These 12" long breads are so much fun to make.
Footlongs are so versatile. You can use them to make crostinis or sub sandwiches.
Use this recipe to make one footlong or 3 small loaves measuring 4" in length or 2 loaves 6" each. There are so many possibilities.
Make them plain or during last few minutes of baking brush them with olive oil and sprinkle italian seasoning and some Parmesan.
Always use good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil . It imparts great flavor to breads.
I was missing crostinis so decided to make these . For crostinis topping today I used
guacamole, chopped tomatoes mixed with olive oil and garnished with basil chiffonade
Chopped olives
A mix of cottage cheese, peppers and mozzarella.
Other topping suggestions are
Sundried tomatoes soaked in olive oil
Roasted Bell Pepper
Cheese and chili flakes.
Ingredients
WWF( whole wheat flour) 125 gms.
APF( all purpose flour)Â 125 gms
Water+milk.  170 - 180 ml
Instant Yeast 1/2 tsp
Salt 3/4tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Method.
Mix the two flours in a bowl.
Now add in milk and water combo little by little till there is no dry flour and it's all mixed well.
You may not need all the liquid right now.
Do not knead .
Cover and leave it for 1Â hour.
This process of mixing flour and dough and letting it rest for sometime is called autolyse.
It helps in gluten development.
The dough is much easier to knead now.
Now tranfer the dough to clean counter top.
Add sugar and yeast.
Mix it well.
Sprinkle salt all over the dough and start kneading.
If you find the dough is tight add one tbsp water at a time and continue keading.
The dough should feel very sticky.
Do not be tempted to add more flour.
Simply oil your hands and knead.
Knead using the heel of your palms.
Push the dough outward , then fold it back, rotate it a little and push again.
Incorporate the oil slowly while kneading.
Knead for good 12-15 minutes.
Slowly you will see that the dough has turned smooth and is not sticking to your hands.
Take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers.
If you are able to stretch it to a thin sheath without breaking, then the dough is ready, else knead for a couple of more minutes.
This is called the window pane test.
Now grease a bowl or container.
I prefer a flat bottom pan or container.
Transfer the dough in the container, turn it over so that it's covered with oil.
Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap.
Mark the container with a marker.
This will help you know when the dough has doubled.
It will take anywhere between an hour to two to double in size depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Place a parchment sheet on a baking tray.
Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it very lightly to degass it.
Pat the dough into a 10" rectangle.
From the longer side,fold one third of it on to the centre .
Press it lightly.
Now lift the other and and fold it over .
Pinch to seal.
Now fold the dough over to bring the two edges on top of each other.
Pinch to seal the edges.
Pinch the ends also.
Roll it lightly to make it 12" long.
Now carefully lift the ready roll and place it on the prepared baking tray with the seam side down.
Brush it lightly with a mixture of milk and oil.
Cover with a cling film and let it sit undisturbed in a warm place till it doubles in size.
Meanwhile preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Now take a sharp knife or blade, dip it in oil and make a few diagonal cuts in clean strokes.
Brush the loaf with milk and oil mixture for a nice colour.
Place it carefully in the oven.
Bake for 20. minutes and now bake for 5 more minutes in fan mode at same temperature.
This will give a nice color to the bread.
The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped.
If you have a bread thermometer, then check the loaf, it's temperature should read 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the bread is done turn it on a wire rack.
Let it cool completely on wire rack before you slice it.
Thank you so much meera.girdhar@gmail.com. Would surely try to create a video. Thanks for encouraging.
Lovely ... Preeti your recipes are too good .. will love to see a video for bread making.