Homemade Herbed French Bread

Bread Machine Recipe Makes Easy Fresh Loaf

Dec 2, 2008 Jennifer Bryan

Use a bread machine to make your own homemade French bread.

You don’t have to be a gourmet chef or spend hours in the kitchen to make delicious bread from scratch. With the help of a bread machine and the following simple bread recipe, you can serve fresh, homemade bread to your family with only 10 minutes of preparation time.

This recipe will make a two pound loaf.

First, gather the following ingredients:

1-1/3 cup water (75 degrees – 85 degrees F)
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened
4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon each dried sage, dried basil, dried thyme, dried parsley
5 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Measuring carefully, place all ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
Select the French bread setting, or the basic setting if French is not available.
Choose medium or light for the crust darkness.
Start the mixing cycle. After about 5 minutes of mixing, check the bread dough and add flour or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
When the bread is finished baking, remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Baking Bread Machine Dough in a Conventional Oven

If you have the time and prefer a traditional loaf shape to the one created by the bread machine pan, you can also bake this bread in the oven.

After placing the ingredients in the bread machine pan, select the dough setting.
Start the mixing cycle, checking the dough after about 5 minutes.
When the dough cycle is finished, remove the bread dough from the pan and place it on a lightly floured surface. Punch it down, kneading in extra flour if the dough is sticky.
Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Shape the dough into a loaf and place it on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover the dough with the cloth again and let it rise in a warm place (80 degrees – 85 degrees F) for 20 – 25 minutes, or until it is doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the cloth and bake the bread for 25 – 35 minutes. The bread is done when the crust is lightly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the bread from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Slice and serve warm, if desired. This bread goes well with Italian meals or soups.

The copyright of the article Homemade Herbed French Bread in Recipes is owned by Jennifer Bryan. Permission to republish Homemade Herbed French Bread in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.