Authentic French Bread Bread Machine Recipes

BREAD MACHINE FRENCH BREAD - EASY BAGUETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Unplug the bread machine & then remove bread pan.
• Place the water and then the rest of the ingredients into the bread pan. You can make a little indent on top of the flour in order to avoid the yeast falling into the water (until the machine starts). Do not combine the salt with the yeast (as the salt can kill the yeast). Place the yeast & salt in separate parts of the bread pan.
• Place the bread pan back into the bread machine & then plug in the bread machine.
• Put your machine on the "Dough" setting and press the start button. In our bread machine, the kneading & rising on the dough setting takes about 1:30 hours.
• When your bread machine has finished, unplug the machine & pour the dough onto a cutting board. Wear oven mitts (as the bread pan/bread machine may be hot). Sprinkle some flour on the cutting board (before you pour the dough) in order to avoid the dough sticking to the cutting board.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts if you want to make 4 skinny baguettes (roughly 12 inches long). Or divide the dough into 2 equal parts in order to make 2 thicker french bread "rolls".
• Roll the divided dough with your hands into your preferred shape (i.e. baguette or thicker bread roll). See our tips below on shaping the bread dough (especially about the making the dough roll about 1/2 the width of your desired end product... as the dough expands as the yeast rises).
• Place the shaped dough onto a nonstick baking sheet.
• Coat the dough with olive oil. Use a small pastry brush.
• Cover the dough & baking sheet with a light kitchen cloth or plastic wrap in order to protect from dust, etc.
• Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
• During this "rising" time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
• After the hour, remove the covering from the dough and "score" (slice) the top of each dough roll with a sharp knife. Make diagonal slices about 1/2 inch deep and about 3 inches apart. This will help prevent the bread from cracking during baking. See the tips below about how to score bread.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven. It should bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Wear oven mitts.
• At the 8-10 minute mark, turn the baking sheet around in order to ensure an even "browning" of the bread. Wear oven mitts.
• Remove the baking sheet when done and place the bread on a cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.

BREAD MACHINE CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Add the room temperature water, oil, dry milk, all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to the bread machine according to your manufacturer's preferred order.
• Use the French bread setting on your machine but remove the dough after the last kneading cycle before the baking cycle begins. Or use the dough cycle, punch down the dough to let air escape, let it rise again (45 minutes to 1 hour), knead lightly, and let it rise again (another 45 minutes to 1 hour) before forming into loaves.
• Spray or lightly oil a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with the cornmeal.
• To form the loaves, transfer the dough (it will be soft) to a lightly floured board. Sprinkle with a little all-purpose flour.
• Cut the dough into 2 portions and roll each portion into a rectangle about 12 to 15 inches wide (add more flour as needed).
• Starting at the long end, roll up the dough, pinching the seams well. Repeat with the next roll.
• Place the loaves on the prepared cookie sheet; cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise another hour.
• While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a pie plate on the lower rack of the oven and add about 1 inch of boiling water. Place the pan with the dough on the middle rack and bake the bread for 15 minutes.
• Lower the heat to 350 F and bake for another 25 minutes until golden brown.
• About 5 minutes before the loaves are done, mix the egg white with the cold water in a small bowl and brush the loaves with the egg wash .
• Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool.
• Serve and enjoy.

FRENCH BAGUETTES

Steps:

• Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start.
• When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

FAILPROOF FRENCH BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturers directions.
• Start machine on dough setting.
• When dough cycle is complete, remove dough with floured hands and cut in half on floured surface.
• Take each half of dough and roll to make a loaf about 12 inches long in the shape of French bread.
• Place on greased baking sheet and cover with a towel.
• Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning pan around once halfway during baking.
• Remove baked loaves to wire racks to cool.

BASIC MACHINE FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Add to the bread pan in the order yours needs.
• For mine it is water first.
• Then I add half the flour and the salt followed by the rest of the flour and the yeast on top.
• This will run well on the normal, rapid, and delay start cycles.

AUTHENTIC FRENCH BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Authentic French Bread When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly-oiled surface. (I use a nonstick cooking spray). Form dough into an oval, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly dust your work surface with all-purpose flour or bread flour. Place a small mound or a measuring cup of flour near the work surface as you will use this flour to sprinkle over the dough as you knead to prevent sticking. Also lightly dust your hands with flour to keep the dough from sticking to you. Gather the dough into a rough ball and place on your floured work surface. Fold the dough in half. Turn the dough about 45 degrees and knead with your hand heels again. Continue to knead, fold and turn the dough for the required length of time or to the consistency suggested. I usually knead the dough around 5 minutes. Well-kneaded dough should feel smooth and elastic. Press your fingertip into the dough; it should spring back. After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Fold dough into an envelope by folding the top 1/3 of the way to the bottom. Then fold the bottom a 1/3 of the way over the top. Then press dough with the palm of your hand to make an indentation down the center of the dough and fold the top completely to the bottom, sealing the seam with the palm of your hand. Place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal or covered with a silpad. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise, approximately 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes. Brush or spray the top of the bread with cold water and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned. (A good check is to use an instant digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.)