Glossy, crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside. French bread perfection. It is not only incredibly easy to make, but it produces two large loaves so there is plenty for everyone, including guests. This recipe was taken directly from my KitchenAid cookbook, but I modified it just a bit to give me the desired result I was looking for.

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can change it up in a snap by adding different spices, herbs and/or garlic. Any way you make it, it is truly delicious.

Here is a photo of one of my bakes using this recipe. Mine are a bit wonky, because I was in too much of a hurry to take the time to correctly weigh out and divide the dough to make them identically pretty. That’s how real life works though, right?

Enjoy!

Homemade French Bread

Ingredients

2 packages active dry yeast (4 ½ tsp) : *I increased this to 2 TBSP
2 1/2 cups warm water (110F to 120 F)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
7 cups all-purpose flour : *I decreased this to 6 cups plus enough to knead dough & remove stickiness. (About 6 to 6¼ cups in total.)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, butter, and flour.
2. Attach bowl & dough hook to mixer, turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute or until well blended.
3. Knead on Speed 2 about another 2 minutes longer – dough will be sticky.
4. Put dough in large greased bowl, turning to coat.
5. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into 12″ x 15″ rectangle.
7. Roll dough tightly, from longest side, tapering ends, if desired.
8. Put loaves on greased baking sheets that have been dusted with cornmeal.
9. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
10. With sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf.
11. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes, then remove from oven.
12. Beat egg white and water together and brush each loaf with this mix.
13. Return to the oven and bake 5 minutes longer.
14. Immediately remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Notes:

If you find your bread is too heavy, you may need to decrease the amount of flour and/or add a bit more yeast. I’m not sure if it is the high altitude where I live, but I have found that my bread turned out much better once I modified the recipe, as noted above.

(Sidebar photo by mohamed hassouna on Unsplash)