French Loaves

Freshly Baked!

Two weekends ago, I decided to make my own French loaves to accompany a curry dish. As always, I expected alot of mess during my first attempt but it turned out to be a surprisingly fun and fuss-free experience. I think its probably because I usually bake my own bread anyway so this was not a far deviation from what I was already doing. That said, the most exciting part of the entire process came when I had to throw a cup of water in the hot oven to create steam for that crusty French loaf exterior. 

There is absolutely nothing like the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house and that is what I always enjoy from the experience of bread making. I have to confess I am not a big fan of actually eating the bread (ironic I know!) but I totally dig that distinct bakery smell and these French loaves were no exception.

My only regret was in not shaping one of them properly, the one on the left has a crooked top and I think I was supposed to cut the slits before the second proofing and not after. Well, better luck next time!

Just before baking

Right texture and right consistency
but could look better!