Armed with your wise advice on my French Bread Flop post, I set out again to attempt Homemade French Bread.
This time I used The Frugal Girl’s French Bread recipe.
I figured that if many, many of you recommended it, I should give that one a shot. It probably took me 15 minutes tops to mix, knead, and shape the dough.
Most of the time this recipe requires is just waiting for it to rise.
I actually did an egg wash this time… aren’t you all so proud of me?! 😉
I was a wee bit excited with how it turned out. It was so good!
It’s amazing what happens when you find a good recipe and actually follow it. Ahem.
Find the recipe I used here: The Frugal Girl’s Homemade French Bread.
Thank u for sharing. Nothing like homemade warm fresh bread!! Can anyone suggest me their best way to shape the french bread… i have seen too many different ways on the web but i always prefer to ask to a mom that has already tried. Thanks!
Looks awesome! Really, can you have soup without crusty french bread to dip into it? I think not. Can’t wait to give this a try! Thanks Crystal!
You’re so cute Crystal.. haha.. Yeah, baking pretty muchly requires following directions… Its the ONLY time I follow directions 100%.. Cant wait to try that recipe.. Thanks & Blessings!
i made this same recipe on Sunday as part of my “new recipe each week” resolution… and my kids LOVED it!!!! My youngest made me save her 2 small slices so we could use them as the bread in her lunch on Monday. And the best part was that it was super easy!!
Nice! I like to wrap in saran and aluminum and freeze. Then, when I have company over, it is an easy thing to pull out of the freezer, add a fun topping to, and people love it as an appetizer. Sometimes I pre cut it before I freeze.
baking bread=chemistry. chemistry=following a recipe. don’t mess with the recipe and it should work as wel as the receipe.
But I like conducting chemistry experiments in my kitchen! 😉
I stick to experimenting with add ins like garlic or onion powder, herbs, or spices with bread. Have you read the book “what Einstein told his cook”? It’s fun and enlightening.
Place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of your oven when you bake the bread. The steam will give you an awesome crust!
Squeal! I’m so delighted that it worked for you. I thought about you several times this week and wondered how your French bread baking turned out.
You could definitely bake it a little longer than that next time. I used to take mine out when it was a bit blonde, but I’ve discovered the the high oven temperature and sufficient baking time produces a really lovely brown crust that has just so much flavor and texture.
This looks so good, but I do not have a standing mixer. Would it work mixing by hand, or could I use a regular mixer?
Joyce
Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe and the tips!
http://www.cozyseasidehomestead.blogspot.com/2012/04/make-your-own-artisan-bread.html. try this recipe of mine. Easy and yummy
Hi crystal try this recipe of mine http://www.cozyseasidehomestead.blogspot.com/2012/04/make-your-own-artisan-bread.html. its easy and your kids can help! Katie
Thanks so much for sharing!
It looks yummy! Way to go!
I saw this recipe on your post last week and tried it. I hadn’t ever experimented with making it. I used some whole wheat flour too–so it looked a little darker. It was good. I put some garlic on top of the egg wash, and it was really good. I toasted the leftovers the next day. It was almost even better the second day!
Your bread looks amazing – nice job! I’m going to have to give this a try. I have an Apple Brie Crostini recipe that the kids love, this bread looks much better than what I buy at the store. Here’s the recipe of you’re wondering what to do with some bread that’s reaching the end of it’s shelf life 🙂
http://www.chickchatthisandthat.com/2013/03/07/apple-brie-crostini/
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Yes glad you tried it and liked it Crystal! This is my go-to French bread recipe too and every time I make it I always double the recipe because it freezes well and pull it out later. Great to have for easy French bread pizza or grilled sandwiches for lunches or dinners.
I saw this recipe in the comments of your post last week. I made it last Friday, to go along with my grandmother’s home made lasagna recipe. The family and friends loved it! My kids are still asking for more, almost a week later.
Oh yay! I’m so glad you all liked it, too!
Great job! I know it feels when something goes so right! You just want to shout it from the rooftop!
Yay! I made wonderful Italian bread for our daughter’s birthday dinner this week and is was fabulous. I am never buying it again because it was so easy.
So happy you finally had a french bread success! I’m going to give that recipe a try next time so I can see if I like it any better than the last one I made…the one where I busted my knuckles punching it down. LOL. This one seems much less time consuming, so that may make it a win in and of itself.
Tonight I made the crusty french baguettes recipe that you posted earlier this week. They came out pretty good. I personally think the dough could have used a bit more salt, but my husband and son thought it was great the way it was. The outside didn’t really turn out as crusty as I expected, but I think it was because of how I did the ice in the oven part. I’ll be attempting to perfect that one, as I love a nice crispy, crunchy crust.
The Frugal girl has many great recipes on her blog too. I get a good bit of my new recipes from MSM and TFG. I don’t have a bunch of time to try recipes, so I love the ones recommended by Crystal and Kristen.
Mel’s kitchen cafe is awesome too. I haven’t met a recipe there I didn’t like yet. Try the spaghetti pie.
Very proud. We adore you.
Crystal, I love success stories! I made the oat-wheat pull apart rolls today, they are delicious. I decided to whip up some honey butter to put on them. nom nom
Thanks!!!
Oh yum!
I’m glad you found a recipe that works for you! It looks a little under-done to me. I’m going to try it here, but we are high altitude and that makes baking, well…interesting. 🙂
I went ahead and pulled it out when it was lightly browned… lest I burn it or something! I’m going to work on perfecting it more so that eventually I can feel like a French Bread Pro — hopefully! 🙂
Yes, looks like you could bake it longer. But glad it was good! We just had some for dinner with our soup. The second loaf will be French toast in the morning.