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Baked French Bread Recipe Easy Homemade Perfect Crust Tutorial

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This baked French bread recipe yields a loaf with a perfectly crisp crust and a soft, airy crumb. It’s simple, approachable, and uses basic pantry ingredients to create bakery-quality bread at home.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ cups (300ml) warm water (around 110°F / 43°C)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Activate the yeast: In a large bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the top and stir gently. Let sit 5-10 minutes until frothy.
  2. Mix the dough: Add flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Pour in olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. Knead the dough: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  4. First rise: Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1½ hours until doubled in size.
  5. Shape the loaf: Punch down dough, shape into a 14-inch long oval or baguette shape, tucking edges underneath.
  6. Second rise: Place shaped loaf on parchment-lined baking sheet or preheated pizza stone. Cover loosely and let rise 30-45 minutes until puffy.
  7. Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Place a shallow pan in the oven bottom to heat for steam.
  8. Score the bread: Make 3-4 diagonal slashes on top of the loaf with a sharp knife or lame.
  9. Bake with steam: Place bread in oven, quickly pour ½ cup (120ml) hot water into the pan to create steam, close door fast. Bake 20-25 minutes until deep golden and hollow sounding when tapped.
  10. Cool completely: Transfer bread to wire rack and cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Use water at about 110°F to activate yeast properly. Knead dough until smooth and elastic but avoid adding too much flour. Steam in the oven is essential for a glossy, crackly crust. Cool bread completely before slicing to avoid gummy crumb. Tent with foil if crust browns too fast. A Dutch oven can be used as an alternative baking method to trap steam naturally.

Nutrition

Keywords: French bread, homemade bread, baked bread, crusty bread, easy bread recipe, bakery style bread, French baguette

Find it online: https://cooltastes.com/baked-french-bread-recipe-easy-homemade-perfect-crust-tutorial/