Fresh, warm French bread in just one hour? Four ingredients and two loaves? Yes please!
We are bread people. Sure I’ve read the strongly-worded articles about how bread is slowly killing people, but until I have a very compelling reason to stop baking bread, we are going to keep our homemade sandwich bread, fresh pasta, muffins, and the occasional French bread with ourmeals. Thankyouverymuch.
I know there are people who genuinely can’t eat gluten. And I am so sorry. Though they put a good face on it, they get my compassion nonetheless.
For the rest of us, the bread-eaters, fresh bread at home is a healthy, frugal, and TASTY way to go.
Baking bread at home is one of those “it gets easier the more you do it” tasks. At first, the idea of working with yeast and KNEADING can be off-putting. But it truly can also be relaxing to slow down forthirty minutes to mix up some dough. And mixing, stirring, and kneading is a great time to invite kids into the kitchen.
One hour French bread and Instant Pot honey carrot soup.
Once you get started, it will become easy to start a couple loaves of sandwich bread for the week at breakfastthat willbe ready to eat by lunchtime. And winter soups, pastas, and more can be made heartier, more filling and kid-friendly meals with the addition of a quick French bread.
I have worked on this recipe for years to get it consistent and to shorten the time as much as possible. Because nap time is sacred to me, and dinner loaves that require hours of rise time (thus requiring me to not sit down and do nothing for nap time) just do not happen here.
But I can get this French bread started when I first enter the kitchen for dinner prep. Then do the dishes, cook, clean the table, or whatever during the hour that they need.
Still daunted by the learning curve of making your own breads? Check out these baking tricks and tips, and give it a try! The benefits are so worth the effort!
One-Hour French Bread
★★★★★4.5 from 27 reviews
- Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
Ingredients
Scale
- 4– 4 1/2 C bread flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
- 2 C warm water (should feel warm to the touch without scalding)
Instructions
1.Turn the oven on to warm up and set a timer for three minutes. Turn the oven off when the timer goes off. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Measure the yeast out into the bottom of a liquid measuring cup, pour the warm water in on yeast. Combine 3 cups of theflour and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir to mix.
3. Pour the yeast water into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. The dough should look shaggy at this point. Add another cup of flour and stir/mix until the dough begins to be less sticky and more smooth. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead (push and fold the dough) until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your fingers when pressed. Add additional flour as needed.
3. Divide the dough in half. Roll one half into a rectangle, about 8″ x 10″. Tightly roll up the rectangle into a long log. Pinch the seam closed, place the log on the prepared baking sheet seam-side down. Repeat for second half of dough.
4. Cover the loaves loosely with a tea towel and place the baking sheet in the warm oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, remove the loaves from the oven, being careful not to shake them or set the pan down too hard (and make the dough fall). Place the loaves on top of the oven to continue rising while you heat the oven to 425°.
5. Remove the tea towel and gently place the loaves in the oven as soon as the oven is preheated**. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes, until the loaves are browned and crusty and a thermometer inserted in the bread reads 180°.
6. The bread will slice best if allowed to cool for 10-15 minutes. But I understand if you can’t wait that long.
Notes
**Not letting these loaves rise too long is important. If they are left to rise too long, they will fall during the baking time.
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