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Homemade French Bread

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!
Course: Bread/Muffins
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 small loaves
Author: Heather

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook.
  • 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.
  • Then 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.
  • Increase the speed a bit and knead the dough for 5 minutes. 
  • 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 and leave it to rest and rise again. 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.
  • 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 to create a log and pinch 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 to proof. 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 and preheat the oven to 425°.
  • While the oven is preheating, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and place it in a oven safe dish. Place the dish of water on the bottom rack of your oven.
  • 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.

Notes

To Make this recipe into hoagie rolls:
  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.

Nutrition

Calories: 761kcal | Carbohydrates: 147g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1466mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 9mg
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