No Fail French Bread
No Fail French Bread! 🥖
This recipe was requested by one of our followers ❤️
This is my go-to for potlucks, taking dinner to someone, a side for close to any dinner, you name it. EVERY time I get multiple compliments and people asking for the recipe. This French bread recipe is the best one out there. This is the softest bread and will melt in your mouth! Best part, it’s easy! Like the title says, it’s no fail.
We eat it plain, with butter, jam, honey, or olive oil and vinegar. We use it as bread for sandwiches, a side for soup, day old for French toast, the list goes on. It’s so versatile! The recipe makes three large loaves. We often eat one in a sitting, and then will freeze two of them for another day.
Give it a try and you’ll never ever ever go back to the store-bought stuff. I promise! And because we’re hear to make the world a better place, keep in mind that making food from scratch is a great way to minimize waste and avoid unnecessary preservatives or additives. Mother Earth and your body will thank you for keeping them clean!
NO FAIL FRENCH BREAD
Ingredients:
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive but canola or vegetable should work)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup warm water
6-7 cups flour
1 egg yolk (optional)
ice (optional)*
Directions:
Combine the hot water, salt, sugar, and oil in a bowl of a stand mixer.
In a small bowl add 1 T. yeast to ½ c. warm water. Let sit until foamy. Optional: sprinkle sugar, ~1 tsp. to the mixture to help activate the yeast.
Once the yeast is foamy, pour yeast into water mixture. Start adding flour 1 c. at a time (~6 c.) or until you can handle it without getting too sticky. Knead a couple of times.
Cover and let the dough rise until it doubles (½ hr. +). Divide dough in 3 equal pieces, and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Roll them into long rectangles. Roll up (“jelly roll” style) and tuck sides under both ends, seam side down. Cut 3 slits on top. Let rise at least 30 min. Add egg wash before baking for a nice golden look, if desired.
Bake at 350, 20-25 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before cutting. Dough can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen after 1st raise.
Notes: I’m not a food scientist, but I think the secret for getting the bread really soft, is to make sure the water is hot. I usually microwave it for two minutes. With that said, you do want to wait a little bit before adding the yeast to the mixture so you don’t kill it. I always start the yeast AFTER I’ve added the hot water to the sugar/oil/salt mixture.
*I like to throw ice at the bottom of the oven when I throw in the bread. It creates steam, giving the bread an extra nice texture.
If you want to up your game even more, I recommend getting a French bread pan. My sister-in-law introduced this pan to me a few years ago and let me just say it is life-changing!
ENJOY!
