4 Ingredient French Bread
An easy French bread that doesn't require any kneading and is ready in one hour. This bread is soft and chewy and just 4 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (488 g) bread flour
- 1 tbsp (10 g) instant yeast
- 2 tsp (12 g) non-iodized table salt, or 1 tsp fine kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (12 oz/355 ml) warm water, between 110°F-120°F (43°C-49°C)
Instructions
- Line a full or 2/3 size sheet pan with parchment paper. You will need a sheet pan that is at least 16 x 22 inches. If you don't have such a large sheet pan, you can use two half sheets and place one loaf on each pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in flour, yeast and salt. Add in the water. Using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix ingredients on low medium speed (halfway between lowest and medium) until flour is fully incorporated and a dough forms. The dough should also pull away completely from the sides of the bowl.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Place a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes in a warm place. I let it rest in my kitchen but if your kitchen is colder than 70°F you may need to put it somewhere warmer.
- After 20 minutes your dough should have more than doubled in size. Scrape dough out of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet. Split dough in half.
- Shape each dough into a log about 3 ½ inches wide. If the dough is too sticky to shape, lightly coat your hands with oil or wet them with water and it should be easier to shape. The two loaves should be about 3 inches apart if they are on the same sheet pan. (I placed mine diagonally on the sheet pan so they had more room). Try to shape the logs as evenly and smoothly as possible. You want the surface to be as smooth as possible. After you have shaped the dough into logs use a sharp knife to make 4 diagonal cuts across the surface of each log (spaced about 1 inch apart).
- Place kitchen towel over logs and let them rest for another 15 minutes. While dough is resting, preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). If you desire your bread to have a golden brown finish, brush the entire surface of the dough with oil (I used olive oil but you can also use vegetable or canola) after the 15 minutes of resting time. You do not have to brush the dough with oil but it will make the bread bake up golden brown. Otherwise the bread will be browned on the surface and paler around the sides.
- Bake bread for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Let bread loaves cool before slicing.
Notes
- If using kosher salt, make sure it is fine kosher salt with a consistency like table salt. I find that coarse salt doesn't dissolve as evenly across the bread.
- If using table salt, make sure it is non-iodized table salt. Iodized table salt can leave a chemical aftertaste in your bread.
- This recipe yields two large loaves, about 14 slices per loaf.
- The bread has a soft and chewy consistency. It does not have a crusty exterior. This bread is like the French bread sold in most grocery store bakeries.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 64kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 2g, Sodium: 169mg, Fiber: 1g, NET CARBS: 12
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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