Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2009

Perfect. I added a pan of hot water to the oven in order to add humidity and give a crispier crust, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly with terrific results. This will be a staple recipe.

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NineDays

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2009

Excellent!! Better than store bought any day. I followed the recipe with the following exception....when you add your yeast to the warm water, add your sugar and nothing else til AFTER the yeast proofs. Don't add the salt til later...I usually add it in the flour, as it kills the yeast when added too soon. After about 10 minutes the yeast was ready so I added everything else then. Let it rise in the (cold) oven with only the light inside as the heat source. It will rise fine this way. Took 27 minutes to bake. This is a keeper! Thanks.

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1gdcowgrl

Home Town: Marlow, Oklahoma, USA

Living In: Comanche, Oklahoma, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 18, 2009

This bread was really easy to make. The crust was very good just right, nice and golden brown. Twenty five minutes on the cook time was perfect.

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marine mom

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

This is a great recipe! I think the denseness of the bread has alot to do with the humidity outside and the quality of the water used to bloom the yeast in. I'm in Memphis now but back in Louisiana the humidity there makes for some crusty and light french bread great for PoBoy sandwiches. This recpe went perfect with a bowl of french onion soup!!!

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JJChefMEM

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Living In: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2009

This is amazing! I did modify a bit. I disolved 1 tsp of sugar in the water then added the yeast. I didn't add anymore sugar. I used Olive Oil instead of veg oil and I used 2tsp salt. Instead of egg white, I brushed the top with melted butter & sprinkled it with salt. I put a baking dish of boiling water in the oven with the bread and baked it for 40 minutes. It was PERFECT.

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Mary

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Modesto, California, USA

Living In: Sacramento, California, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2009

Very basic, easy, and good french bread. the name seemed to be a misnomer to me. I didn't brush it with the egg yolk and water mixture, and the crust browned beautifully but it's very soft. I'd think that water in the oven would help it be crusty though. And no complaints here as the recipe was spot on for a standard french loaf. Thanks for the recipe!

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pomplemousse

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Pendleton, Oregon, USA

Living In: Dumfries, Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 2, 2009

Not sure what may have happened but my bread took over 24 hours to finally rise. Which is interesting considering it was over 100 degrees here. I eventually placed the dough outside to get it to rise. It was salty when I finally made the bread.

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Kmajors

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Fresno, California, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 22, 2009

This was very easy, and really resulted in a great bread. I made two baguettes and they came out beautifully. I will do this again.

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goodeatNZ

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Yuba City, California, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2009

Delicious! I only bake mine for about 17 mins becuase otherwise it would be WAY to crunchy. The first time I made it I wasn't sure of the consistancy but it turned out really well! It was delicious!!

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ChunkeeMunkee

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Columbus, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 3, 2009

I wasn't quite sure what consistency the dough needed to be before baking, and I think I should've kneaded it some more. I was hoping for a nice baguette-style loaf, but it spread out a little bit and didn't get the crunch I was looking for, even with the egg wash. Of course, that could be because I'm a novice at bread making. I also cut down on the sugar and used just 1 Tbs, but it was still a bit sweet.

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bakerina

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Marietta, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 31, 2009

This is great bread! I cut the sugar down to about 1 T. as I don't like overly sweet breads. And I disagree with the top reviewer about the great importance of exact flour measurement and kneading time. Years ago I was told that for all your basic bread recipes, you only need to keep adding flour and kneading until it's the right consistency - somewhat tacky and pliable but not sticking all over your hands. When it's gets to the right consistency, you're done with both the flour and the kneading. I read that review and chose to stick to my method and it still turned out perfectly. Just delicious! Don't stress yourself out over it! :)

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MrsJPS

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: May 23, 2009

I followed this recipe exactly, and while I think the bread turned out as intended, it wasn't quite what I expected. It was much more dense, moist, and sweet than I expected for French bread, and the crust was pretty soft. It did give me the confidence to try more breads, and I will try others to find a taste I like better. This is definitely not a bad recipe, just not the flavor and texture I had in mind.

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ApplePieSF

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Reviewed: May 5, 2009

This was amazing. Right before it was done baking I brushed with melted butter and italian seasoning. I had to take half of it to a neighbors house or I would have eaten it all myself. THANK YOU for giving me confidence in making bread.

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aliwoods

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Reviewed: May 2, 2009

the time listed was incorrect- it took over 3 hours to make not 45 minutes-recipe was very good, ice cubes were a good idea

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panda

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Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2009

First time making french bread and it came out great!!1 I use my kitchen aid to make and need dough 5 min. on med. speed turned out and finished shaping in a ball by hand. I also used olive oil instead veg oil.

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kathy

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Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2009

YUMMY! Followed the recipe exactly and after glazing with egg white I sprinkled a mixture of sea salt, garlic, basil and oregano. Excellent. Thanks for sharing.

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acooper415

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Reviewed: Mar. 23, 2009

Bravo!! I found this recipe very easy to follow. Although bread can seem to be an easy thing ingrediant wide, I have had some trouble in the past. I am determined to perfect it as I know it can't be as hard as I am making it. Living in higher altitude has made it a bit more difficult. However this recipe turned out fabulous!! I used two cups of breada flour and one cup of whole wheat flour. I also put a handful of ice cubes and a bit of water inside the oven just as I put the loaf it. The result was a large fluffy loaf with a crusty outside. Thank you for a great recipe and thanks to other reviewers for their great tips!

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BAJARS

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2009

great recipe and i did it in the bread machine...lite and fluffy and yummy...so...forsure i will make it again...but maybe shape and bake in the oven and see how it turns out...thanks for the recipe...

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smitty

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

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Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2009

Bread is definitely my weakness and this one did not disappoint. It was the perfect compliment for the "Russian Potato Mushroom Soup" I made from this site. Will probably make this bread with every soup I make.

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PamMar

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Pompano Beach, Florida, USA

Living In: Wellington, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2009

I am not much of a bread maker, but I got to say this was the best bread I have ever made. The only thing I did different was I used bread flour and I didn't use the egg wash,I brushed the bread with melted butter before I put it in the oven and 5 min. before it was done. YUM!

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