White Bread By Julia Child Recipe 395

Steps:

• Pour 1/2 cup of water into a bowl (preferably that of a stand mixer) and stir in the yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy. Add the rest of the water and about half of the flour. Stir until well blended. Add the rest of the flour, the salt and butter and stir with the dough hook (or by hand) until well combined. Continue to knead (if using a dough hook, run it for about 8 minutes, poking dough down once in awhile) until it's smooth and elastic. If you used the dough hook, turn the dough out onto the countertop and knead a few times by hand to make sure it's evenly smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it's doubled in size. Butter two 4-x8-inch loaf pans. Punch the dough down and pat each piece into a rectangle that's about 9-x12-inch - or a bit bigger than a standard piece of paper. Starting at a short end, fold it in thirds, like a letter. Place seam side down in the loaf pans, tucking the ends in. Cover with the tea towel again and leave them for an hour, until they puff right up out of the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the loaves are honey brown. Immediately turn the loaves out of their pans and onto a rack to cool.

Steps:

• Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl and mix with yeast and sugar til foamy.
• Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.
• Put the yeast mixture, rest of the water and 3 1/2 cups of the flour into the mixer with the dough hook.
• Mix slowly until blended then add the rest of the flour.
• Increase speed and scrape down the sides til the dough comes together.
• (If it doesn't add a tbsp of flour at a time til it does.) Add salt and mix at medium speed for 10 minutes (or do half in mixer and half kneading) til dough is smooth and elastic.
• Back in mixer add butter 1 tbsp at a time (dough may come apart, but mixing will pull it back together).
• Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball then place in a large buttered or oiled bowl.
• Turn dough so it is completely coated in the fat, then cover in plastic for 45 minutes to an hour, til it has doubled in size at room temperature.
• Butter 2 loaf pans.
• Deflate the dough, cut in half and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll out into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
• With the short end facing you, fold the dough into thirds like a sheet of paper to go into an envelope, creating a roll.
• Pinch the seam closed, and pinch the ends enough so it will fit in the loaf pan.
• Drop in the loaf pan seam side down, and repeat.
• Cover the loaves with buttered plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place (80°F) for 45 minutes, until they double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes til they are honey brown.
• Immediately turn out of pans onto a rack to cool.
• Once almost completely cool, they can be cut.
• Store in a brown paper bag for a day or two.
• Once cut, turn cut side down onto a cutting board and cover with a kitchen towel.

Steps:

• The Jam:.
• Place rhubarb, sugar& water in a saucepan.
• Split the Vanilla bean and scrape the soft seeds into the pan, (keep the pod for further use in another recipe).
• Bring to a simmer over low heat, cook stirring often until the rhubarb is soft.
• Cool the jam.
• Shortbread:.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder& salt together, set aside.
• In another bowl beat the butter until it is pale and fluffy.
• Add the egg yolks& sugar and beat until until the sugar is disolved and you have a light mixture.
• With you mixer on low speed slowly add the flour mixture, mix ONLY until the ingredients are incorporated.
• Turn the dough out on you cutting board, cut in half and form each half into a ball, wrap each ball in plastic wrap.
• Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes.
• Assembling& Baking:.
• Preheat oven to 350F with rack in center of the oven.
• Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and grate the dough into a 9x12" baking pan (use large hole side of your 4 sided grater).
• Pat the dough- don't press it, so it gets evenly spread in the pan getting right into the corners too.
• Spread with the Rhubard jam (or jam, preserve of your choice).
• Grate the remaining ball of dough on top, pat gently so it is evenly spread.
• Bake for apprx 40 minutes or until it is golden.
• As soon as you take the pan from the oven dust the shortbread with confectioner's sugar and cool to room temperature on a rack.
• Cut into bars.
• The size& shape is up to you.
• It is nice served with a dab of whipped cream.

Steps:

• Prepare the tuna salad: Using a fork, mash the tuna with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. Add the celery, as much onion and chopped cornichons as you'd like, and the capers or olives, and toss to combine. Add a squirt of lemon juice, some salt (go easy at first) and pepper. Taste and see if you'd like more mayo, onion or cornichons. Add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chives or parsley, if you're using either. (Makes 1 1/2 cups.) The tuna salad is good to go as soon as it's made, but it's even better after a couple of hours in the fridge.
• When you're ready to serve, spread the muffins or bread with a little mayonnaise. If you're using English muffins, do what Julia did: Make open-face sandwiches. Put a leaf of lettuce on each muffin half, top with tuna salad and finish with tomato and onion. If you're using sliced bread, prepare traditional sandwiches: Top each of 2 slices of bread with 1 piece lettuce, tomato and onion, then spread over the tuna and finish with remaining onion, tomato, lettuce and bread.

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl or liquid measuring cups yeast and sugar over water and whisk to combine. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
• Place salt, remaining two cups warm water, and about 3 1/2 cups flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach dough hook to mixer; turn mixer on and off a few times just to incorporate flour. Add 1 cup flour. With mixer on low, slowly add yeast mixture and remaining 2 1/2 cups flour. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough comes together, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. If dough does not come together, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Continue kneading on medium speed for about 5 minutes Add butter and continue mixing dough, 4 to 5 minutes. Dough may come apart before coming back together.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Butter a large bowl and transfer dough to prepared bowl, turning dough to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans; set aside.
• Place dough, top-side down, on work surface to deflate; divide dough in half. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, use the palms of your hands and fingertips or a rolling pin to pat dough into a 7-inch square.
• Place dough on work surface so one of the short sides is facing you. Starting with the bottom edge, roll dough and pinch to seal seam. Place roll in pan, seam side down. Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
• Spray two pieces of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loaf pans with plastic wrap, sprayed side down. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, growing over tops of pans, and when pressed gently with your finger an impression remains, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees on a conventional oven or 400 degrees on a convection oven with a rack set in the center of oven.
• Transfer pans to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees (conventional) or 350 (convection) and continue baking until honey brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each loaf reaches 205 degrees, about 45 minutes more.
• Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Brush tops with butter and let cool. Do not cut until almost cool.