French Bread
French Bread
You will love this simple and easy bread recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 5½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Stir together the warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. In about 5 minutes the mixture should be really foamy.
- Add flour, salt, and oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine a little bit before using the dough hook to mix on medium low speed. Knead until the dough comes together in a ball. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl. When you press the dough, it should spring back, not stick to your finger. If still sticking, add a few more tablespoons at a time until no longer sticky.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. I like to spray my plastic wrap as well to prevent sticking. Place bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. This usually takes about an hour.
- Remove dough and divide in half and shape each half to roughly measure 9x12-inches. This rectangle will create our loaf. On the longer side, start to roll the dough until you have what looks like a cylinder. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place loaves onto the paper. Let rise again until puffy, about 40 minutes.
- Preheat the over to 375°F. You can do this after your loaves have been rising for about 20 minutes.
- Cut the top of each loaf after it has finished rising with a sharp knife. You need either 3 or 4 diagonal cuts.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
