This Is A Traditional Recipe For Making French Bread. You Are Going To Be Astounded At How Simple It Is To Bake Beautiful French Bread In Your Very Own Home That Is Crusty On The Exterior And Tender On The Inside. I’ll Walk You Through All The Ingredients, Equipment, And Techniques Necessary To Bake The Ideal Loaf Of Bread.
French Bread, Made At Home, Is The Best!
The Preparation Of This Bread Couldn’t Be Simpler, Particularly If You Have Access To A Stand Mixer. It Never Fails To Turn Out Beautifully, No Matter What.
These Loaves Of French Bread Are Absolutely Stunning: Not To Say That Appearance Is Everything.
When Baked, However, This Bakery-Style Bread Transforms Into Absolutely Stunning, Jaw-Droppingly Stunning Loaves Of Bread.
The Interior Of This French Bread Turns Out Pleasant And Soft, While The Exterior Of The Loaf Becomes Flawlessly Crusty.
Not Only Is This Bread Wonderful With Merely A Pat Of Butter, But You Can Also Utilize The Leftovers To Make Other Things, Such As French Bread Pizza. Additionally, This Is The Ideal Bread For Making French Toast.
The Basic Equipment Needed To Bake Fresh French Bread At Home
Heavy-Duty Baking Sheets
Silpat/Parchment Paper
Baker’s Lame
Large Glass Or Metal Bowl
Roasting Pan Or Cast Iron Pan
Pastry Scraper
Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dry Yeast: The Basic Ingredients For A Sponge Are Water, Sugar, And Dry Yeast. The Yeast Is Stimulated To Become Active By The Sugar, Which Also Provides The Yeast With A Food Source, Resulting In The Formation Of Bubbles.
Flour: Both All-Purpose And Bread Flour Can Be Used Successfully In This Recipe. Using All-Purpose Flour Will Result In A Loaf That Is Slightly More Tender. You May Make This Recipe With Whole Wheat Flour As Well, But The End Result Will Be A Denser Loaf.
Olive Oil: The Dough Benefits From The Addition Of Olive Oil’s Taste And Moisture. I Favor Using Olive Oil That Has A Robust Flavor In My Cooking.
Directions For Making French Bread
1. Get The Yeast Going
Put The Dry Yeast And Sugar In The Bowl Of Your Mixer And Stir Them Together. Add Lukewarm Water. I Prefer To Use A Probe Thermometer To Ensure That The Temperature Of My Water Is Between 85 And 95 Degrees Fahrenheit. Keep In Mind That I’m A Geek, Even Though The Thermometer Isn’t An Absolute Requirement. I Enjoy My Measurement Tools.
It Should Take Around 5 Minutes Before You Start To See Bubbles Being Produced By The Yeast In The Water. After That, You Are Prepared To Begin Incorporating The Flour Into The Mixture.
2. Assembling The Dough.
To Begin, Place Approximately Three Cups Of The Flour In The Mixing Basin. Mix In This Flour With The Dough Hook Attachment While The Speed Is Set To A Low Setting.
After The Flour Has Been Worked In, Add Another Two And A Half Cups Of Flour, The Oil, And The Salt To The Mixture.
Mix The Dough With A Wooden Spoon Until It Can Be Easily Pulled Away From The Sides Of The Bowl And Formed Into A Smooth Ball.
Keep The Remaining Half Cup Of Flour On Hand In Case You Find That You Require It. If You Can Clean Your Fingers After Touching The Dough, Then You Probably Do Not Need To Add Any Further Flour. This Indicates That The Dough Is At The Right Consistency.
3. First Proof
It Takes Roughly An Hour To Complete The First Proof.
After Greasing A Big Basin, Place The Dough In It And Turn It Over. Wrap The Bowl In A Piece Of Oiled Plastic Wrap And Set It Aside.
4. Form The Loaves And Proof One More
After The Dough Has Risen, Turn It Out Onto A Surface That Has Been Oiled.
With The Help Of Your Pastry Scraper, Divide The Dough In Two.
Roll Out Each Half Into A Rectangle Measuring 9 By 13 Inches.
5. Final Step: Burn
Prepare The Oven To 375 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Both Loaves Were Able To Be Baked At The Same Time Thanks To My Multitasking Skills. You Might Need To Bake Them One At A Time If Your Oven Is On The Smaller Side.
(For More Suggestions On How You Might Make Your Home Oven Resemble A Steam-Infected Oven Used In Commercial Kitchens, See Below.)
I Also Use My Probe Thermometer To Check The Internal Temperature Of My Bread Because There Is Nothing That Is More Frustrating Than Waiting A Significant Amount Of Time Only To End Up With Bread That Is Not Fully Baked.
When It’s Done, The Interior Of The Bread Should Be 205 Degrees Fahrenheit (96 Degrees Celsius). You Can Bake Any Kind Of Bread At This Temperature Without Having To Adjust It.
Happy Baking!