French Bread Recipe

Looking for a tasty french bread recipe to go with a pasta dish or soup?  This is one that Collin and I use and love.  We just finished baking the bread and are looking forward to enjoying it tonight with our alfredo pasta and oil/balsamic vinegar to dip.

4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon active quick rising dry yeast
2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water

1. Put 3 3/4 cups bread flour in a large bowl. Spoon the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt on the other side. Pour in the warm water and mix until the dough comes clean from sides of the bowl (about 5 minutes hand-mixed). Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

2. Mix dough again for 3 minutes. Place dough on the counter.  Knead by hand until the dough is very satiny, smooth, tight and formed into a nice, compact ball.  Lightly oil the bowl and place the dough back inside the bowl. Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours to rise. Dough should almost double in size.

looking good so far... note one of my favorite tea kettles in the background :)

3. After the dough has risen fully, cut the dough into half – shape one half at a time (keep the other piece under wraps) Pick up the dough – stretch it out until it forms a big rectangle. Dust your work surface with flour and fold over the ends of the dough like this:

make sure you pinch up those sides so there are no leaks!

Now do a little “karate chop” lengthwise down the middle of the bread and stretch out the long ends again. Fold over in half. The karate chop helps get the middle tucked inside. Pinch all sides shut to create a seal.

Here’s what it should look like:

4. Turn the bread over so that it is seam side down. Cover the loaf with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the other dough ball. Leave the loaves to rest on your well-floured cutting board for 30 minutes. After resting, take a sharp paring knife and make 3-4 shallow, diagonal slashes on the surface of the loaf.


5.  Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees.

hot and fresh out of the oven