Bread flour from the UK supermarket brands normally has the protein contains between 12 to 14%. For french breads, the two most used flour are T55 and T65. T55 contains 10 to 11% protein; T65 contains 11.5% protein. The small % difference in the flour makes a huge different in the bread outcome.. like the kneading time, proving time, the texture, the colour of the bread... arhhh
While I've been no luck with the french flour hunting, I still have a very good bread recipe that uses ordinary strong bread flour. The recipe's from the most famous Japanese Boulanger in Taiwan - 野上師傅 (Nogami), his book "名店麵包大公開:天然酵母、無人工添加物、100%健康" ---my bread bible!
The Milk Hearth (牛奶哈斯) is a soft French bread that uses milk instead of water. This makes the dough silky soft to handle. All other ingredients are very simple like the other basic bread recipes.
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After kneading and first proving. The dough's divided and shaped into long logs. Prove for 30 mins.
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The logs are rolled out and form into rolls. I love this dough, its very easy to handle. Soft and manageable.