Homemade French Bread

Note: this is not Andrea's 20 minute braided bread. This recipe is the inspiration behind that recipe.

1 oz. Fresh Yeast or 2 pkgs. Active Dry Yeast

2 ¾ C. Warm Water

7 C. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

4 ¼ tsp. Salt

Proof the yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining warm water and mix well. Add the yeast mixture. Blend into dough.

Turn onto a floured board and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. If you have a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, this whole procedure will take only 4 to 5 minutes.

Put kneaded dough in a covered bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and let rise a second time until doubled. Punch down. Turn onto a floured board and shape as desired.

Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size. Long loaves must be slashed along the top with a sharp razor.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.

Bake for about 25 minutes, spraying the loaves with water 3 or 4 times during baking. Loaves are done when golden brown and crispy.

Variations: To make little rolls, after the second rising divide the dough into 36 equal pieces. Form into round rolls by pinching the dough, drawing up the loose perimeter, never touching the floured bottom of the piece. Place the rolls, pinched side down, on buttered baking sheets, leaving 3 inches between the rolls. Let rise and bake as for baguettes, slashing the tops before putting into the oven.

To make whole-wheat French bread, use 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour and 3 ½ cups whole-wheat flour.

One cup raisins and/or ¾ cup chopped walnuts can be added to the bread dough before the first rising. 

Stewart, Martha, Homemade French Bread, Stange Family Recipes, May 1998, p. B4.