular.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Your bread looks so perfect inside - look at those huge air pockets!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Beautiful bread!!
February 29th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Peabody
February 29th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Perfect looking bread–you should be french. Oui, Oui.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
This looks great! I love the second picture with the airiness of the bread.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Now why didn’t I think of that? Pairing it with beef barley soup is so perfect!!!
But anyway, I totally sympathize with you on the deterioration of Food Network. I used to love watching it when there was actual cooking going on, but now I stick to PBS cooking shows like America’s Test Kitchen and Ming Tsai’s show. Hmmm, I wonder whether Jacques Pepin’s show is still on…
February 29th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I agree whole heartedly with you about the Food Network, but I’m afraid that you loaves look perfect, just perfect. Really well done!
March 1st, 2008 at 1:25 am
Your bread looks wonderful. I love how well your slashing effect on top turned out. It looks lovely and crusty.
March 1st, 2008 at 4:12 am
that crust looks simply to die for. Wow! Well done!
March 1st, 2008 at 4:50 am
ooo! you pictures are lovely as always, great looking bread, lovely colour
March 1st, 2008 at 5:34 am
Hear, hear — I agree 100% about the Food Network. The best cooking shows on television have always been on public television stations, and still are. There’s always more to cooking than just food, and if you listen to Julia’s old shows, or to Lidia Bastianich or Jacques Pepin, you learn about context and culture and the why and how of food. That’s what helps you become a good cook, or a better baker.
March 1st, 2008 at 5:56 am
I have to agree with you about the Food Network. I’ve taken to just going online and printing off the recipes that look interesting rather than suffer through some of the programming. I do enjoy Iron Chef however. I also agree with Lydia - the older shows are much more informative.
By the way, great gorgeous beautiful pictures of the bread!!
March 1st, 2008 at 5:57 am
I find myself watching less and less FN, too. Sad, really.
Your bread looks beautiful, Peabody! So nicely shaped!
March 1st, 2008 at 7:09 am
My mouth is filling up with saliva. This is gorgeous bread I wish I could reach through my screen and grab some!
March 1st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
looks really tasty! I’m reading Julie and Julia right now, so the Julia Child recipe made me smile.
March 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
If I didn’t know you so well, I’d swear you bought those at a bakery!
Beautiful, just beautiful.
March 1st, 2008 at 5:25 pm
wow! Your bread came out beautiful! Nice job!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:03 pm
so lovely and so desireable! my eyes are drooloing with amaze!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Your bread is absolutely beautiful! I’m so jealous. I also have to tell you that your blog was the catalyst that started my food blog obsession. I hope you are happy with yourself, my productivity at work has dropped drastically all because of you!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I love the little blisters I can see in the crust, it must have been so very crunchy, perfect.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Your photos of your bread are absolutely beautiful! Your such a talented lady anyways and I always am printing some recipe that you have posted because they look delicious! I know your bread tasted just as perfect as it looks. . .Great job!
Shandy
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 am
We’ve come to expect nothing less than perfection from you, but somehow you’ve gone even further!
March 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 am
Your bread looks wonderful (thought I better not say perfect
ha ha). Well done.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:59 am
As always your bread looks wonderful. Your pictures truly are inspiring! Thank you for sharing.
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 am
Peabody, your bread is just stunning!! I would really like to bite into that golden crispy beautiful crust. May I?
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 am
Straight out of the books - your batards are absolutely picture perfect! The texture inside looks wonderfully airy and I can only imagine the delicious taste!
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Wow your breads look absolutely gorgeous, really!! Some bakers here in France could learn from you! Great job!
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
I am even more disappointed by the number of actual chefs who have been let go. God forbid we learn how to cook from people who make their living doing it - personally, Mario doesn’t need cleavage or perfect hair to get me excited about what he’s making. Or he didn’t. He’s gone too now. *sigh*
Anyway, your bread looks amazing. Look at those air pockets!!
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Your bread turned out amazingly beautiful. Way to go!
I don’t watch the food network. I just get my food instruction from tuning in to my favorite bloggers, you being at the head of the list.
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Beautiful! Your loaves look like the ones I picked up at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square in College - the loaves I tore off pieces and dipped in cream of broccoli soup. mmmm - YUM!
I hear ya about Food Network. I think that’s why i love Paula Dean so, she cracks on herself and her cooking all the time. You know she’s gotta be a trip to hang with.
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:41 pm
That crust! The lovely little ridge that would crackle and crunch as I ate it. Your bread looks amazing and you know that Julia would be so happy to see it. Great pictures!
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 am
Great Bread, Great pics, Great Writeup - Peabody, you never fail to impress….
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 am
You said it, Sistah!! You so speak the truth.. I am also getting pretty fed up with the Food Network.
Your bread is breathtaking.. as always. You always manage the perfect shade of goldeny deliciousness.. perfection, my love!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
10 second rule right?
Your mini batards are picture perfect!
March 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Amazing.. simply delicious looking bread. Congratulations on another challenge well done. And you are SO right.. every now and then things are less than perfect…. but they never show it, I guess we will all have to become PERFECT cooks *laughs* as if..
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I would say that your bread is PERFECT! And I’ve given up on the Food Network too. I think Sandra Lee was the beginning of the end.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Absolutely beautiful bread! I hope it tasted as good as it looks! (Not that I have any doubts.)
March 4th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Those are perfect! This is what I dream French bread should look like! How to get the crust to get that great? I can never do it…is there some secret handshake I don’t know?