Amazing homemade french bread and garlic spread

January 24, 2022 Post a Comment

Almost five years ago I posted a homemade french bread recipe, and it's been i of the nigh popular posts on my weblog ever since. And then many people are excited about the fact that you can brand incredible french staff of life at home that tastes way better than the loaves you buy at the store. It's easy, it's cheap, and I always serve it with a garlic butter (boursin) spread that absolutely takes it over the summit.

I decided information technology was time to update that old mail with new photos, a new printable recipe card, and a new step-past-step video then even more of you can attempt your hand at making astonishing homemade french bread.

I beginning tried this bread when my friend Cathy delivered a hot loaf to me ane Christmas Eve. Seriously, she won the best neighbor gift award that year. Since then I've made these loaves a kajillion times, both to deliver and to go on. This recipe makes 2 large or iv medium loaves, and then I normally continue a few to consume and give a few abroad each fourth dimension I make them. I've even doubled the recipe to make 8 medium loaves at a time and so I tin evangelize to lots of neighbors at once!

Here's the video that walks you stride by step through how to make bootleg french bread:

Bread

2.5 cups Warm Water
1.five tablespoons Yeast
1.5 tablespoons Oil
1.5 tablespoons Saccharide
2 teaspoons Salt
6 cups Flour, plus upward to an improver 1/ii loving cup

Garlic Spread

8 oz Cream Cheese
1/ii cup Butter ane stick
one clove Garlic minced
1/two teaspoon Oregano
one/2 teaspoon Basil
1/8 teaspoon Dill, Marjoram, Thyme, and Pepper OR i/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

Breadstuff

Identify water, yeast, oil, carbohydrate, table salt and three cups of flour in the bowl of a stand up mixer.
Mix until flour is incorporated, and so add remaining three cups of flour gradually.
Knead about five minutes, adding another half cup of flour if needed, so plow out onto generously floured surface.
Let rising for i hour. During that hr, knead the dough 4 to five times every x minutes.
Class into iv loaves. Brush with beaten egg white.
Slash 3 diagonal lines into tops. Raise until double or thirty minutes.
Bake at 425 for ten minutes, then at 375 for 20 minutes.

Spread

Soften cream cheese and butter. Beat all ingredients until completely combined. Serve with staff of life.

And here are some photos/text instructions (all this is covered in the video above):

It tin can exist hard to know just how much flour to add together when yous're making staff of life. I use the scoop and level method to measure my flour, and vi cups is oft enough, but occasionally I need to add up to one/2 cup additional flour. Yous don't demand to dough to completely pull away from the sides/bottom of the mixing basin. This staff of life is incredibly tender, which means the dough is soft and a bit gluey. You'll see in the picture beneath that much of the dough is hanging onto my dough hook, just some is still stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl.

You want to allow it knead for at least five minutes, and so plough it out onto a well floured surface. It will look a niggling gnarly at get-go:

…simply one time you give it a quick coil in the flour you'll exist able to shape it into a dainty brawl.

Now comes the part that gives the crust a nice, characteristically french bread chewiness. Permit the dough rest for x minutes, then come back and knead it 2 or three times. Only punch information technology down and fold information technology over a few times, then gather information technology back into a brawl. Come back every 10 minutes for an hour (so if y'all pulled the dough out of your mixer at three:30, your last quick knead will be at 4:twenty and the dough will be set to shape at 4:30). It sounds like a lot of work, but if y'all're going to be home anyway it simply takes about 30 seconds to walk into the kitchen, knead 3 times, and walk back out. AND it'south not crucial that the kneading takes identify at verbal ten minute intervals, and it'south not crucial that you exercise it for exactly an hour. Just make sure you come back at to the lowest degree four times in the next hour to punch and fold information technology a few times.

When you've hitting an hour, carve up the dough into iv fifty-fifty pieces. Push each piece into a crude rectangle shape, then roll it upwards and pinch information technology then it stays together. Place it pinched side down on a greased or lined cookie canvas. Then beat one egg white with a dash of h2o and brush the egg mixture over the loaf (or just use your easily to spread it over the loaf like I do if yous don't accept a pastry brush). Get it all covered – anything not covered with the egg mixture will end upwardly stake and sickly looking. Then slash through each loaf three times.

You'll let information technology ascent for near half an hr, (preheat the oven during this rise), so bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the oven downwardly to 375 and bake for 20 more minutes. The picture above shows what the loaves look similar when shaped, then later on the 30 minute ascent, and so subsequently baking time.

Y'all'll want to allow it cool for near 10 minutes before slicing so you don't squish information technology. Then spread it with the herbed garlic butter and enjoy!

Hello there! I'yard a decorated mom of v who loves to brand things. Crafts, recipes, sewing, holiday projects: I've tried them all, and you can too! I love EASY projects anyone can make.