french bread
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp yeast (instant or pizza yeast)
to glaze the prepared dough
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Mixing in a stand mixer
Place all (except glazing) ingredients in the bowl of your mixer. Using the dough hook, knead for at least 10 minutes on low speed. Place in a greased bowl turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour in a warm, draft-free location. Punch down. Let rest 25 more minutes.
Mixing in a bread machine
Put all (except glazing) ingredients into bread pan and start machine on dough cycle. Once the dough cycle is complete, remove from pan and place into a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 25 minutes in a warm, draft-free location.
Mixing by hand
Place all (except glazing) ingredients in a large bowl and knead for at least 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour in a warm, draft-free location. Punch down. Let rest 25 more minutes.
To bake
Punch down. Roll to a rectangle shape. Roll dough from longest side to form a long log. Place on baking sheet, seam down, preferably over a piece of parchment paper. Drape a large enough piece of plastic wrap over top. Let rise in a warm, draft-free location another 40 minutes. Make 3 diagonal slits in the top of the loaf, and glaze with the water/salt mixture. Bake 20 - 25 minutes in oven at 400°F.
Recipe Hints
- A great place to let your dough rise and rest is inside your oven with the light on, but no heat
- This dough can be split into two smaller loaves
- This bread freezes well, as long as it is well wrapped
- Use day-old French Bread to make French Toast
