This soft and fluffy French Bread Loaf is so much better than store-bought and it is so easy to make. I love making it because it comes together so fast and it makes the house smell amazing. I got this recipe from my mother. We serve french bread with any pasta, soup, or hearty dinner.
This recipe makes 2 french loaves.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbs Instant yeast
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs salt
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 egg
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups of flour
Put all ingredients together in your mixing bowl. (If you are using instant yeast there is no need to start the yeast by letting it sit with the warm water and sugar.)
Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. If you do this by hand you will knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Your dough should be soft, stretchy, and slightly sticky but still manageable. You may need to add a bit more flour.
Let dough rise in a covered bowl for 45 minutes. Preferably in a warm draft free spot. My oven has a bread proof setting (100 degrees) I set my bowl in the oven covered by a towel. If you don't have a proof setting you can turn your oven on as low as you can then turn it off and set your bowl inside to proof.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone. If you don't have parchment you can dust the cookie sheet with cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking.
Divide the dough in half and roll dough out to form a rectangle the length of the cookie sheet.
Roll up the dough like you would a cinnamon roll. Pull the dough over the end corner to seal off the ends and pinch the dough together to form a long skinny loaf.
Put the loaf seam side down and cut slits in the top of the bread with a sharp knife or razor.
Let rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm spot until doubled in size.
(I put it in the oven on the bread proof setting.)
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. And bake your loaves for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven. The loaves will look pale and a bit ashy but should sound hollow when you tap it. Put them on a cooling rack immediately to prevent the bottoms from sweating.
To achieve the golden color you can brush with a very small amount of butter after baking or you can brush the dough with an egg wash before you bake it. I tend to use the butter method at the end because it is faster and easier but both will achieve the same color.
These loaves freeze well. Once thawed you can crisp them up again in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes. They are also great for french toast if they get a bit stale.
