Soft French Bread
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
60 Min
20 Min
Serves:
24 Servings
Level:
Intermediate
This is my favorite bread recipe and it always has been. I have made this recipe so many times over the years. I love it because you can make it in a bowl and don’t need any special mixers. You don’t have to knead it by hand, and it only takes as few ingredients. I made this when I was in college and was craving some fresh bread and I couldn’t afford much. I also made this while I lived in Canada and didn’t have tons of time to cook. You just have to stir it down every 10 minutes for about 15-20 seconds is all. That is why I make it so often and you get a lot of bread from one recipe! I have also used this dough as pizza dough. It tastes amazing! You could also make this into rolls, although I prefer to use it for a loaf of bread. It makes really sticky roll dough that is hard to work with, but if you don’t have any special mixers for bread, then by all means try this one for rolls. You will love this recipe!
Preparation:
1. In a small bowl, mix the Yeast, 1 tsp. Sugar, and the Lukewarm water. Your water should be between 105°F and 115°F. If it is too warm the yeast won’t grow. If it is too cold, then it will take forever to grow.
2. While the yeast is growing, in a large mixing bowl combine the Sugar, Salt, and the Hot Water. Stir it until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Then add the Oil and stir it.
3. Add 3 c. of the Flour and stir it until it is mixed in. When the yeast has doubled in size, add the yeast mixture and stir it in until it is blended well.
4. Add the remaining Flour and stir it until it is a ball of dough. It will still be sticky, but should hold its shape. If it is too sticky, then add some more flour little by little. See the pictures for a good idea of how it should look.
5. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it sit for 10 minutes. Stir the dough down (it will have risen some). Stir it for 15-20 seconds, or until it is its original size. Cover the dough, and repeat this step 5 more times. You will stir down the dough 6 times in total.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
7. After the dough has risen after the 6th stirring, split the dough into 2 equal parts. Form 2 loaves and place them on a greased 11x15 baking sheet. You can brush it with butter or an egg white and sprinkle Sesame Seeds on it. Or if you want it plain, then you can leave it plain.
8. Cover the bread and let it sit for another 10 mintues.
9. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top.
10. Serve and enjoy!
Troubleshooting and Tips
Any trouble making this? Please put your comments below and I will respond as soon as I can!
Click here for the baking sheets that I love and use.
Having trouble with this recipe? Please leave a comment below or feel free to email me!
Alterations
You can make this into one large loaf. The baking time is the same.
You can also use this as pizza dough.
If you are short on time, you can stir it down 2 or 3 times instead of 6. It will still taste good!
Do you have any alterations that have worked well for you? Please share them with the rest of us below!
Hi, I'm Michelle Bartlett. Here at Just Like Grandma's Cooking I hope that you will find:
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