French Bread Recipe Without Mixer Recipes

DIANE'S NO FAIL FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• **Please read recipe notes before beginning if you live in a humid environment!**
• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
• In a separate large bowl combine warm water*, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour. Stir well.
• Add the yeast mixture to the warm water-flour mixture. Mix together with large wooden spoon or paddle attachment.
• Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• After all of the flour is added and mixed in, let sit in bowl for 10 minutes.
• When the dough has risen, stir down with a large spoon. If making in a stand mixer, turn the machine on low for a few seconds until the dough is deflated, and push dough to bottom part of bowl with a spatula.
• Repeat 5 times, every ten minutes, for a total of 60 minutes of rising and then punching (or pushing) down.
• Divide the dough in half. Roll each half of dough in a 9x12 rectangle on a floured surface.
• Roll the dough up like a jelly roll (long way). Place the dough on a greased baking pan (jelly roll pan), with the seam side down. Both loaves will fit on one pan.
• Score the bread across the top 3 or 4 times, and brush with beaten egg (if using).
• Let rise for 20-30 minutes in warm place.
• Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes in lower half of oven, until golden brown. Or you may bake at 350-375 convection for 18-20 minutes until golden.

EASY FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large plastic mixing bowl combine warm water, yeast and sugar, allow to proof for 5-10 minutes or until yeast gets foamy and bubbly. If using instant yeast you don't need to wait for it to proof.
• Next, add the salt and olive oil. Mix together with a fork and then add 2½ cups of flour. Mix really well with a fork or whisk, until there are no lumps of flour.
• Add three more cups of flour and stir it in with the fork. It will get very thick. Once you've stirred it as much as you can with the fork, use your hand to begin kneading the bread. You may need to occasionally sprinkle the dough with a small amount of flour to keep your hand from sticking to the dough. Try not to exceed adding more than ½ cup total as you sprinkle when needed.
• Knead by hand for about 5-6 minutes or until dough has a nice springy and smooth consistency.
• Form the dough into a ball at the bottom of your bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
• At this point you can do one of two things. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes and knead it down and let it rise for 30 more minutes. Or, you can knead it down every 10-15 minutes for an hour. Both methods yield great results. It is also okay if you let it rise the whole hour before kneading down but the gluten will be broken down a little differently if you do it multiple times in the hour and the dough will have a less yeasty taste.
• Once you have reached an hour of total rise time you are ready to roll out the dough and form it into loaves.
• Divide the dough in half and roll one piece out into a 9x13 type shape. Follow the step by step pictures above to see how this is done. Once it is a 9x13 you roll it up and place it on a prepared baking sheet. (I use a silpat sprinkled with corn meal. You can use parchment paper or cooking spray as other options). There are also these cool French Bread Pans.
• Once the loaf is on the baking sheet take a sharp knife or a bread baker's lame and put slits on the top of the loaf. Repeat for second loaf.
• Cover the two loaves loosely with a hand towel or a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You don't want the plastic to stick to the bread as it rises. If it sticks you risk the loaf deflating when you peel off the plastic wrap. Once covered allow bread to rise for 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you want to do an egg wash you do that right before baking. To do the egg wash you whisk together an egg and 1 tbsp of water. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush it onto the risen loaf.
• Bake bread for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees.
• **To give a nice crust to the outside of the bread you can place a small pan of hot water in the bottom of your oven or a few ice cubes. I usually use ice cubes. It's a great trick for adding steam to the beginning of the baking process.

HOME-STYLE FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and mix for 2 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Add the salt and flour. With the mixer on low, mix until the dough starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and crawls up to dough hook.
• Grease a mixing bowl with the oil. Place the dough in the greased bowl and turn once. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place until the dough doubles in size about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and invert it onto a heavily floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Pat each portion into a large rectangle, about 3/4-inch thick. Roll up the dough, beginning with the short side and stopping after each full turn to press the edge of the roll firmly into the flat sheet of dough to seal. Press with your fingertips. Tuck and roll so that any seams disappear into the dough.
• Sprinkle a baking sheet evenly with 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal. Place the loaves on the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a cloth and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes, about 1-inch apart, on the top of each loaf. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash evenly over each loaf. Place a cup of hot water in an oven-proof container on the baking sheet with the loaves.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Slice to serve.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.