This French bread recipe yields hot, fresh loaves with a crisp, crunchy crust and slightly chewy center. This bread is as traditional as the bread served in France.
Prep
21 min
Cook
138 min
Servings
Difficulty
Hard
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cornmeal
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½
, .25 ounce
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water
, 110 degrees F/45 degrees C
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Instructions
1
Gather all ingredients.
2
Grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.
3
Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in 2 cups warm water; beat with the dough hook attachment until blended. Continue adding remaining flour, a little at a time, until incorporated.
4
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn once.
5
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6
Punch dough down and divide in half.
7
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
8
Roll each half into a large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
9
Place loaves, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
10
Lightly beat egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush over loaves.
11
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
12
Use a sharp knife to make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts, about 1/4-inch deep, across top of each loaf.
13
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
14
Brush loaves with egg white mixture.
15
Continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190 degrees F (88 degrees C) or loaves sound hollow when tapped, 15 to 20 minutes more. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.
16
Remove loaves from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition per serving
Printed from PantryLink · https://pantrylink.app/recipes/french-bread