French Bread
A lean, crackling-crusted loaf — flour, water, salt, and yeast, and nothing to hide behind.
Makes 2 loaves · Prep 25 min · Rise 120 min · Bake 25 min
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups Warm water
- 1 2/3 tsp Yeast — Instant/quick-rise: stir straight into the dry ingredients, no proofing needed.
- 1 tsp Granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp Salt
- 5 1/2 cups All-purpose or bread flour
Finish
- 2 tbsp Cornmeal, for the pan
Instructions
Dough
- Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let stand until foamy.
- Stir in the salt, then work in the flour a cup at a time until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead 10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and just slightly tacky. (Tip: Lean dough shows underkneading immediately — it'll tear rather than stretch. Keep going until a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through without ripping.)
Rise
- Cover and let rise until doubled.
Shape
- Divide in two, shape each half into a long baguette-style loaf, and place on a cornmeal-dusted sheet. Cover and let rise until puffy.
Bake
- Slash the tops diagonally 3–4 times with a sharp blade, put a pan of hot water on the oven's bottom rack, and bake at 220°C (425°F). (Tip: The steam pan is what gives this loaf its crust. Skip it and the crust sets too fast for the dough to fully spring.)
Cool
- Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes — the crust is still crisping as it cools.
Tips
- Scoring at an angle: A blade held at about 30 degrees to the dough, rather than straight down, lifts a flap as it cuts, which is what gives the classic ear along the slash.
- Crust went soft overnight: Lean bread has no fat to slow moisture loss either way, so it stales fast and picks up ambient humidity easily. Store cut-side down on a board rather than bagged, and re-crisp in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving.