Reviewed: Aug. 2, 2009

Mine turned out very dense. Once cooled, it became crumbly. The taste is okay, not crispy. Instead of spraying water on oven wall, I put boiling water in a jelly roll pan under the bread when it was baking. I was hoping it would add some moist. I probably did but did not work perfectly well. Will try again since it's a really easy way to make French bread. I will try reduce the amount of flour used and spread water on oven wall next time.

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windband

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Washington, D.C., USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 27, 2009

Was too dense and too salty. I ended up using 5 1/4c flour. Did not change the other ingredients. However, the bread just had a salty taste. The crust was crunchy though. Have to give credit for that.

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Goodeats

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jul. 21, 2009

Everything about this recipe is a winner! I made this for a potluck alongside bruschetta, and everyone was raving about it. When I first got there, someone even commented that it looked like it was a fresh bakery baguette. I made the dough in the bread machine, but otherwise followed the instructions to a T. I love that this recipe has the directions on how to shape the loaf; I have never been able to figure that out on my own. This recipe was so straight-forward, easy, pretty, and delicious!!! Definitely a winner!!

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almondjoy2807

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seaside, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 21, 2009

The bread came out so good! My family ate it up quick.

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Eliza

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Reviewed: Jul. 13, 2009

Delicious. I did add a bit more yeast and some dried parsley. Will definately make again.

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MANDY19J

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Sidney, Ohio, USA

Living In: De Graff, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 1, 2009

Awesome Recipe!!!! Perfect blend of crusty outside and chewy inside. The only change I made was to add 1 tbsp of sugar to the water and yeast to proof first, and I added 1 tbsp of butter into the flour and crumbled it first...then added wet to dry. My family loves when I make bread and usually the first loaf is gone as soon as if comes out of the oven....this one was no exception! Thank you!

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kwill

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jun. 19, 2009

this was the best bread i have ever made i did do something a little diffrent, when i was done rolling out the dough into rectangles i roasted some garlic in olive oil and kosher salt and mashed it into some melted butter and then i brushed it over the whole rectangle then rolled it and followed the rest of the instuctions and it turned out delicious!!

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sagebeeson

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Reviewed: Jun. 12, 2009

This was my very first time making bread, and it came out great! Even looked pretty. Will definitely be making this again. Just wondering, in case anyone feels like responding -- how come one of my loaves rose more than the other, when I did the exact same thing to both?

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Julia

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Reviewed: Jun. 9, 2009

awsome bread. followed recipe exactly will make again and again

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Maggie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Pismo Beach, California, USA

Living In: Patuxent River, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 8, 2009

As listed, this is basically a double recipe so you can simply cut it in half and use 1 pk yeast. What would you do with a partial package of yeast that is leftover, probably just throw it out? 1C water/1pk yeast/~3C flour + other items will work just fine. Bread making is more art than science. If using your stand mixer, proof yeast/water & 1/2C flour, then reserve 1C of flour and add the rest. Continue adding flour until mixture is no longer sticky. I find that letting rise 'until doubled in size' is the way to make bread, since dough will rise faster in a warmer summertime enviroment than the middle of winter. How many loaves you get will depend on how much the dough rises and how large you make each one.

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lk2cook

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Reviewed: Jun. 3, 2009

Made this last night for dinner. So very good and easy I may not ever buy French Bread again! Followed the recipe exactly, 'cept didn't add water to the egg white and only applied it once. Makes 2 huge loaves!

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DEBI EMILEE

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Salem, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 1, 2009

I also use water instead of egg wash. Perfect! Thanks

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racedavies

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Spokane, Washington, USA

Living In: Round Rock, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: May 21, 2009

I needed French bread for my Bruchetta, but I had no money to buy it. This recipe made my Bruchetta an appetizer to remember (though of course it's so good you could eat it plain). I didn't have packaged yeast, so I used the kind you have to activate in a cup of warm water. I may need to use more next time though, since the middle was a little doughy. I also used 2 cups of whole wheat flour because we ran out of AP flour. This was good because although I didn't feel like I was eating real French bread, it felt healthy, and that's a plus. Also, since I only have one baking sheet, the bread was really fat, which is not French bread, so next time I will halve the recipe or borrow another baking sheet from a friend. Then I can roll it thinner.

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sugarcookie

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Reviewed: May 21, 2009

Wow. This bread is amazing! I was looking for a use for some leftover garlic butter and had some yeast on hand. I halved the recipe (only had one packet) and I wish I had had enough for the full! It needed a little flavor on its own (didn't add the extra salt) so the garlic butter was perfect on it. Am making it again tonight with the extra salt! Didn't add all of the flour either time--dough was beautiful and elastic after just over 5 cups (or just under 3 for the half recipe). This was the second time I've ever made bread and I look forward to many more! Thanks for the great recipe! Edited: Didn't need to cook the full time--when I went to do the second brush-on, the bread already sounded hollow and so I only baked it 5-7 min more. Still delicious!

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Lilka

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: May 20, 2009

Perfect! I've tried a lot of french bread recipes. I've had ones with soft crusts, dense middles, greasy loaves, and even an unfortunate 'soda cracker' bread. This is -finally- what I've been searching for. The crust is thick, the center is chewy but soft and has intermittent pockets, and it tastes great. I only had to use 4 ½ cups of flour, the first rise was only 15 minutes, the second rise was around 20 minutes - but these are factors related to the humidity and temperature. 2 ½ packs of yeast is equal to 6 ¼ tsp, if anyone else uses jarred yeast. I opted out of using an egg wash, and put ice cubes on a pan on the bottom rack to create steam and develop the crust. Do follow the steps to roll up, as it makes a pretty loaf and creates holes. Good luck, everyone! This one is awesome!

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Nobody'sGirl

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: May 10, 2009

I'm not very good at making bread. My loaves did not turn out very pretty but they tasted excellent! I'll just have to keep practicing.

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KAREN DOWNES

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Buffalo, New York, USA

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Reviewed: May 10, 2009

This was my very first attempt at making French Bread. The bread is tasty and looks great! My husband thought it was a little dense, but he still scarfed up an entire loaf! I will admit, when I first took the dough out of the mixer and started kneading I thought I did something wrong! It was rough and hard to work with. I kneaded for about 10 minutes though and it came together perfectly. I also put a few ice cubes in the oven to create some steam and I think that really helped create a nice crust.

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Retrochick81

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Buffalo, New York, USA

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Reviewed: May 8, 2009

I used only half the recipe and made French Bread Pizzas. The bread/pizza crust was very good. Hard outside and chewy inside.

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JOSEPHINE aka SPITFIRE FOODIE

Living In: Kingwood, West Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: May 4, 2009

I absolutely love this recipe! It's very simple and easy! I usually halve the recipe and use about 2 1/2 cups of flour. Everything else I leave the same. I've made it with egg wash with no water. This gives a really nice crispy crust. I've also made it with an egg yolk and milk, another reviewer's suggestion. It's a softer crust but still very good. My boyfriend likes the crispy crust better, so that's the one I'll stick with. I'm never buying French bread again! Thanks!

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cruisergirl21

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: May 4, 2009

Per other reviewers suggestions, we added extra salt and 5 cups of flour provided us with beautiful dough. We also added 1 tps of sugar. One loaf we baked with egg white spread over it. With the other loaf, we made a garlic butter/basil spread and put it in the loaf before we rolled it up. Then after letting it rise, instead of putting egg white on top, we spread more of our garlic butter/basil mixture. Delish! The inside of our bread is more dense than traditional french bread. How do we combat this? We are rookie breadmakers, so we're sure this is something that can be improved upon. Thanks!

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MisDif858608

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