French Bread

I have tried many different french bread recipes, but this is the one that (IMHO) is the best!  It is from a recipe booklet that came with the DAK bread machine, the only change I have made is to substitute honey for the sugar. (If you add 2 tablespoons of honey, you may need to add some additional flour during the mixing process.)

Start by stiffly beating 2 egg whites.

Add the ingredients to the pan in the order specified by the manufacturer. With this machine, the dry ingredients are added first, and the egg whites are added after the mixing has begun.  

I have used another bread machine for this recipe, and the ingredients are added in the reverse order, it worked just fine.  This recipe was written to be baked in the bread machine, but in recent years I have just used the machine for the mixing process, which takes about 40 minutes.  

I then remove the dough, shape it into a loaf, put it into a greased bread pan, and place it in a warm draft free spot for about 30 minutes. (I always use the microwave.)  If you let it proof longer than 30 minutes it tends to "mushroom", which is one reason I don't usually bake this bread in the machine.

Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes.

French Bread

2 1/4 Teaspoons Yeast
3 Cups Bread Flour
1-2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Cup, Minus 1 Tablespoon Warm Water
2 Stiffly Beaten Egg Whites
Bake @ 400 degrees for 25 minutes

Adapted from the DAK recipe booklet