Homemade French Bread

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Making homemade bread has never been easier with this Homemade French Bread recipe! It's all mixed and kneaded in one bowl with the stand mixer. Plus, I have some special tips to get that golden bakery crust!

It is no surprise that I love bread. I grew up having bread at every meal, not homemade bread, but bread none the less. French bread has got to be my favorite! I just love the crispy chewy crust and soft chewy center. Plus, it makes the best garlic bread, cheesy toast and my favorite breakfast-french toast!

How To Make Homemade French Bread

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons instant yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 6 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water

First step, gather all your ingredients and get your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. This appliance is going to be your best friend after you make this bread recipe!

Next, add the ½ cup warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of the mixer. Let this proof for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes the mixture should be foamy looking, if it is not, your yeast is probably no good and you need new.

After the the 10 minutes, add 2 cups lukewarm water, olive oil, salt and 3 cups of the flour. Mix on low until flour is incorporated. Add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time, mixing it in after each addition. A dough will be formed and it will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Now, that all the flour is mixed in, increase the speed a bit and knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Proof The Bread

Once you are done kneading, leave the dough in the bowl of the mixer. Let the dough rest and rise for 10 minutes. Then turn the mixer on low and knead 3-4 times around. Now repeat that step 4 more times, resting for 10 minutes and kneading 3-4 times to total one hour.

Once the last 10 minutes of rising has finished, preheat your oven to 170° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stay with me here. Then remove the dough to a lightly flour surfaced. Separate the dough into 2 portions. Using a rolling pin roll each portion into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Then using a knife or dough cutter, cut the rectangle in half width-wise. Now roll the dough lengthwise, pinching the ends shut.

Place the dough on a prepared baking sheet and repeat with the other portion of dough. Once you have all 4 loaves on the baking sheet, take the tip of a sharp knife and make 3 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. *** You can also make 2 large loaves instead of 4 smaller ones.

Next, whisk together the egg white and water. Using a pastry brush, brush it all over the bread loaves.

Now the bread has to do one final rise. This is where you needed to stay with me. Now turn your 170° preheated oven off. Place your bread in the oven to rise for another 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes has finished, remove the loaves from the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°.

Tips for getting a perfect bakery crust!

• While the oven is preheating, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and place it in a oven safe dish. I use a pyrex glass dish. Place the dish of water on the bottom rack of your oven. The steam from the water helps create the most beautiful bakery crust and gives it the best texture!
• Once the oven is preheated and your water is in place, bake the loaves for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature of the oven to 375° leaving the bread in the oven, and bake for another 20 minutes. Changing the temp of the oven helps the bread become the gorgeous golden brown color and also helps with the crispy crust.

Once the bread is done baking and your house smells amazing, let the bread cool completely on the pan.

What to do with French Bread?

• Make Easy Peasy Garlic Bread and serve it along side any favorite pasta dish or soup.
• My family loves French Toast made with French Bread!
• Switch up your pizza routine and make French Bread Pizza Boats.
• Slice it up and add some butter, garlic and mozzarella cheese for some delicious Cheesy Toast.
• Use it to make Italian Sloppy Joes.
• Make some cheesy grilled cheese or hot ham and cheese sandwiches.
• Top it with some butter and enjoy the simplicity of it!
• Use this recipe to make hoagies and use it for french dips, philly cheesesteaks or sub sandwiches.

How To Make Homemade French Bread Into Hoagies

1. Follow all the same steps above until it is time to cut the rectangle.
2. Instead of cutting the rectangle in 2, you will cut it into 3.
3. Roll the dough to make hoagie shape rolls and pinch the ends.
4. Place rolls on baking sheet and using the tip of knife make one diagonal cut.
5. Proof the rolls in the oven just as it says to with the bread loaves.
6. Follow all the same tips for the hoagies, except after you reduce the temp of the oven to 375°, only bake the rolls for 10 more minutes.

You now have delicious homemade rolls!

Here are some dishes you can serve alongside your Homemade French Bread!

Baked Penne Casserole

Oven Fried Chicken Legs

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

Easy Tomato Soup

Spaghetti Shrimp

Beef Barley Stew

Baked Rigatoni Casserole

If you try this Homemade French Bread and Hoagie recipe let me know in the comments below how you like it!  Pictures encouraged and welcomed with the hashtag #heathershomemadekitchen You can also follow me on Social Media to see what other crazy things my family and I are doing!

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