Easy French Bread! Enough said! This recipe gives you a perfect loaf of golden, soft, chewy french bread! What more could you need in life? (Maybe a warm bowl of soup or dish of pasta to eat with it!)
2 to 3cups flour*you will start by adding only 2 cups
1/2tspcanola or olive oil*to be rubbed on dough for resting, after it is made
Instructions
In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, add your sugar and warm water to the mixing bowl.
Add your yeast to the warm water and sugar. Give it a little stir and then let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This will give the yeast time to proof/activate and it will get foamy and bubbly. See the blog post above for photos.
Add the salt and 2 cups of flour. Start the mixer on low speed and let the flour start to mix in. Adjust the speed to medium-high once the flour is mixed in well so the dough can start to mix and knead.
The dough should start pulling away from the bowl. If it isn't pulling away, add 1/4 cup more flour to the dough and let it mix again. You will know it has enough flour added, when the dough pulls pretty cleanly away from the bowl. The dough should be sticky when touched but not stick to your fingers. See blog post above for photos. If you need to add more flour, do so adding only a little at a time. You should not exceed more than 3 cups total flour. I use usually 2 to 2 1/4 cups.
Once the dough is pulling away from the bowl as it mixes, let it continue to mix for 3-4 minutes. This will knead the dough for you. You will know it is done mixing/kneading when the dough is soft and smooth.
Roll the dough into a ball. Rub 1/2 tsp oil on it. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 400° and cover your baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease your baking sheet.
After the dough has rested, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9x16- ish rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. The measurement is not really important. Just note that the longer the rectangle is the longer and skinnier your loaf of bread will be. If the rectangle is shorter, than your bread loaf will be shorter and fatter/thicker!
Roll the rectangle into a loaf, lengthwise. Tuck the ends in making them rounded.
Cover the loaf with the same clean kitchen towel and let raise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size (or more).
Once the dough has doubled in size (if not more), using a knife or kitchen shears, cut slits in the top of the bread. (TIP: Spray the knife or cooking shears with cooking oil so it cuts smooth). DO NOT cut all the way down- just a shallow slice is all you need to get that traditional french bread look. (This is totally optional).
In to the oven it goes! Bake the bread for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Take the bread out of the oven when it is done. Brush the top with butter if desired. Slice and serve!
Notes
See the blog post above for photos of making the bread!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.