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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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French Bread

[heart_this] · Feb 29, 2008 · 62 Comments

French Bread

It’s that time of month again; it’s Daring Bakers time. This months recipe is French Bread, Julia Child style. Making my own French bread has been on my todo list for a while and this was a great time to do it.
One of the reasons that I joined the Daring Bakers was to challenge myself. Many Daring Bakers recipes are challenging in that they include several different components. This recipe may look simple when looking at the ingredient list but the instructions make up for it. Making French bread takes a bit of effort and time. A lot of time in fact. It includes letting the dough rise three times and letting the bread cool each of which takes 2-3 hours for a total of 8-12 hours. This is definitely something that you want to do on the weekend.
Making the bread, although time consuming was not too difficult. When I read the instructions the first time I somehow missed the third rising. By the time I finished the bread it was pretty late at night. I decided to form my bread into the classic baguette shape. The only problem that I had with the recipe was the folding stage. I could not figure out what I was supposed to be doing. Some pictures would have been helpful. I did some folding and forming and it seemed to turn out ok so it was not a problem.
When I pulled the bread out of the oven something seemed wrong. The bread seemed to be rock hard. I thought that I might have done something wrong and that I might have just wasted an entire days worth of effort. Instead of waiting for the bread to cool for the recommended 2-3 hours I immediately cracked open a loaf. The inside was so light, fluffy and just perfect. It was almost cloud like. Now that I had cracked open a loaf and seen the inside there was no way that I could not try just a piece right away. I cut off a slice and spread on some butter which started melting into the still warm bread. Despite the fact that the crust seemed a bit hard to the touch, it seemed perfectly crusty to the mouth and teeth. The bread was so good! The just one slice quickly turned into just one loaf! I really, really enjoy freshly baked bread with melting butter.

French Bread
Overall the French bread was a lot of work and took a lot of time but it was worth it. It was some of the best bread that I have ever made or even had. I will be making this again but given that it takes a whole day I am not sure how often that will be.

French Bread

French Bread

Prep Time: 2 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes Servings: 15
ingredients
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 cups tepid water
directions
  1. Mix the yeast and warm water and let sit for a few minutes.
  2. Mix everything in the bowl to form a dough that should be soft and sticky.
  3. Place the dough onto the kneading surface and let sit for a few minutes.
  4. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes adding a bit of flour if it is too sticky. The dough should be elastic and retract into shape when you push it out. The dough should also be cleaning itself off the working surface but still be sticky to your hands.
  5. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
  6. Knead for a minute. The dough should look smooth, be less sticky and remain soft.
  7. Let the dough rise to triple its volume over the next 3-5 hours in a lightly greased covered bowl.
  8. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it with your lightly floured hands.
  9. Fold the dough in half and in half again and place it back in the bowl.
  10. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise to triple its volume, about 3 hours.
  11. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and and cut it into the shapes that you want. If you want one big round loaf leave it alone. If you want 3 baguette shaped loaves then cut it into three long pieces. Etc.
  12. Fold the dough in half, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
  13. Dust a tea towel with flour so that the formed dough can rise on it without sticking to it.
  14. Form the dough into an 8-10 inch oval on a lightly floured surface with your lightly floured hands.
  15. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and seal the fold.
  16. Roll the dough 1/4 turn so that the fold it on top.
  17. Flatten the dough into an oval again and press a trench along the fold with the side of your hand.
  18. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and seal the edges.
  19. Roll the dough 1/4 turn so that the seal is on the bottom.
  20. Roll the dough back and forth and stretch it to form a long cylinder.
  21. Place the formed dough on the floured tea towel and form the remaining two loaves.
  22. Cover the loaves and let rise until they have tripled in volume.
  23. Carefully lift the loaves off of the tea towel and place them on a baking sheet.
  24. Using a sharp knife slash the tops of the loaves 3 times.
  25. Bake in a preheated 450F/230C oven for 25 minute. The crust should be golden brown and crisp. It should sound hollow when knocked.
  26. Let the bread cool for 2-3 hours.
Similar Recipes:
Beer Bread
Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)

Take a look at the other Daring Bakers creations.

Bread, Food, French, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dhanggit says

    February 29, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    beautiful french bread kevin!! great job!!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    February 29, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    nice effort.

    Reply
  3. L Vanel says

    February 29, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    That is some beautiful looking bread, Kevin! I also found myself summarizing the recipe and will use my own notes the next time I do this bread. It looks delicious!

    Reply
  4. aforkfulofspaghetti says

    February 29, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Wow – they look tremendous. Great, even texture. Congratulations!

    Reply
  5. Greg says

    February 29, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    The nice thing about bread is that it is so forgiving. It doesn’t really matter if you don’t fold it perfectly. Nice job.

    Reply
  6. Nina's Kitchen (Nina Timm) says

    February 29, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    A good cuppa coffee and this bread for breakfast – it doesn’t get any better than this.

    Reply
  7. Elle says

    February 29, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    I can almost smell the bread baking. That looks mouth-wateringly good!

    Reply
  8. Gloria says

    February 29, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    Kevin your bread is really beauty.looks delicious, I admire you!!!Gloria

    Reply
  9. chriesi says

    February 29, 2008 at 4:31 pm

    Looks beautiful¨!

    Btw I tagged you by a meme, i hope you dun mind.
    http://almondcorner.blogspot.com/2008/02/tagged.html

    Reply
  10. Manggy says

    February 29, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Very professional, Kevin 🙂 Rub some garlic on mine, please 🙂

    Reply
  11. Pixie says

    February 29, 2008 at 4:42 pm

    Your bread looks great and thanks for the shortened version of the recipe!

    Reply
  12. Laura says

    February 29, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    Looks fantastic! I’m having major bread cravings now!

    Reply
  13. Beth G. says

    February 29, 2008 at 5:13 pm

    It looks awesome, and I found it was a pretty forgiving recipe too! You did a beautiful job!!

    Reply
  14. javagirlkt's cookin' says

    February 29, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    nice job! the bread and melted butter looks soooooo good right now.

    Reply
  15. marye says

    February 29, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    kevin- you did na awesome job..it is beautiful.

    Reply
  16. Mary says

    February 29, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    You crack me up about how 1 slice turned into a loaf! I don’t think I gave my husband more than a slice. Your bread looks delicious!

    Reply
  17. cakewardrobe says

    February 29, 2008 at 7:30 pm

    This looks lovely! I love when careful “mistakes” turn into something spectacular, and more than you expected! Unfortunately, that sort of luck doesn’t seem to be on my side 🙁

    Reply
  18. Helene says

    February 29, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    Beautiful! What a great creation. It looks like you put all of your love in that loaf.

    Reply
  19. Namratha says

    February 29, 2008 at 7:45 pm

    Wow, they look all nicely puffed up and yummy…mine didn’t puff up as much.

    Reply
  20. Jenny says

    February 29, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    Great looking French Bread Kevin! Nice and rustic. It is a long process.

    Reply
  21. Jen Yu says

    February 29, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    Kevin, love – you’re a machine. I don’t think a day goes by that you don’t post something delicious and amazing on your blog. You so rock.

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    February 29, 2008 at 8:59 pm

    Man, I wish I could have been at your house when this lovely loaf came out of the oven. I can just imagine the smell of your kitchen.

    Reply
  23. Deborah says

    February 29, 2008 at 9:40 pm

    Wonderful job! It does look perfect with the melting butter.

    Reply
  24. Jaime says

    February 29, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    your french bread turned out beautifully! great job!

    Reply
  25. Patsyk says

    February 29, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    That looks awesome! I am looking forward to my first baking challenge in March!

    Reply
  26. Vicarious Foodie says

    February 29, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    Oh my gosh I LOVE French bread! It is by far my favorite and I could eat a loaf myself, warm out of the oven with butter and a glass of wine. . . Mmmm!

    Reply
  27. Nora B. says

    February 29, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Hey Kevin,
    Your bread looks good! I love fresh warm bread with butter too. I’m glad that all theat effort was worth it.

    Reply
  28. Cynthia says

    March 1, 2008 at 1:50 am

    Kevin, I am fiercely proud of your achievement! Fantatic bread you made here.

    Reply
  29. Dani Spies says

    March 1, 2008 at 2:00 am

    You never fail to amaze me!

    Reply
  30. Anonymous says

    March 1, 2008 at 2:03 am

    Another challenge well done 🙂

    Reply
  31. Anonymous says

    March 1, 2008 at 2:50 am

    Your bread looks beautiful, Kevin! Great job!!

    Reply
  32. Brilynn says

    March 1, 2008 at 2:54 am

    Well done, your bread looks great!

    Reply
  33. Proud Italian Cook says

    March 1, 2008 at 3:51 am

    Kevin, You did another fantastic job! I’m so impressed!

    Reply
  34. Lis says

    March 1, 2008 at 3:56 am

    Kevin – as per usual you’ve done an amazing job with your challenge – your bread looks picture perfect! 🙂

    xoxo

    Reply
  35. Gigi says

    March 1, 2008 at 4:45 am

    Kevin, you’re cooking-baking machine! And you never fail at producing gorgeous results. Fabulous bread!

    Reply
  36. Dayna says

    March 1, 2008 at 5:36 am

    that’s some fantastic looking bread you have there. it was a great challenge. funny how 4 ingredients can fit so nicely on to 9 pages of instruction.

    Reply
  37. Emiline says

    March 1, 2008 at 10:21 am

    What a challenge! I admire you for this.
    I wish DB recipes were more of an everyday thing.

    Reply
  38. Cakespy says

    March 1, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    Great job! The bread with butter melting looks absolutely fantastic.

    Reply
  39. myriam says

    March 1, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    that bread looks perfect! good job!

    Reply
  40. Breadchick says

    March 1, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Your bread looks like a bakery’s creation.

    Thanks for baking with Sara and I

    Reply
  41. Tarah says

    March 1, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    Beautiful! Just beautiful! And I too almost missed that rest… But lucky I re-read the recipe.

    Which, I decided to summarize! The recipe at first look frightening and scary because how long it is; Plus, it has a lot of information. So, in the end, I summarized it for future reference.

    And again, you bread just look absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
  42. giz says

    March 1, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    Kudos Kevin – baking bread seems like a total adventure. I love the picture too – I visualized eyes and a mouth and it could be a sea serpent 🙂

    Reply
  43. noble pig says

    March 1, 2008 at 3:21 pm

    Oh Kevin. this looks wonderful. I’ve been wanting to French Bread for a long time. Thanks for the inspriation.

    Reply
  44. Bellini Valli says

    March 1, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    I couldn’t wait to have the bread either Kevin. That’s why I made baguettes…one for eating straight from the oven slathered in butter and the other to sit for the recommended amount of time 😀 We are the rebels of the baking world you and I 😀

    Reply
  45. cakebrain says

    March 1, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    hey,
    that bread looks so delicious with all that butter on it! making bread is such a time-consuming and noble thing…i admire you “daring bakers” for putting in the time to participate in these challenges!

    Reply
  46. StickyGooeyCreamyChewy says

    March 1, 2008 at 6:33 pm

    Beautiful bread, Kevin! You did a great job!

    Reply
  47. Anonymous says

    March 1, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    It looks great!
    Have you ever tried to make a no-knead bread recipe?
    It’s really good and really easy. I wrote a post about it a while back.

    Reply
  48. Hannah says

    March 2, 2008 at 12:36 am

    Nice job on the challenge, your bread looks great!

    Reply
  49. Big Boys Oven says

    March 2, 2008 at 4:33 am

    such a lovely loaaf of bread you had there! Amazing!

    Reply
  50. Chez Denise et Laudalino says

    March 2, 2008 at 4:51 am

    Something went wrong? These look great! Good jo!

    Reply
  51. Sara says

    March 2, 2008 at 7:37 am

    wow, that last picture……

    Reply
  52. Cooking and the City says

    March 2, 2008 at 8:26 am

    Kevin your bread looks delicious, I love the pic with the melting butter. great job 🙂

    Reply
  53. Peabody says

    March 2, 2008 at 10:58 am

    It was some really good bread, wasn’t it!
    Great job on your bread.

    Reply
  54. ostwestwind says

    March 2, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    Wee, that looks delicious! I have to admit that the taste of my breads could have been more flavourful.

    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

    Reply
  55. Jenny says

    March 2, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    Nothing better than hot french bread with melting butter. Nothing! Great job on this challenge!

    Reply
  56. Neen says

    March 3, 2008 at 12:05 am

    A suggestion: Try Richart Bertinet’s Cookbook “Dough.” He’s a French cook who lives in England and has a great way of teaching people relatively strait forward recipes for French Breads. After all, a real French bakery, unlike Julia Child, can’t take 9 hours to produce a few baguettes. Check him out — I’ve had great luck and managed to produce baguettes with 2 risings of an hour each — totally do-able without taking up your whole day!

    Reply
  57. sher says

    March 3, 2008 at 8:41 am

    Oh, that picture with the melted butter is killing me!! Marvelous looking bread!

    Reply
  58. Astra Libris says

    March 3, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Oooooh, your bread looks amazing! Your baguette shape looks absolutely perfect! Mmmmm, such a gorgeous row of slices with melted butter…

    Reply
  59. maybahay says

    March 3, 2008 at 9:12 pm

    beautiful. this looks like something out of an artisanal bakery.

    Reply
  60. Flanboyant Eats says

    March 6, 2008 at 4:57 am

    Beautiful! I love your recipe and the final look of it… It’s the closest thing to Cuban bread when I can’t find it. I just got my first Kitchen Aid mixer and I’m sooo excited and can’t wait to my make my own bread.

    Hope you’ll be using a pressure cooker! 🙂

    B-

    Reply
  61. Anonymous says

    January 3, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    Hi. I just looked at the French Bread. Oh my. I have been making it for almost 30 years. Although I do let it rise all day (just punching down once if I remember) I don't knead it at all! And it comes out crusty on the outside and soft (or sometimes chewy depending on season) inside. We spend our winters on a sailboat where I do not have an oven so I 'bake' it on the grill (with help from a little gizmo my hubby made). Again, it turns out great! Also, believe it or not the classic Fanny Farmer has a good recipe too. Try it!

    Reply
  62. donkey and the carrot says

    March 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm

    It looks amazing!!! I bet it is delicious! I will try it soon!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Take care, Foivi!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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