French Bread

So, my husband had been telling me how much he loves good bread and olive oil and how its hard to find a place that sells the good stuff anymore. Its usually soft instead of crisp on top and by the time you buy it, its no longer warm anyway. I decided I would try my hand at making some delicious french bread. I tried a couple different recipes and finally came up with my own perfect measurements for ingredients that made it just how I like it. It is super crunchy and flavorful on top, and soft and delicious in the middle.

This was literally all that was left of the loaf only an hour or so after it came out of the oven... DELICIOUS!  So.... here is how you make this little beauty. ☺

This makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 package yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water

Instructions:

1. Take 1 cup of your flour, yeast, and salt and mix together with your warm water in a stand up mixer with the paddle attachment (I use a whisk to initially incorporate these first few ingredients, then the paddle attachment later for the rest of the stuff). Wait about 5-10 minutes until its nice and foamy from the yeast reacting. 
2. Once its foamy, turn on your mixer and add your butter first, then the flour one spoonful at a time until it is all mixed together and pulling away from the sides. (There was still a bit of doughy stuff stuck to the edges of the bowl for me, but for the most part it was all clumped together in to one big thing ☺)
3. Knead it until its pretty smooth for a couple minutes, but no longer than 5-8 minutes. (it will get too tough and be dense)
4. Place in a bowl with a bit of olive oil on both sides so it stays moist. Place a wet towel over the bowl and let it rise until it has doubled in size. For me this took about an hour to an hour and a half.
5. Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release all the air and knead a couple times, but again, not too much, you don't want it to be tough. 
6. Lightly flour your surface for rolling. Now, instead of just forming the dough into a "log" you will roll it into a rectangle shape of about 7x12 inches... it doesn't have to be exact, but just a general rectangle shape, not rolled out too thin. Then, if you have used any flour on your dough so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin, or even if you haven't... lightly wet your hands and get the surface of the dough a tini bit wet so it will stick together. Now roll up your dough into the shape of a log. Use more water to seal the seam of the dough.
7. Place the seam side down on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
8. Now, whisk together your egg whites and water and brush it over the top of your dough. cut 3 or 4 slits evenly across the log.
9. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise again for 35 minutes.
10. Once it has risen, brush again with the egg wash, and sprinkle a little bit of salt on the top for flavor.
11. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, and then brush again with your egg wash, and if you would like sprinkle a tini bit more salt. Bake for 18-20 more minutes or until your bread is nice and golden brown on top. (look at the top picture for reference to color if you need to)
12. Let cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes until you feel comfortable enough to cut or tear it up!

ENJOY!

My husband loves.. and I mean LOVES it when I make this bread. I hope you enjoy it as much as he, and the rest of us do here!

Thanks for reading!