11/19/2009

No-Fail Quick French Bread

A fabulous French Bread that takes just over an hour from start to finish?!
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!... I am not the best at making homemade breads. I've tried zillions of recipes, some turn out part of the time, some are bad from the start.
I FINALLY found a quick and easy recipe for french bread, I've made this multiple times in the last month and it's come out great every time. I even tried it at 9,000 feet in Colorado and it worked, there, too! Hallelujah! All you need is a mixer with a dough hook (I used my KitchenAid).I was sent this recipe (the pictures are my own) and I think it's from a blog, the writing is very "blog-ish"...I've tried googling it and searching for it, so if it's from you, please let me know! I want to give you a huge hug. Or, at least a link to your blog.:)
No Fail Quick French Bread
Ingredients:
1 T shortening
1 T salt
2 T sugar
1 C boiling water
1 C cold water
1/3 C lukewarm water
1 T yeast (cut your yeast in half if you are at a high altitude)
4 1/2 C - 6 C flour
1 egg

Directions:
1. Place the 1 C hot water in the microwave for 3 minutes to get it boiling.
2. Dissolve the yeast into the warm water. Stir it around until it is all mixed.
3. Combine the salt, shortening, and sugar in the bottom of your mixer with a fork. The dough hook doesn't work very well.
4. Pour the boiling water over the shortening mixture.
5. Pour the cold water over the mixture.
6. Pour the warm water and yeast into the mixer.
7. Begin to add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of your mixer...see the picture below.
8. Let the dough mix on high for 8 minutes.
9. Let the dough rise in the mixer for about 20 minutes. (This step can actually be skipped if you are in a hurry!)
10. Separate the dough into three parts and place on a large jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes. Letting it sit will make it MUCH easier to shape.
11. Spread the dough out as pictured below.
12. Then roll the dough up like this.
13. Then bring the ends over and layer them on top of each other.
14. Turn the loaf so the seam side is down. Repeat these steps with the other 2 parts of dough.
15. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray.
16. Make your egg wash by whisking the egg until frothy.
17. Cut three diagonal slits in the top of each loaf. Cover with the egg wash being sure to get it into all of the slits. 18. Place the loaves in a warm 170 degree oven and let rise for about 15 minutes.
19. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees for a convection oven, and 400 degrees for a regular oven. Leave the loaves in while the oven increases in temperature.
20. Bake for 10 minutes convection or 15 regular oven, or until the loaves are golden brown and crusty.
21. Turn the oven down to 325 for convection, 350 for regular and turn the pan around in the oven. Bake for another 7 minutes convection or 10 minutes for regular.

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10 comments:

Amanda said...

Looks fabulous! I'll have to try this ;)

Sarah said...

I made these for dinner tonight and LOVED them! One flopped over and looked like a T-Rex after baking but all in all this is a great recipe! Quick and easy. Thanks for sharing!

oceanfairy79 said...

This couldn't have come on a better day. I've NEVER baked homemade bread and I really want to try it. I'm around 7000ft in Colorado so I'm very eager to try this out now!! I've been searching all day for bread tips! Thanks

Mandy said...

If you are at high altitude, cut your yeast in half (1/2 Tablespoon), it should work great.

Candy Girl said...

Looks great! I too struggle with homemade bread, or anything with yeast. The results are always edible but not great. Thanks for sharing!

Mindy said...

I am so glad you came by my blog - I love trying out new recipes and your blog looks like a goldmine! My family loves homemade bread and I am so thrilled when I find a "no fail" one. This is going on the menu at our house this week. :0)

Brandy said...

I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! Two of the loaves started to roll over during baking so next time I will make sure the bottom is a bit flatter, but it didn't affect the taste at all.

Thanks!

Mel said...

I made this recipe tonight. I've always had a little difficulty making bread, too. This recipe was so easy and this dough was simple to work with. Thank you so much. I froze two of the loaves for down the road!

[AnnieR] said...

I made these for a couple of people for Christmas treats along with some whipped cinnamon honey butter and it turned out fantastic. GREAT RECIPE, MANDY!

Heidi said...

I just made this with whole wheat flour(trying to cut out white flour from my diet). It was GREAT!!! I'm not sure exactly how much wheat flour it took cause I just mixed until it was the right consistency. I was so yummy and EASY!!! Thanks for the recipe, it's a keeper!!!