French Bread Recipe

French bread is a low-fat white flour bread and the most eaten food item in all of France. It does not have a long shelf life and is usually consumed the same day it is baked. This probably being the reason why people visit the local boulangerie (bakery) daily. Over time, French bread has undergone very little variation in its ingredients and method of preparation.

Following are a few mouth watering French bread recipes from the famous French cuisine:

Crusty French Bread

Ingredients

• All purpose flour, 3 cups
• Active dry yeast, ¼ oz
• Egg white, 1
• Cornmeal, 1 tsp
• Sugar, 2 tbsp
• salt, 1½ tsp
• Warm water, 1 cup
• Cold water, 1 tsp

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and gradually add 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and oil. Beat it well until blended and then stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour to form a stiff dough. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, and then grease it moderately on all sides. Cover and keep it in a warm place, allowing the dough to rise until doubled. Flatten the dough by punching it and leave it to rise again. Shape the dough into a long thin loaf with tapering ends. Sprinkle a greased sheet with some cornmeal and place the loaf-shaped dough on it. Cover and let it rise until doubled again. In a small bowl, beat one egg white with cold water and brush the dough all over. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart, across the top of the loaf. Bake at 375º until golden brown.

Easy Herb Parmesan French Bread

Ingredients

• All purpose flour, 4 cups
• Dry yeast, 1 package
• Warm water, 2 cups
• Granulated sugar, 2 tbsp
• salt, 1 tbsp
• Dried parsley, 2 tbsp
• Dried basil, 2 tbsp
• Crushed rosemary, 1 tbsp
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp
• Melted butter, 1 tsp

Mix flour, sugar, salt and all the herbs together in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, dissolve yeast in water and pour it over the dry ingredients mixture and mix well. Cover in a plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled. Uncover and punch down the dough. Grease the baking pan well and sprinkle with half of the fresh Parmesan cheese. Place the dough in the greased pan and cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise until doubled. Remove the cloth cover and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on the top. Bake in a 400º, pre-heated oven until done. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter, and serve hot.

French Onion Bread

Ingredients

• Sifted enriched flour, 6 cups
• Active dry yeast, 1 package
• Egg white, 1
• Warm water, ¼ cup
• Water, 2 cups
• Onion soup mix, 1 package
• Grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp
• Vegetable oil, 2 tbsp
• Granulated sugar, 2 tbsp
• Salt, 1 tsp
• Cornmeal, 1 tsp

Dissolve dry yeast with ¼ cup warm water. Combine onion soup mix with the 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 10 minutes. To the soup mix, add cheese, sugar, salt and vegetable oil and let the whole mix cool down. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and yeast, beat well. Add the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes, then knead it well. Brush it with oil all over and keep it covered in a warm place until doubled. Punch it down, divide into two equal portions and rest it again for 15 minutes more. Shape the dough into a long thin loaf, with tapering ends and slash diagonally. Sprinkle cornmeal on a greased baking sheet, cover and let it rise until doubled. Bake at 375º for 20 minutes and brush with a mixture of egg white and one tablespoon water. Bake again until golden brown.

Hot crusty home made French bread slathered with rich creamy butter would be the most irresistible food item on your dinning table. And whats more, it's so easy to bake!