I love to have fresh bread with an Italian dinner. But going to the store just for a nice loaf of bread is not something I want to do. So I have been playing around with some French Bread recipes. This was the perfect combination. It was crunchy and soft and had a great flavor.
I only use my bread machine for the dough cycle. Then I roll it out and let it rise again so I can bake it in the oven. My family can’t wait for me to make this again.
Bread Machine French Bread Recipe
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon yeast
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add the water, flours, sugar, salt, and yeast to your bread machine. Add them according to the manufacture’s instructions. I always add the liquid first and the yeast last.
- When the dough cycle finishes (mine is about 90 minutes) roll it out on a floured surface. You can make it about 15in x10in. I just roll it to a big rectangle. Then start to roll it up by the length side. You want to have a long, skinny roll of dough. You can cut it in half for 2 loaves or just have 1 long loaf. Cut some slits in the top to get the indents in the bread. Do this before it rises. Place it on a greased cookie sheet and cover. Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to to 375*. Mix together the egg yolk and the water. Brush it all over the bread (sides and top). This will make sure it nice and brown and crunchy when it is cooked. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
I had never mixed the egg yolk with water – it really does make the outside a nice brown color. I will be doing this from now on when I bake bread!
My family loved this bread. You can make it will just all purpose flour, but I like the taste that the whole wheat flour has in the bread. You can also use it to make sandwiches.