I thought I needed a bread maker to make homemade bread. However, after I found this easy homemade french bread recipe, I quickly changed my mind about buying yet another kitchen gadget.
I’m currently challenging myself to try 52 new recipes this year. I only have 7 more to try. I’m using this coloring page to track my progress. I’ve scouring google every time I need to find one. I tried a couple bread recipes that weren’t worthy of making again, until I found this one. Be sure to click that link for tons of great bread making tips! I followed her recipe to a tee and it was perfect.
Easy Homemade French Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups lukewarm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons cool water
Instructions
- Add the water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer (or to a large mixing bowl if you’re making the bread by hand). Mix together with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast mixture is bubbly, add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt (be sure the salt doesn’t touch the yeast mixture directly – mix it in with the flour first).
- Mix on low speed (if using a stand mixer) until the dough comes together, adding the last half cup of flour as the mixer begins to knead the dough. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes on low speed.
- If making by hand, knead the dough for about 6-7 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
- Let the ball of dough rest in the bowl to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, and cover the bowl with some plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
- After 1 1/2 hours punch the dough down and scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (flour your hands as well). Let the ball of dough sit, covered, for about 5-10 minutes before shaping.
Shaping and baking the dough.
- To shape the dough, divide the dough in half (this recipe makes two loaves). Roll the first half out into a rectangle about 16 inches by 18 or 20 inches. Roll the dough up tightly into a long snake-shaped loaf, making sure you roll tightly enough that there are no large gaps of air between the pieces of dough.
- Pinch the ends together tightly to seal them and flip the loaf over, placing it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Repeat these steps for the second loaf to shape it as well.
- Score the loaves with a sharp knife very carefully, creating 5 or 6 cuts on the top of each loaf about 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch thick.
- Cover the loaves and let them rise for another 20-25 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush the mixture very gently over the top of the bread just before baking.
- Bake the loaves for about 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool almost completely before slicing and serving.
I’ve made this bread a couple times this year already. The most recent time I made it into 3 smaller loaves because we were using it for Philly cheesesteaks…which were super yummy!!
Nutrition
