Description
This One Hour French Bread Recipe delivers a quick and easy way to make delicious, golden, and crusty French bread at home. Using simple pantry ingredients and minimal waiting time, this bread is perfect for sandwiches, dipping, or enjoying with butter fresh out of the oven.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 egg white (optional for brushing)
Dry Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it is hot and ready when your bread goes in.
- Combine Yeast Mixture: In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt. The water should be warm like bath water to activate the yeast.
- Check Yeast Activation: Place the bowl near the warm oven and wait a couple of minutes to see bubbles forming, indicating yeast is active. If no bubbles appear, start over with fresh yeast.
- Add Butter and Flour: Add the softened butter and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Incorporate Remaining Flour: Gradually stir in the remaining flour starting with 3 cups total (including the initial cup). Add the last 1 cup in 1/4 cup increments until the dough pulls away from bowl sides but remains sticky.
- Knead Dough: Knead the dough for 6-7 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic, ideal for good gluten development.
- Prepare Pan: Spray a baking sheet or baguette pan with nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Shape Loaves: Shape the dough into one large loaf about 12-14 inches or two smaller loaves to fit your pan.
- Score Loaves: Use a sharp serrated knife to make 3-4 half-inch slits across the tops of the loaves for expansion during baking.
- Let Dough Rise: Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow it to rise for 20 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
- Brush with Egg White: Whisk the egg white until frothy and use a pastry brush to coat the tops and sides of the dough for a shiny, golden crust.
- Bake Bread: Transfer the bread to the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and shiny, and the bottom is browned.
- Cool and Serve: Let the bread cool for a short while before slicing and serving. Enjoy warm with butter for best taste.
Notes
- If the yeast does not bubble after activation, it is likely dead and the batch should be restarted.
- You can adjust the amount of flour slightly depending on humidity and flour brand; dough should be sticky but manageable.
- Brushing with egg white is optional but recommended to achieve a beautiful shiny crust.
- To get a crispier crust, leave the bread in the oven a little longer while watching carefully to avoid burning.
- This recipe can be made with one large loaf or two smaller loaves depending on your baking pan size.
