This bread machine french bread recipe is very easy to make. It only uses a few simple ingredients such as flour, water, salt and yeast. Moreover, this french bread tastes great and you can mold it into a beautiful baguette shape. Your family will be amazed by baking skills... while you smirk because you made it with the help of a bread machine! Visit BreadDad.com for more great bread machine recipes.
When your bread machine has finished, unplug the machine & pour the dough onto a cutting board. Wear oven mitts (as the bread pan/bread machine may be hot). Sprinkle some flour on the cutting board (before you pour the dough) in order to avoid the dough sticking to the cutting board.
06Divide the dough into 4 equal parts if you want to make 4 skinny baguettes (roughly 12 inches long). Or divide the dough into 2 equal parts in order to make 2 thicker french bread "rolls". FYI - I usually make 2 thicker & longer loaves with this recipe.
07Roll the divided dough with your hands into your preferred shape (i.e. baguette or thicker bread roll). See our tips below on shaping the bread dough (especially about making the dough roll about 1/2 the width of your desired end product... as the dough expands as the yeast rises).
08Place the shaped dough onto a nonstick baking sheet.
09Coat the dough with olive oil. Use a small pastry brush.
10Cover the dough & baking sheet with a light kitchen cloth or plastic wrap in order to protect from dust, etc.
11Let the dough rise for 45 to 60 minutes. FYI - This time can vary. The speed of the rise is based in part on the temperature of your kitchen (e.g. rise faster in the summer & slower in the winter). See the "poke test" info in the tips section below on how to determine if your dough has risen/proofed to the correct level (and it is not under or over proofed). I like to start my poke testing around 35-40 minutes (as I would rather be too early versus too late).
12During this "rising" time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
13After the 45 to 60 minutes, remove the covering from the dough and "score" (slice) the top of each dough roll with a sharp knife. Make diagonal slices about 1/2 inch deep and about 3 inches apart. This will help prevent the bread from cracking during baking. See the tips below about how to score bread.
14Place the baking sheet in the oven. It should bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Wear oven mitts.
15At the 8-10 minute mark, turn the baking sheet around in order to ensure an even "browning" of the bread. Wear oven mitts.
16Remove the baking sheet when done and place the bread on a cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
17Please read the recipe's tips section on Bread Dad (BreadDad.com) for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common bread machine problems.