French Bread Recipe

Very easy to make and who doesn't like hot fresh bread right out of the oven! I took the time and read most of the reviews, and based on their suggestions the bread came out perfect! So that you don't have to read them all yourself, I've combined them here: 5 cups flour instead of 6, 2(.25 oz) pkgs active dry yeast, 1 Tablespoon salt, and made the cuts in step 4 after the 3rd sentence. If you use Pure Spring Water(not to be confused with distilled water) and Fine Sea Salt(make sure it's Fine sea salt and not Coarse, and it will dissolve perfectly in your dough), it will make it even better! Kneading bread is great therapy...it's a great place to take out your frustations! Don't skimp on kneading time. Set a timer if it helps. If the dough is under-kneaded, the gluten will not be developed enough to allow the dough to rise during fermentation. Yeast: 1st check the expiration date; old yeast could be dead or too lethargic. Proofing always helps. To Proof yeast: In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup warm water (100-110 F), 2 teaspoons sugar, and the 2 pkgs of yeast this recipe calls for, let stand 10 minutes. If mixture doubles in volume, the yeast is active. This leaves you with only 1-1/2 cups water to be added to the flour. Great recipe Jenn! Thank you!!!

All I can say is "Wow". I tried this recipe twice. The first time I made this, I found the bread to be a bit too dense, but the second time, I added a pinch more yeast and only used 5 cups of flour. I made a nice long baguette and brushed the loaves with just a beaten egg white (left out the water) and I got a nice crust and a lighter loaf. Has come out perfect every time.

I'm not sure how to rate the original recipe since I veered off quite a bit, but they did turned out yummy, and now people keep asking me to make it for them. I used 2 packages of active yeast, and proofed it first. *2 tsp of salt *2 tbl of olive oil for flavor *5 cups of bread flour After making the dough and putting it in the bowl to rise, folding the dough over itself every 10 minutes, about 2 or 3 times, helps to keep the yeast "feeding", and creates the lighter airy center. I put a pan of water on the bottom rack in the oven while it's preheating, so it's nice and steamy when it hits temperature. I didn't egg wash, but I brushed the dough with melted butter, & garlic salt with herbs. This also kept the dough from drying out, so I didn't put a towel over them while the oven was heating up. They came out very flavorful, light on the inside and crispy on the outside Update: After making them a few times, I started laminating by lightly brushing the rolled out dough with either butter or olive oil, and a little garlic salt, then rolled. The flavor and air pockets are amazing.

I am giving this 4 stars because the recipe has to be tweaked so much. I’m a fairly expert bread maker, so this is what I did differently. First, proof your yeast for 10 minutes in lukewarm water with a tablespoon of honey. Honey helps the yeast to proof and helps make a crusty crust.secind, use bread flour. Third, use 2 tsp. Of salt and 5 c. Of flour, plus about a half cup more while you need it by hand for 19 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 with an uncovered Dutch oven in it on lowest rack for 30 minutes. Then put a round of dough in the Dutch over, doesn’t have to be pretty, and squirt with filtered water. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover if Dutch oven, squirt again with water, and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes. You don’t use egg on a French loaf. Period. Baking it this way insure a moist interior and a crusty exterior. Other than that, it’s a decent recipe.

Wonderful bread! Nice thick crisp crust and soft inside. I made a few revisions. I mixed a cup of warm water with the yeast and added a tsp of honey until the yeast was foamy. Mixed 5 cups of flour with a tbl of salt (this may be too much for some, I am a salt fiend!); then added the yeast mix and an additional cup of water to the dry ingredients. During kneading, I ended up using about another cup of flour. I let the dough rise twice, kneading in between and making sure dough was covered in oil, then baked in the oven with a pan of water in the bottom at 375. The bread turns out with a nice crust and browns well without having to add the egg or cornmeal. I baked in one large round loaf in a stoneware dish and had to increase baking time by 20 minutes. Lovely with honey or saucy dishes!

I've made this recipe 4 times now and I turn it up every time and my guests absolutely love it. I add some garlic salt to the recipe as it's too bland for me if I don't. I roast 2 different types of green peppers I then peel and deseed. I also add some slices of either Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese and place it all on the center of each loaf prior to rolling and baking them. I also sprinkle either cheese on top or add a mixture of seeds or Cuban seasoning after brushing the egg white on them. Guests like to slice a piece off and throw it in toaster oven, it never lasts long.

GREAT BASE RECIPE! Based on a few of the reviews I tweaked it a little. I added about 2 Tbsp melted butter and about 2 Tbsp white sugar to the basic recipe. My yeast measurement ended up at 5 2/3 Tsp. Otherwise I made one loaf according to the recipe, and with the second half of the batter made two smaller loaves. Once the smaller doughballs were rolled, I sprinkled finely graded cheddar jack cheese and onion powder on the dough before rolling it up and sealing it. This ended up being my family's favorite! French bread with a bit of the flavor of an onion bagel.

This recipe is a keeper. I did modify a few things per other reviewers suggestions. I only used slightly over 5C flour. I did proof the yeast in a tablespoon of raw honey with the warm water. I also used 3 tsp salt per suggestions. I made 4- 8” loaves and used an egg/milk wash with sesame seeds.. made the tastiest and prettiest sandwiches! Making more tonight.

Another "excellent" from me! 5 cups of flour instead of 6, and 2 1/2 tbsp of instant yeast, and topped it with sesame seeds after egg wash. Added this one to my favorites and I will absolutely make it again!

Excellent recipe! Made two loaves today and they turned out perfect! I made adjustments based on other reviewers' suggestions. I used 5 cups of flour and two packets of yeast. I increased the salt a bit and added some sugar. Instead of kneading by hand, I used the dough hook attachment on our Kitchenaid for 10 minutes. After shaping the loaves I cut the diagonal slices and then let rise under a damp towel. I didn't use egg wash, just water. When baking I also had a pan of water on the bottom rack. This is a fantastic recipe and with some tweaks it is easy to customize to your specific taste. Thank you for posting...I'll definitely be using this recipe going forward!

Per previous comments I added an extra 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbs butter. I also added a folding step and another 10 minute rest before rolling out and making final loaf. Folding gives you a tight loaf and nice rise. Great recipe!

Delicious 😋. I loved it. Thank you. You are our favorite site for recipes.

Easy recipe, great direction on steps. I used 4 cups all purpose flour and 2 cups bread flour

This recipe is great authentic taste and quick and easy to prepare.

I made the recipe harboring doubt that it would be close to French bread since there was no steam in the whole process. However, this method did provide a crisp crust and tender crumb. Authentic? Still iffy. Good recipe? Definitely!

This is a good recipe, but it never specified how high of a degree to cook the bread. So I put it in at 425, and it came out perfect, except the crust was hard like a crouton. but it still tasted great on the inside.

Quick, simple, and ridiculously good.

One of the best french bread recipes I've made. Surley a winner.

First time trying this recipe and the family loves it, I will use it again. I only have a couple of notes…others have said it was bland, lacking flavor, but I was okay with that and it turned out just as I’d hoped it would, it tastes like French bread. My yeast is in a jar and I had to convert packets to teaspoons, which turned out to be about 5 1/2 teaspoons of yeast (5 5/8 teaspoons to be precise) and the bread turned out great. I do wish recipes would include the quantity of yeast in teaspoons. That’s it, the bread is chewy with great crust and texture, I enjoy using it for sandwiches, or with soup, or by itself, or dipped in a little seasoned olive oil…it’s very versatile.

I tried this recipe and sort of misunderstood the amount of yeast. I read the prep behind the packet of yeast and thought it was just the one package. The dough was not raising. I finally looked at the video for instructions. Oops two full packages and 1/2. I got the second package and put it in a small measuring cup with three tablespoons of warm water and a pinch of sugar (help to activate the yeast). I mixed it into the dough. It was gooly and sticky. I tried not to knead too much. It worked. The dough was not pretty and smooth but it worked doubling in size. I then continued with the recipe. I think I will not split the dough next time. My family likes big bread 🥖, especially for sandwiches. The photo shows how too deep i split the top. 🤭 Other than that it was a learning experience and the bread came out great. 👍