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Baker's French Loaves

The same as the preceding, of larger size. Cut the entire piece of dough in about 10 pieces. Flatten out without kneading. Bring two opposite corners together and press them into the middle and press the loaf sides together in long, pointed shape. Then there are tow ways of proceeding. 1. Place each loaf with the smooth side down in a flowered napkin or piece of clean flour sick and set them to rise an hour that way, in a deep pan or box just touching. The oven being ready, turn the loaf right side up on to the peel, cut it lengthwise down nearly to the bottom, and slip it to its place on the oven bottom. 2. The above plan not being convenient to practice, make the loaves as before and place them right side up in the usual hotel baking pans, brush over with water, rise, cut as before, and bake in the pans. There should be plenty of room between. Brush with water again when done.

The bakers pursue a method so laborious in making their flaky, stringy French loaves as would forever deter weakly people from trying, if it were the only way. But in this case knowledge is literally power. The dough carefully kneaded on the table in the way that has been directed reaches the same condition as if it had been worked in a trough with water with an immense expenditure of strength.