Braided French Bread – Quick

Bread is life to the French so it’s no surprise they’d have more bread recipes that Duncan has donuts. To make a really good French bread, you need two to three days of prep time, but sometimes you just want to crank out a quick loaf without much effort. Well, for those days, here’s my go-to recipe.

Ingredients

• 680 g Bread Flour ~5.5 cups
• 16 oz Water – warm to 110 F
• 12 g Kosher Salt ~ 2 tsp
• 4 g Dry Yeast, ~1 TBL or 12 g Fresh Yeast
• 5 g Olive oil ~1 tsp
• 4 g Sugar ~1 tsp

Process

1. Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
2. Pitch Yeast:
   1. Combine water and sugar.
   2. Sprinkle dry yeast on top of dissolve fresh yeast.
   3. Let rest for 10 mins for yeast to activate.
3. Make Dough
   1. In stand mixer with dough hook, mix salt with flour on speed #1.
   2. While mixer is churning, add the pitched yeast.
   3. Stir at speed #1 for four mins.
   4. Knead at speed #4 for four mins.
   5. Let dough rest in bowl for 15 mins.
4. Proof Dough
   1. Divide dough into two equal sections, then divide each in half again (4 pieces).
   2. Roll each piece into a long braid, ~18″ long.
   3. Braid two lengths together: just cross one braid over the other.
   4. Repeat with remaining two braids
   5. Let rest for 45 mins.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F 30 mins. prior to baking or 350 F fan.
6. On each loaf, make 3 diagonal cuts across the top – this lets steam escape and keeps your bread from having large air pockets (unless that’s what you want).
7. Bake 20 mins or until golden brown.