Honestly, I would put this quick bread up against any long rising bread any day. It is really that good! I get compliment after compliment after compliment whenever I serve this. It is also my go to recipe when I have to bring a meal over to someone's house (i.e. if they are sick or just had a baby or something) because it is so quick and easy. I mean everyone has one hour. You barely have to knead, mix, or anything. I usually start it right around when I am going to start dinner and then by the time dinner is ready, this is ready. Stop paying $1.99 for french bread at your grocery store. This stuff tastes WAY better and is so cheap, it's almost free!
If you have never made homemade bread before, this is a good place to start. It is a super simple, fool proof, single rise recipe. Try it out so you can impress your friends and family during this holiday season with homemade fresh bread!
Also, I know lots of you have been trying recipes (because you tell me) but you aren't leaving comments. Make sure you post whether you like things or not because others will use your comments to determine if they will try out one of these recipes. I want you all to enjoy my recipes as much as I do and comments always help.
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups flour (depending on your elevation and humidity)
Directions
1. Combine water, salt, honey, and yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Let sit 5 - 10 minutes, until bubbling.
2. Add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until dough is no longer sticky (I usually place the dough on a floured surface and continue to add more flour until it is no longer sticky).
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Form dough into a 12" - 14" roll. Place dough on a greased cookie sheet (NOT in a bread pan). Cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Make diagonal slits, 1/2" deep on top with a knife or scissors.
5. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
Thanks for the recipe. Just made 2 loaves of french bread in less than 20 minutes!! :-)
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! I am so glad you liked it! If there is any leftover bread the next day, you should try making french toast with it.
DeleteI've made this bread several times without any failures, we love it!. Today day I'm making a whole wheat raisin loaf. I substituted 1 cup whole wheat flour and added a cup of raisins. I've done this before with the whole wheat and it turned out quite well. With the raisins it should be even better. It is a dense bread, but that is the way we like it.
DeleteI loved how quick this recipe was, and that the dough rose so much! But when they were done baking, I had two very heavy, dense bricks :( I'm well-read, semi-experienced in baking bread, so my yeast is good, I didn't add salt in with the yeast mixture (salt kills yeast), my water wasn't too warm. I used parchment instead of greasing. Do you think I should do a second rise? Or maybe I didn't knead enough? Any input greatly appreciated, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteYou definitely do not need a second rise. My 2 thoughts would be that you baked it too long or used too much flour. The dough should not be sticky to the touch but not dry either. I have probably made this recipe 50 times and never had a problem. Finally, have you ever checked your oven temperature to make sure its accurate? Let me know if you try it again and have success!
DeleteI've always been told -- by professional bakers -- that salt is a necessity in any baked product because it CONTROLS the leavening agent, including yeast.
DeleteYou said that it rose so much - there is a chance that the bread fell when you baked it. This has happened to me when I try to hurry up the rise by putting the bread to rise in the oven with a light on. Only let the bread rise until approximately double the size, it will rise further in the oven. If you over rise it, the gluten in the bread will not be developed well enough to hold the rise, and the bread will fall.
DeleteSalt will kill yeast but only if you mix them together with no other ingredient as a barrier. You have other ingredients as a barrier so it should be fine. If you are concerned about it, you can add the salt to the flour and use the flour for a barrier, but yeah, you do need the salt.
DeleteI made this yesterday and it didn't rise nor did it cook through. The inside was was doughy. I know one mistake I made was using both bread and regular flour. I may of used to much flour. I'll try again.
DeleteSalt helps your bread to hold its shape, so if you omitted it in such a wet dough, you are going to have problems. You might have added too much flour, but I bet, as someone else said, that you simply let it rise too much. I'd try again !
DeleteI have a silly question, do you use what is called "bread flour" or self rising? Just want to make sure I get it right, thx :)
ReplyDeleteDo not use self-rising flour. It has baking powder or baking soda and can affect the yeast.
DeleteA good all-purpose flour (the quality really makes a difference) like Gold Medal or King Arthur or a good organic flour will work fine.
New to bread making. Can you tell me what flour you use please? Bread mix? Self raising? Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteThoughts on using white whole wheat flour?
ReplyDeleteMy four-year-old daughter and I just finished making this and it came out flawless! It was my first time making bread too! The whole family loves it, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAwesome recipe! Thanks for sharing! Do you know if bread flour would work?
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness! This is nothing short of life changing! I just made this and it is wonderful. I used home ground whole wheat--just let it sit a few minutes longer for all whole wheat. I am making a Tuscan soup for dinner, so I added a bit of garlic powder and rosemary to the dough. Wow! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to give this a try tonight. Question, what kind of salt did you use? Kosher? Table?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Tried this for the first time tonight - first time making any bread actually - it's super easy and tastes great! I might try adding some garlic powder, rosemary, or thyme next time to switch it up, but it's really good as is! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you for the quick and easy recipe. I ended up making 2 loaves because the first was finished before we knew it. Very easy, soft and tasty. I used All Purpose Flour, Table Salt and formed the dough into a 12 inch loaf. I brushed butter on the top when I took it out of the oven. Yum! Has anyone tried to use cheese with it? I'm curious how that would work out. Thank you again for a great recipe!
ReplyDeleteSo if I live in a very humid place, do I use more or less flour??
ReplyDeleteTried this yesterday for the first time:) it was a hit Thank you
ReplyDeleteThinking mine will be a failure - no bubbling and no rising. Maybe the warm water wasn't warm enough . . .
ReplyDeleteCan I use rapid rise yeast?
ReplyDeleteProbably a weird question, but I'm new to making bread! How do I know when it's cooked through?
ReplyDeleteflick the top of it with your thumb & first finger. If it sounds hollow, then it's done.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank everyone for the useful information! Do y'all use rapid rise yeast?
ReplyDeleteYes, I use rapid rise yeast. Let it sit for in warm water (between 105-120 degrees; I do 115) that you have dissolved the honey in for 10 minutes until the foam starts to bubble up an inch or two. I add the salt to the flour and mix it well, then I add the water mixture to the flour mixture. Because of where I'm located, I only use 3 to 3 1/2 cups of flour. Otherwise, it's too dry. I have found if you over kneed it, the bread is dense and less fluffy...just not as good. I bake @ 425 for 18 minutes.
ReplyDeleteLove this recipe!
Thanks so much. Having never baked bread I was shocked to learn I had 2 kinds of yeast! Lol didn't work for me tho. Never really bubbled/foamed very much- even after 10 mins. So I waited 15 then thought "maybe these microscopic dots are bubbles" lol. Added the flour and sure enough- bread never rose either. But I baked that brick anyway! Ate the crust. :)
DeleteSo nice to see folks continuing to pass this recipe on, pretty much as I first wrote it.
ReplyDeletehttp://firesignfarm.blogspot.com/2008/03/one-hour-french-bread.html
Thanks Sadge. Just posted the following. You'll probably see it, but just in case:
DeleteHaving never baked bread I was shocked to learn I had 2 kinds of yeast! Lol didn't work for me tho. Never really bubbled/foamed very much- even after 10 mins. So I waited 15 then thought "maybe these microscopic dots are bubbles" lol. Added the flour and sure enough- bread never rose either. But I baked that brick anyway! Ate the crust. :)
Assuming either the water was not warm enough (I didn't do hot just mildly warm bc somewhere I heard "baby bath." Or...bc my house stays 69 degrees...not sure.
Very good and easy to make!
ReplyDeleteI made this bread twice the past week. Unlike the French bread from the store, this keeps nice all week and we make toast with it.
ReplyDeleteA hint I would like to pass along is to buy the yeast be the 2lb's at Costco. Open and put in quart jar or two pints. Keep it in the freezer. I've had my yeast four years frozen and it still works great. It looses it's ability to raise if you don't keep it in the freezer.
What is the temp for warm water?
ReplyDeleteWhat temp works best when calling for warm water?
ReplyDeleteThink baby bath water
Deletecan you mix with mixer,eg kitchen aid with dough hook, or best by hand and for how long to knead?
ReplyDeleteWhat will happen if i bake this in a bread pan instead of a cookie sheet??
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteforums.perforce.com
Informative post....I will share with my friend too... Thanks again
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Great Work! For more details about Organic Flour follow given link.
ReplyDeleteBaked it this afternoon, it came out perfectly and a great hit with my family. Light and tasty.
ReplyDelete