Making French Bread


Home > French Foods > Readers' Questions Making French Bread by Alice Making French Bread Wondering about making French bread at home? It can be done. Here are some tips to help you get started in what is really an art. And consider your self lucky if you live down the street from the boulangerie! So...can I make French bread at home? Hi Alice, Yes you can make French bread at home. After all, all you need is flour, water, salt, yeast, an oven and some patience. I doubt very much that many French people make their own baguettes. Although bread machines are definitely popular here, for your everyday loaf, most people will just go to the boulangerie . Which is my convenient excuse for why I've never made French bread. It turns out that making French bread is rather much of an art. In the book, My Life in France , Julia Child talks about her attempts at learning this art. It took her many, many weeks and she made countless loaves before she felt she had come up with a method worthy of sharing with others. So I think the best approach to making your own French bread is to consider it as a long term project, maybe even a sort of weekly meditation. You will find plenty of recipes and techniques on the internet and people can be quite passionate about bread making. The Fresh Loaf is one site I found to be particularly thorough and probably a good place for you to start. Meanwhile, here are three tips I see repeatedly mentioned for successful French bread making: Use only the very best ingredients. That means carefully consider your flour (many recipes call for a higher protein flour), water (perhaps your tap water is not the best to use), salt (kosher or other special salts may be better) and of course yeast, which can vary considerably in quality and type. Proof your yeast. Even if it is not past the expiration date, yeast can just up and die. If you're going to go to the bother of making bread, make sure your yeast is good. Allow plenty of time. The actual time you have to be in contact with the bread is short, but you must allow plenty of time for rising and baking correctly. If you've had some experience with making French bread, please feel free to comment on this page and share your experience. We'd love to hear from you. Comments for Making French Bread Average Rating Click here to add your own comments Jan 15, 2011 Rating french bread by: chefmarie I have recently discovered an amazing recipe for bread bread! It can be found on youtube. Search under "EASY Crusty Bread Making". I have made it many, many times and it is delicious and crusty. It is super easy as well. Love it. I will never buy bread again. My husband is French (came to US when he was 21) and he also loves this bread. Thanks for your website. I love French everything! Click here to add your own comments Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to French Food Questions French Food French Cheese French Desserts French Wine Champagne French Drinks Regional Specialities Famous French Food French Cooking Help Cooking Tools French Cooking Schools French Cookware Gourmet Cooking Supplies French Ingredients French Cooking Terms Basic Cooking Tips French Cooking Articles Your French Food Questions Noshes and Starters Easy Appetizer Recipes French Entrées (Starters) Easy Salad Recipes Easy Soup Recipes Quiche Recipes Main Courses Easy Beef Recipes French Chicken Recipes Easy Pork Recipes Fish and Seafood Stew Recipes Les Desserts French Cake Recipes French Cookie Recipes French Dessert Recipes Fruit Dessert Recipes French Pastry Recipes Other Recipes Crepe Recipes Potato Recipes Easy Recipes For Kids Sauce Recipes Easy Vegetable Recipes Index By Ingredient French Recipe Index Copyright©2008-2012 Easy French Food - About - Contact - Disclaimer - Recommended Links - Privacy Policy - Site Map Share this page: Tweet More To Explore	Contact & About Privacy Policy