I think my second love (my husband being my first of course) would have to be bread. I am being so serious right now. I adore crusty bread, soft bread, savory bread, and sweet breads…big breads, little breads…get the point? Bread is like my love language. I am currently making 15-18 loaves of sourdough bread from my house every week and selling them to friends and local folks around town. I just have this thing for watching as flour, water and yeast create something as magical and comforting as homemade bread.
So today I am sharing with you a simple and fairly quick homemade bread recipe – French bread that is. This does use yeast but it doesn’t require you to wait 3 days to bake it, and it pretty fool proof in my opinion!
If you have a stand mixer this recipe gets even easier. It is important to knead the dough for several minutes and having a mixer makes this simple as pie. However, if you do not have a mixer do not fret…you can simply knead the dough with your hands for several minutes until pliable and retains its shape when pulled.
This bread tastes amazing right out of the oven. But if you can wait, it is perfect to use for French toast, French bread pizzas, and even sandwiches! It is a hearty yet light dough that makes you want to sing. For real! I hope you all enjoy it.
Ingredients
- 1/4 C warm water
- 1 pkg instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 C all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 C plus 2 Tbsp. warm water
- For Egg Wash:
- 1 egg white and 1 Tbsp water.
Instructions
- Combine water, yeast and tsp sugar into a bowl. Allow to stand for 5 minutes until yeast is bubbly. Add in 1 Tbsp sugar, salt and additional water. Mix well. Add flour. Mix well and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth. (this can be done in a mixer using the dough hook attachment on a medium or low speed OR by hand by pushing the dough away with the palm of your hand and folding over)
- Allow to rise until double (about 15-20 minutes) On a lightly floured surface roll out with a rolling pin. Roll dough up jelly roll style and turn ends under and place seam down on a greased cookie sheet. Cut 3 diagonal slits into each loaf (only about 1/4 inch deep)
- Mix together egg white and 1 Tbsp water and gently brush on loaves. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.Boil a pan of water and then put it into a shallow dish.
- TURN OFF YOUR OVEN
- Place pan of water on lower rack and then bread on shelf above pan of water. Allow to rise until double (about 20 minutes) Remove pan of water. Leave bread in the oven and turn oven to 425 degrees and bake bread for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 375 and continue to bake for 6-8 minutes longer or until bread is golden brown.
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This looks INCREDIBLE Rachel! You’ve inspired me to try to make my own bread sometime soon!
Left bread in oven while heating ar 425 against my better judgment , andddddddd just as I thought the top burnt, and yes I had the bread on the lower rack. I put aluminum foil over bread and continued to bake saving what I could. Good recipe, good tasting French bread but I would suggest heating the oven to 425 first then putting bread in to bake. Top of bread doesn’t like red hot heating elligments .