Franskbrod

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Loaf pan, 25cm by 12cm
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Pastry brush for the milk wash

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine the dough

   Put the flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Add the yeast to one side, not touching the salt. Salt kills yeast on contact, and while they'll meet eventually in the mix, you don't want them sitting together before the liquid arrives. Pour in the warm milk and stir everything together with a wooden spoon until it forms a rough, shaggy mass. Add the softened butter in small pieces and work it in. The dough will feel greasy and reluctant at first. Keep going. The butter needs to be absorbed fully before the dough will come together.

   The milk should feel like bath water against your wrist. Too hot and it kills the yeast. Too cold and the dough rises slowly and without conviction.
2. 2

   Knead until smooth

   Turn the dough out onto a clean counter. No flour. You want the dough to grip the surface slightly, that friction is what builds the gluten. Knead for ten minutes by hand, stretching it away from you and folding it back. The dough will start sticky and slack. After five minutes it will begin to feel elastic. After ten it should be smooth, supple, and spring back when you press it with your fingertip. That bounce tells you the gluten network is strong enough to hold the rise.

   If you're using a stand mixer with a dough hook, seven minutes on medium speed gets you there. But your hands teach you what the dough needs in a way a machine never can.
3. 3

   First rise

   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave it somewhere warm for one and a half hours, or until it has doubled in size. The yeast is converting the sugar and starch into gas and flavor. A slow, steady rise gives you a better crumb and a sweeter, more complex taste than a fast one ever will. Don't rush this.

4. 4

   Shape the loaf

   Tip the risen dough onto your counter and press it gently into a flat rectangle roughly the width of your loaf pan. Fold the two short ends towards the centre, then fold in half lengthwise and pinch the seam shut. You're creating tension on the surface of the loaf, and that tension is what gives the bread its shape in the oven. Place the dough seam-side down in a greased loaf pan. It should fill the pan about halfway.

   Don't punch the dough down violently. You want to redistribute the gas, not destroy it. Gentle hands keep the crumb open and light.
5. 5

   Second rise

   Cover the pan with the same damp cloth and leave the dough to prove for forty-five minutes to an hour. It should rise to just above the rim of the pan, looking puffy and full of air. If you press the surface lightly with your finger, the dent should fill back slowly. If it springs back instantly, it needs more time. If the dent stays, you've gone too far and the bread may collapse in the oven.

6. 6

   Finish and bake

   Heat the oven to 190C. Brush the top of the loaf gently with milk. The milk gives the crust its colour, a warm amber gold that butter or egg wash can't replicate, softer and more matte than a shiny egg glaze. Scatter the blue poppy seeds over the top in an even layer. They'll cling to the milk and stay put through the bake. Place the pan on the middle shelf and bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes. The loaf is done when the top is deep golden and the bread sounds hollow if you tip it out and tap the base.

   The hollow tap test is the most reliable indicator. A dull thud means the centre is still damp. Give it five more minutes.
7. 7

   Cool completely

   Turn the loaf out of the pan immediately and let it cool on a wire rack. This step isn't optional. Bread that cools in the pan traps steam against the crust and goes soggy at the base. Let it sit for at least thirty minutes before you slice. The crumb is still setting as it cools, and cutting too early gives you a gummy, compressed interior. The waiting is the hardest part, but it matters.

Chef Tips

• •Use whole milk, not skimmed. The fat in the milk keeps the crumb tender and soft for days. Skimmed milk makes a drier loaf that stales faster.
• •Blue poppy seeds are worth finding. They're darker and nuttier than the grey ones you find in most shops. Look in Scandinavian grocery stores or online. If you can only find grey, use those, but the flavour is gentler.
• •This bread toasts beautifully for three days after baking. After that, it makes the best French toast you've ever had. Nothing is wasted.
• •If you want the softest possible crumb, replace fifty grams of the flour with potato starch. It's an old Danish baker's trick that keeps the bread almost pillowy without changing the taste.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made the evening before. After the first rise, cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, shape the cold dough directly into the pan and let it prove for an hour and a half at room temperature before baking. The slow cold fermentation deepens the flavour.
• •The baked loaf freezes well for up to two months. Slice before freezing so you can pull out what you need and toast directly from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 69g)