Bread is a staple food in most countries and cultures and it is quite easy to prepare it on your own – the level of complexity is lower than you’d think. All you need is an oven that reaches 250ºC and some time to prepare the dough. Moreover, if you have an easy, step-by-step recipe, you can simply follow instructions.
Here is an article on how to make French bread, and, as usual, we’re breaking down the process into baby steps to make it easy for you. The result will look like this:
How to make French bread, step by step
If you think that making French bread is challenging, it is because you haven’t tried our recipe!
With these step-by-step instructions on how to make French bread, you will have it ready after a few hours. Just follow the instructions to the letter and make sure that you have the right ingredients and tools before you get started. We also recommend cleaning your hands thoroughly, because you will be kneading the dough in step 4.
Without any further due, this is how to make French bread, step by step:
Step 1: Mix flour and warm water in a bowl
The first easy step to get you started is mixing ¼ cup of flour with ½ cup of warm water in a small bowl. You can blend the ingredients with your hands, a blender or a spatula. Make sure that the mix is homogeneous without lumps or clusters.
Step 2: Add two tablespoons of yeast to the mix
After the blend is homogeneous, add two tablespoons of yeast and continue mixing until the yeast blends with the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3: In a larger bowl, mix the bread flour with Kosher salt
Leave the flour and yeast blend aside and get a larger bow. In this bowl, you will introduce 6 cups of bread flour and add a tablespoon of Kosher salt. Mix the ingredients with your hands or a spatula, and make sure that they are homogeneous before proceeding to the next step.
Step 4: Combine the flour and yeast blend and start kneading with your hands
Now is the time to take the flour and yeast blend, mix it with the rest of the ingredients and start kneading with your hands. Keep doing it until the mix feels dry and difficult to handle.
Step 5: Add more warm water and knead with your hands
When you’re done kneading as much as possible with the available water content and it feels dry and difficult to handle, it is time to add more water to the mix. The ideal proportion for this recipe is two cups, and we recommend warm water to facilitate the process of blending. It is also more comfortable to knead with your hands if the dough is made with warm water. This step is probably the most important to achieve a spongy texture in French bread. To ensure this texture, the dough needs to be very homogeneous without any clusters or lumps.
Step 6: After achieving a homogeneous texture, cover with plastic foil and rise in a warm place
Make sure that the dough is free from lumps and clusters, and, when it is done, you can let it rest for a while. Cover the bowl with plastic foil and leave it in a warm place. After a time, you will see how the dough rises or increases its volume in the bowl. The process takes somewhere between one and three hours, depending on room temperature and the type of ingredients you’re using.
Step 7: Divide the dough, spread it and roll it into a cylinder
When you see that the dough has risen and is ready to work, take it out of the bowl and divide it into two pieces. Spread some flour on the surface of the table you’re working on and take each dough piece in the center of the table, using a rolling pin to spread it as much as possible. Try to achieve a circular or semicircular shape and then roll it back into a cylinder.
Step 8: Score the dough and take it to the oven
When you have the dough ready, take it to a baking tray covered in baking paper. Now, cut several slashes on the surface of the dough. This process, known as scoring, should be done before putting the dough into the oven and consists of taking the knife and making a superficial cut. This prevents the bread from cracking when it expands inside the oven. After scoring the dough, put the baking tray in the oven and leave it for 25 minutes at a temperature of 450º F.
Step 9: Cut in slices and enjoy
After 25 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and let it cool for a while. Cut it into slices with a bread knife and enjoy your homemade French bread with your guests.
French bread made with whole wheat flour
There’s a variation of French bread made with whole wheat flour, and you can use it, too. Actually, you can use half regular and half whole wheat flour for your recipe. It depends on you and your taste, but we recommend that, if you’re using 100% whole wheat flour, add one or two tablespoons of a staple ingredient called vital wheat gluten. Adding this extra ingredient will help the bread fluff and reduce the denseness we often find in 100% whole wheat bread.
Another interesting aspect of choosing flour is the different types of wheat available in the market. There are soft white wheat, hard white wheat and hard red wheat. They have different properties, and if you’re becoming a masterchef, you need to know the basics of each one. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you! Here’s a summary of the most important facts:
| Soft white wheat | Hard white wheat | Hard red wheat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary components | 6 grams of dietary fiber and 5 grams of protein | 6 grams of dietary fiber and 5 grams of protein | 6 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein |
| Appearance | It is lighter and yellow compared to other types of wheat. The berries are rounder. | Light color, similar to that of soft white wheat. However, the berry shape is thinner and longer. It is commonly found in all-purpose wheat flour. | It is significantly darker compared to the rest of the wheat varieties. The bread will also adopt a darker appearance, and the loaves may feel heavier. |
| Appropriate for | This type of wheat is perfect for tender baked goods that require a fine texture. It is appropriate for cookies, rolls, bread and pie crust. | It is used in almost all types of baked goods, including cookies, rolls and bread. It is all-purpose and very versatile. | Excellent if you’re looking for a heavier type of bread with higher protein content. However, it is more difficult to handle and does not develop gluten as easy as the other types. |
How to Make French Bread
Making French bread may sound challenging, but it is easy if you have the right tools and the step-by-step instructions. We have learned in this article how to make French bread in 9 easy steps. First, mix flour and warm water and, when it is homogeneous, add yeast. In a separate bowl, combine 6 cups of bread flour with Kosher salt, add the flour and yeast and warm water. Knead with your hands until the dough is homogeneous. Leave the dough to rise, which usually happens in 1-2 hours in warm temperatures. Make sure that the dough doesn’t have any lumps, and, only then, use a rolling pin to spread the dough and roll it back to a cylindrical shape. Score the dough and put it to in the oven for 25 minutes. After that, you can cut in slices and serve.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of flour
- 2 ½ cups of warm water
- 2 tablespoons of yeast
- 6 cups of bread flour
- 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix flour and warm water in a bowl
- Add two tablespoons of yeast to the mix
- In a larger bowl, mix the bread flour with Kosher salt
- Combine the flour and yeast blend and start kneading with your hands
- Add more warm water and knead with your hands
- After achieving a homogeneous texture, cover with plastic foil and rise in a warm place
- Divide the dough, spread it and roll it into a cylinder
- Score the dough and take it to the oven
- Cut in slices and enjoy
Notes
Useful tips:
- When you are scoring the bread, make superficial cuts that do not damage the shape of the bread but are deep enough to allow expansion without cracking the bread. It might be difficult at first, but you will get better with practice.
- If you want to achieve a nice cut when scoring, you could use an extra tool called a baker’s lame. It is a bread-slashing blade with the appropriate length to achieve the perfect cut.
- If you want to speed up the rising of the dough in winter and cold temperatures, place the dough next to a source of heat or in a room with a heater on.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 45 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 100 calories
Vera Stetsenko
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