French Bread Recipe

As Lauren mentioned, bread is a very important part of the French diet. They have bread for breakfast, bread at lunch and bread at dinner. And don’t forget that there needs to be bread for the cheese course!

Here is a recipe for French bread:

Ingredients:

6 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2.	On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3.	Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
4.	Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
5.	With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

[http://www.evernewrecipes.com/bread-recipes/french-bread-recipe.html] - Picture

[ Hall, Jenn Allrecipes http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/french-bread/Detail.aspx ] - Recipe

Mills

Oh Bread! One of France's most necessary piece of food. Bread has always been of importance to French culture. In order to make bread and other products, mills are necessary to grind the grain.

Ambialet had two mills. The first was the “Lease of the Moulin de la Resse” in 1654. The millers had to pay an entry fee to the owner to use his mill. This allowed a source of revenue to the town to keep it alive and well.


The other mill was “Le Moulin de Bonneval” which was still functioning until 1955! It was mainly used to grind barley and oats for animals. The wheels of the mill can still be seen at the foot of the Mill today. In 1955, it would be thought that a mill would be of little importance in the area. The mill portrays how the people had little means of transportation in the time.This shows how cut off Ambialet was from the rest of the world; the closest town is 20 kilometers away! 

In order for each of these mills to operate, the Tarn River was of great importance. Each mill was powered by the wheel spinning in the water due to the flow of the river. The waterfall also allowed for the owner to heat his home.

Hydro-Electric Plant

©Tales of a Flaneur

Today, there is a hydro-electric plant in Ambialet. It can be recognized by the large pink building in the middle of town. Work was started in 1917 and the dam was completed in 1923. The hydro-electric plant is a power supply to the mines, factories, and the town of Ambialet.

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[Ambialet prestíqíeux et secret, "Les Moulins", p. 23 & 24]