Daring Bakers Challenge - French Bread!

This month's Daring BakersChallenge (my first!) was hosted by Mary at The Sour Dough (this link is where the recipe is at) and Sara at I Like to Cook .

They chose a recipe from one of my most favorite people ever - Julia Child. Her 18 page-long recipe for Pain Francais (French Bread) seems daunting at first, but once you get going, it's not difficult at all, just time-consuming. All told I spent 8 hours making this bread! It is so very worth it, though. My own bread certainly didn't turn out bakery-pretty, but it was absolutely delicious!

Here's my bread making day in photos:

Flour - I used King Arthur's unbleached bread flour - and salt.

Dissolved yeast.



Everything together.



Dough formed.



The kneaded dough ready to rise.



Three batards shaped and risen.



My state-of-the-art unmolding board.



The finished-if-not-so-pretty bread.