French Bread, French Toast, & Sub Sandwiches

I made Baked Ziti and homemade French Bread for dinner one night (French Bread). The French bread was absolutely delicious and very easy to make. The recipe makes 2 loaves of bread and we could only eat one, so I followed the advice of the recipe's poster and decided to make french toast with the leftover loaf.

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoon oil (vegetable, olive, coconut, or even melted butter)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (you can substitute All-Purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• Egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water)
• garlic powder, Italian herbs, roasted garlic, parmesan, etc. (optional, see variations)

Directions

1. In bread machine pan, place the water, yeast, and sugar in first and let set 5 minutes. Add oil, flour (garlic powder and herbs) and then salt. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.
3. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.
4. Brush egg wash over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Two variations - 

Garlic Parmesan French Bread

• Garlic Parmesan French Bread - before rolling the dough into a loaf, rub with 1/2 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Then roll, let rise, and bake as usual. 
• Roasted Garlic French Bread - before rolling the dough into a loaf, place 1-2 heads-worth of roasted garlic all over the bread. Then roll, let rise, and bake as usual. 

French Toast
We had seen an episode of "Good Eats" on toast and I decided to try the recipe for french toast from that episode. Here is a link to that recipe - French Toast. As Jared put it, "It was the best French toast I've ever eaten!" A lot of the stuff you can do the night before and I would definitely follow Alton's advice to use fresh bread specifically cut for French Toast (about 1/2"-3/4" thick).

Sub Rolls/Bread
Another way to use French bread is for sub sandwiches. I've always just used the recipe as indicated with the only change being the addition of olive oil. But last night I made a variation that was perfect for subs!

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoon oil (vegetable, olive, coconut, or even melted butter)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (you can substitute All-Purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions

1. In bread machine pan, place the water, yeast, and sugar in first and let set 5 minutes. Add oil, flour and then salt. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in four portions. Roll each portion into a 6". x 6" square. Roll up jelly-roll style, pinch seams to seal. You can also form mini sub rolls by dividing the dough into 12 portions and then making 4"x4" squares.
3. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 40 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with coconut oil or butter. Cool on wire racks.