Bread Machine Crusty French Bread

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 10/29/20
Bread Machine Crusty French Bread

The Spruce / Christine Ma
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Rising Time: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yields: 2 loaves
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
453 Calories
10g Fat
64g Carbs
26g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 453
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 3179mg 138%
Total Carbohydrate 64g 23%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Protein 26g
Calcium 277mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This bread machine French bread is mixed and kneaded in the machine on the dough cycle then baked to crusty perfection. The key to the crust is the hot water on the lower oven rack as well as baking it at a higher temperature for the first 15 minutes.

This bread machine French bread recipe makes 2 medium-sized loaves (or 1 large loaf) of wonderful, crusty bread. Serve fresh crusty bread with soup, salad, or stew, or top slices with cheese or dunk in dip. Slice any leftover bread at a slight angle and use for crostini or bruschetta or season and oven-toast for delicious homemade croutons.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or olive oil; plus more for baking)
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons medium-grind cornmeal (for baking)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon cold water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Bread Machine Crusty French Bread ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. Add the room temp water, oil, dry milk, all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to the bread machine in the order listed.

    add first 8 ingredients to bread machine

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. Use the French Bread setting of your machine but remove the dough after the last kneading cycle before the baking cycle begins. Or, use the dough cycle, punch down to let air escape, let rise again (45 minutes to 1 hour), knead lightly, and let rise again before forming into loaves.

    dough rising in a bread machine

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. Spray or lightly oil a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.

    cornmeal on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. To form the loaves, transfer the dough (it will be soft) to a lightly floured board. Sprinkle with a little flour.

    dough formed into a loaf on a wood surface

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. Cut dough into 2 portions and roll each portion into a rectangle about 12 to 15 inches wide (add more flour as needed).

    dough formed into long rectangles

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  7. Starting at long end, roll up, pinching the seams well. Repeat with next roll.

    dough rolls pinched at the top

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  8. Place the loaves on a prepared cookie sheet; cover with a clean dishtowel, and let rise another hour.

    dough rolls on top of baking sheet with cornmeal

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  9. While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a pie plate on the lower rack of the oven and add about 1 inch of boiling water to the pie plate. Bake the bread for 15 minutes.

    pie plate with water

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  10. Lower the heat to 350 F and bake for another 25 minutes until golden brown.

    baked bread on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  11. About 5 minutes before loaves are done, mix the egg white with the cold water in a small bowl and brush the loaves with the egg wash.

    bread brushed with egg wash

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  12. Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool. Serve and enjoy!

    Bread Machine Crusty French Bread

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

    Glass Bakeware Warning

    Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

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