When I was a kid, my mom and I would walk into the grocery store, smell the freshly baked loaves of french bread, buy it and devour about half the loaf before making it home. Let me tell you, my kids and I feel the same way.
And if you know me, you know that in the last couple of months, I have become a bit of an ingredient snob. I try to limit seed oils which unfortunaly are in all store bought breads. So that means we need to make our own French bread.
LORD HAVE MERCY! (in my best uncle jessie voice) We found the right recipe.
French Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water – if it is too hot it will kill your yeast
- 2 cups Hot water
- 3 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 5 Tablespoons butter
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- In a small bowl dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water
- In a large bowl, mix 2 cups hot water, sugar, butter, salt and half the flour
- Once the yeast is foamy, add it to the flour mixture and incorporate everything well.
- Switch to dough hook attachment and add the remaining 3 cups of flour. Let the dough hook mix for 5 minutes until flour is incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic.
- Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit for 10 minutes covered with a tea towel
- After 10 minutes, punch down the dough with a wooden spoon and cover for another 10 minutes. Repeat this process 5 times.
- Pour the dough on a floured counter and divide in half (or fourths). Roll each piece into a rectangle like you’re making cinnamon rolls. Roll the dough lengthwise and and tuck the ends under.
- Place the loaves on a baking sheet covered in parchment and allow them to rise for another 20-30 minutes.
- Score the loaves with small slits across the top.
- Create an egg wash by cracking an egg and beating it with a few drops of water. Brush this over the loaves to create the beautiful color.
- Bake the loaves at 375 for 20-25 minutes
This recipe is inspired by Emily at the Handmade Farmhouse, I modified it a bit because she uses canola oil which is an ingredient that we try to avoid. I repalced it with butter and then I serve with butter and it is heaven!
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