Bakery French Bread

So the other day when I posted the Grilled Italian Chicken with Basil Butter, I mentioned making french bread. I still can't even believe I made this and how easy it was! And it is SO yummy and fresh from the bakery tasting, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. You know when you are at the grocery store and they bring out fresh baked french bread and it smells so heavenly? That is what your house will smell like while you are baking this. I got this recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up, and she says it's her very favorite recipe. I totally get why.

Bakery French Bread~ Recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up

Print Recipe

1/3 cup warm Water
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Shortening
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 C Boiling Water
1 C Cold Water
5 - 6 C Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour (I used bread flour)
1 egg

Stir yeast into 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl, set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, stir together the shortening, salt, and sugar with a fork until crumbly. Your dough hook won't work, just do it with the fork! Pour boiling water over shortening mixture, then pour cold water over the mixture. Add yeast and warm water to mixture and turn on your mixer! Add flour one cup at a time, til it is dough is pulling away from the sides of your mixing bowl. Mix for 8 minutes, Jamie says to mix it on high, but I just set it to "1", I was worried about making the dough too tough. Cover your dough and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. (If you are really pressed for time, you can skip this.)
Separate your dough into 3 portions and sit them on a 15 x 10 inch sheet cake pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let rest for 5 minutes, this will make your dough much easier to handle.

Heat your oven to 170.

Roll out each portion of dough, one at a time, into a rectangle touching the sides of the pan like this:
Then roll up from long end so each portion looks like this:
Then you will want to fold each end in so they overlap like this:

Then just flip over your little future french bread loaf like this:

Next you will want to score three slits in the top of each loaf like this:
I have a bread scorer but you can just use a sharp knife sprayed with cooking spray.
Next just beat your egg and brush it all over each uncooked loaf, even the sides.

Place your loaves in warm oven at 170 and let rise for 15 minutes. While loaves are still in your oven, turn it up to 400 degrees. Once oven reaches that temperature, bake them for 15 minutes until they are golden brown and crusty. Open oven door and turn pan around. Close oven and reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 10 minutes more.

This did not last long at our house! My family LOVED it and even though it seems like a lot of steps, it was really easy! I can't wait to make this again! You can too, you will love it :)