French Bread Buns

These French bread buns are basically exactly what they sound like: a little French bread sandwich roll.  They are really great for chicken salad sandwiches, sloppy joes, pulled pork sandwiches, and more.  My husband likes to toast them up with a little butter and throw an egg on it for breakfast.  We recently ate them with tuna salad sandwiches and with chicken caesar sandwiches (the chicken caesar ones will be posted next week so look out for those!) and they were just awesome all around.

French Bread Buns

Number of Servings: 8 large sandwich buns
Time to Prepare: 2 hours 30 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour (more or less)
• 1-2 Tbsp corn meal

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar for about 5 minutes until it is foamy.  Stir in oil, salt, and 2 cups flour.  Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead the dough in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat.  Cover and let the rise until doubled, about an hour.

Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball and let rest for 10 minutes.  Roll each ball into an oblong shape, about 5-6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.  Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet about an inch or two apart (you will probably need two baking sheets).  Sprinkle with corn meal, cover loosely, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Using a sharp knife, cut a slash down the center of each roll (the long way--as in the picture above) or three slashes diagonally across each roll.  Place a small, oven-safe dish in the oven with about 1 cup of hot water (I just use my Pyrex liquid measuring cup).  Bake bread for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.

Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe