Bread Machine French Bread

4.53 from 38 votes

Bread machine french bread is an easy way to get the classic taste of french bread for your table, without all the work.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 50

Total Time3

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Bread Machine, Bread Maker

Servings: slices (2 lb loaf)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Bread Machine

Ingredients

Add First

2 egg whites
1 1/4 cups water

Add on Top of Liquid Layer

4 cups White Flour Preferably bread flour, but all-purpose will work
1 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast or 2 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Beat the egg whites for 2-3 minutes until frothy.
Add egg whites and water to the bread machine pan.
Add the flour, creating an "island" for the dry ingredients on top of the liquid layer.
Make a well in the flour and place the sugar, salt, and yeast in the well.
Shut the lid and turn the bread machine on. Set it to basic white cycle, medium crust.
Allow the bread machine to cycle.
Once baking is complete, remove the bread from the loaf pan and allow it to cool on a cooling rack. French bread is best served fresh, still slightly warm.

Notes

Note that the original recipe included 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to give the bread a firmer texture and higher rise. I have omitted that ingredient since it's not a common pantry staple, but feel free to add it. The bread is wonderful without it, and it's not strictly necessary.

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf, use the following quantities:

2 egg whites
1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. SAF yeast or bread machine yeast

Nutrition