French Bread Extraordinaire!

This French bread recipe delivers the classic experience of a bakery-quality loaf right in your home kitchen. Featuring a golden, crackling crust and a tender, open crumb, it is made with simple pantry staples like unbleached white flour, active dry yeast, salt, and water. The process involves a bread machine for easy dough preparation, followed by a traditional proofing stage in a floured basket to achieve that authentic shape. Ideal for serving alongside steaming soups, using for hearty sandwiches, or simply enjoying with olive oil and salt, this bread is a versatile staple for any meal. It requires minimal hands-on time but rewards you with superior texture and flavor compared to store-bought alternatives.

Cooking Method: Baking, Boiling

Cuisine: French

Courses: Baked Goods

Difficulty: Advanced

Servings: 1

Calories: 0.0

Dietary: Vegan, Vegetarian

Description

This French bread recipe delivers the classic experience of a bakery-quality loaf right in your home kitchen. Featuring a golden, crackling crust and a tender, open crumb, it is made with simple pantry staples like unbleached white flour, active dry yeast, salt, and water. The process involves a bread machine for easy dough preparation, followed by a traditional proofing stage in a floured basket to achieve that authentic shape. Ideal for serving alongside steaming soups, using for hearty sandwiches, or simply enjoying with olive oil and salt, this bread is a versatile staple for any meal. It requires minimal hands-on time but rewards you with superior texture and flavor compared to store-bought alternatives.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Water
3 1/2 cups Unbleached white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Active dry yeast

Directions

1
Place water, flour, salt, and yeast into the bread machine pan.
2
Select the Dough setting and press Start.
3
Once the dough cycle ends, allow the dough to rise in the pan for 1 hour.
4
Punch down the dough gently and let it rise for another hour in the machine.
5
Turn off the machine, remove the pan, and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
6
Form the dough into a smooth round ball and flatten it slightly with your hands.
7
Dust a clean kitchen towel with flour and place it inside a round wicker basket.
8
Place the dough in the center of the basket, cover with the towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled in size.
9
Preheat the oven to 450&# 194;Â°F (230ÃÂ°C).
10
Place a small empty pan on the bottom shelf of the oven.
11
Turn the risen dough out upside down onto a greased baking sheet.
12
Using a very sharp knife held parallel to the loaf, slash the top of the dough at sharp angles in a hash pattern.
13
Carefully pour at least 1 cup of boiling water into the hot pan on the bottom shelf to create steam.
14
Bake the bread for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
15
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for 1 hour before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1

Amount Per Serving
Calories 0.0kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.0g0%
Saturated Fat 0.0g0%
Cholesterol 0.0mg0%
Sodium 0.0mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 0.0g0%
Dietary Fiber 0.0g0%
Sugars 0.0g
Protein 0.0g0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

To preserve the crisp crust, do not store the bread in plastic wrap or a bag while it is still warm. Allow it to cool completely first.

For best results, store the bread loosely covered or left out at room temperature for up to two days. It will begin to dry out after this period.

If you do not have a bread machine, you can mix the ingredients by hand or stand mixer and perform the rises in a large bowl instead of the machine pan.

Ensure the water is lukewarm (not hot) when adding it to the yeast to avoid killing the yeast cells.

Keywords: french bread, homemade bread, artisan bread, bread machine, yeast bread, crusty loaf, vegan bread, baking, sourdough style, dinner bread, sandwich bread, proofing, flour

Read it online: https://www.chefs-mate.com/recipe/french-bread-extraordinaire/