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French Bread

Classic French bread, perfect for dipping in olive oil or serving with an entree.

French Bread

Print Recipe

Yield

2 loaves 2 loaves

Difficulty

Intermediate Intermediate

Prep Time

20 minutes 20 minutes

Bake Time

25 minutes 25 minutes

Rise Time

1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes

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Select Your Yeast

Active Dry Yeast
RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast
Active Dry Yeast
RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast

Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups warm water (100° to 110°F)
  • 2 (4½ tsp.) envelopes Fleischmann's® Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon corn oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5–5½ cups all-purpose flour
  • Cornmeal
  • 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 1¾ cups warm water (100° to 110°F)
  • 2 (4½ tsp.) envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon corn oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5–5½ cups all-purpose flour
  • Cornmeal
  • 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions

  1. Place water in large, warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in oil, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about six to eight minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  2. Punch dough down. On floured surface, divide dough in half; roll to 15x10-inch ovals. Roll up from long ends to make loaves. Pinch seams and ends to seal; taper ends.
  3. Place, seam sides down, on large greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  4. Brush with egg white mixture. With a sharp knife, make four or five diagonal cuts (¼-inch deep), on top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 25 minutes, or until done. For crispier crusts, brush two more times with egg white mixture, after 15 and 20 minutes of baking time.
  5. Remove from sheet and cool on wire rack.

Tips

When using Fleischmann's® RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast, bread flour may be substituted for the all-purpose flour to yield a softer, more tender loaf depending on your preference.

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