Easy French Bread. Homemade French bread has never been easier! This simple recipe produces a perfect loaf of French bread. This easy (and we mean EASY!) homemade French bread recipe is sure to be a hit!
Nothing beats fresh French bread with your favorite lunch or dinner. Bake the perfect loaf along with many variations with this traditional recipe. The wonderful thing about French bread is, it is rather minimalist, with just a few ingredients. You can have Easy French Bread using 10 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you cook it.
Ingredients of Easy French Bread
- It’s of dough.
- It’s 2 1/4 tsp of rapid-rise yeast.
- You need 1 1/4 cup of warm water (105 to 115°F).
- Prepare 1 tbsp of honey or agave syrup.
- It’s 2 tsp of salt.
- It’s 3 1/2 cup of all-purpose or bread flour.
- It’s 1 tbsp of cornmeal.
- It’s 1 of cold water.
- Prepare 1 of egg white.
- It’s 2 tbsp of cold water.
This is a very good & easy french bread recipe. I first made the bread exactly as described and ended up with dough that was a bit too dense. If you’re looking for an easy french bread recipe, this is it! The BEST Homemade French Bread Recipe - So Soft And Tasty!!
Easy French Bread step by step
- Dissolve yeast in warm water with the honey or agave syrup in a 2-1/2 quart bowl. Let proof 10 minutes or until nice and foamy. I use my Kitchen-Aid mixer, but you can also do all of this by hand. (I use the dough hook with my mixer, and let it work the dough for five minutes.) Stir in 2 cups of flour and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle (dough will be soft)..
- Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Place in greased 2-1/2 quart bowl, turning greased side up. Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until slightly more than double, 1-1\2 to 2 hours. To put in a draft free area, I usually just place the bowl in a cold oven. Longer rising gives better texture, and typical French bread “bite”..
- Punch down dough; cover and let rest 15 minutes. Grease cookie sheet; sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Place on large cutting board or surface and pat and stretch each half into a 15 x 10" rectangle. Starting on the 15" side, roll up tightly. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal. Roll gently back and forth to taper ends. Place both loaves on cookie sheet. Using a sharp knife, make 1/4-inch deep slashes across loaves at 2-inch intervals, or 1 lengthwise on each loaf. Brush with cold water and let rise uncovered until slightly more than double, about 1-1/2 hours..
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour one cup of hot water into a rectangular pan and place pan on lowest oven rack. Brush or spray loaves with cold water. Place cookie sheet with loaves onto higher oven rack. Bake 20 minutes. Remove pan of water from oven. Mix egg white and 2 tablespoons of cold water; brush over loaves. Return loaves to oven and bake until golden and they sound hollow when tapped, between 20-30 minutes longer. Makes 2 loaves (12 slices each); 55 calories each..
Serve With Butter Or Turn It Into A Delicious Appetizer. This simple and easy French bread recipe will be a hit in your home. It only takes a little more than an hour to have hot, fresh bread straight out of the oven. Forget the bakery when you can make it at home! Classic, crusty french bread, so easy, so quick, so good.