"Old Reliable" French Bread (for Kitchen Aid Mixers)

I rate this recipe 5 stars because it made me look like a rock star!!! I'm a dude and dudes typically don't cook right?? Well, let me tell you, dude or not, if you follow the directions, this bread will turn out fabulous!!! Some notes for others that haven't made bread.....don't make the slices on top too deep, just cut the surface. Could cut lengthwise too. Pinch the ends tight also. What you see prior to the oven will be what you get after. You can expect to get flour everywhere too. A Pam Cooking Spray Can will work for a rolling pin. Find pesto spread, olive oil and some parmesan cheese and hide the remaining loaves from your family cuz they'll be gone in the morning.

No need to pinch yourself.......you are awake!!

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The end result was finally tasty, though I came across a couple small problems that can easily be remedied next time I make this (which indeed I will!!). My first problem was the cornmeal that wasn't under the bread started to smoke in the oven. I am not sure if it was because of the greased pan. Secondly, the the temperature must have been a tad to much because my crust was extra strong. But MMMH, the inside was lovely. Do try!

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Wow! Very good! I had never made homemade French Bread before and will definitely do again! Thank you!

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When i first found this recipe, i was super excited because i had just receiveda kitchenaid for christmas. Well my first attempt failed miserably, due to my water being too hot and killing the yeast. Until i tried again today and everything went swell! This bread is TO DIE FOR! it has a great texture to it and tastes delicious! I just changed two things due to the comments i had read, i baked it for 27 minutes on 425 degrees F (as opposed to 25 min on 325) and instead of the egg wash, i melted butter and brushed it onto the loaves and let it bake again for 4 minutes! All in all this was a fantastic reciped and thank you SO SO SO much for posting it :)

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Oh..this was amazing! I am the worlds worst bread maker (although and exceptional cook/baker)! :) I have ruined many a loaf of bread with my Kitchen Aid Mixer. This turned out absolutely perfect!!!! I did shorten the cooking time to 25 minutes at 450 degrees and then 4 minutes after the egg wash. I also sprinkled it with coarse kosher salt after the egg wash. Will definitely make this again!!!

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Great, easy recipe that made wonderful bread. I halved the recipe and made one loaf. I baked it a 425 for about 30 min with a pan of water in the oven. Made a thick, firm crust and chewy bread - just the way we like it. My BF says I can make it anytime I want.

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I can't believe I made this!!!! When I pulled these loaves out of the oven....I was so proud! It's silly but I don't really make bread, not my first time, but something i could take to a dinner:) You have to try this. I can't wait to try a wheat version!

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I'm so glad this recipe was posted, since I couldn't find my Kitchenaid booklet! The French Bread was a big hit!! My kids have asked me to NEVER buy French Bread from the store again! This is a keeper for my recipe book! One extra thing I did was spray the dough with a couple mists of water just before putting it the oven. Also spraying the sides of the oven with water as well. I quickly closed the oven door to trap the burst of steam!

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Fantastic! I wanted to make soup and grilled cheese for dinner and the only french bread that I can buy locally is too flat for grilled cheese. And then I found this recipe. Many thanks! I made one loaf as directed and the second in a loaf pan. This far exceeded my expectations and using this recipe will likely end up being a weekly routine.

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Perfect! Just like the loaf you get fresh from the grocery store only cheaper and I didn't have to go anywhere. This was my first time making bread with a Kitchenaid mixer and was happy to discover that it really is as easy as they say. Thanks, this is a keeper.

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My first kitchenaid bread! So easy and wonderful! I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour. I found that the "2" loaves were too big for my pans, so I divided them up into 4 loaves on two trays. My family LOVED it! I feared that some of the bread would get "hard", but after complete cooling I wrapped in plastic wrap...I desperately wanted the bread not to get old and hard! We loved it for dinner, the texture was amazing. The next morning I sliced some and made "oven toast and butter". My husband and son made sandwiches out of it for lunch and dinner...the smaller baguette sized loaf I cut up and lightly toasted in the oven for "mini toast" for dipping in hummus...we ate it all and I was surprised how it stayed soft in the middle until it was gone! It was a little "heavy" for sandwiches, I sliced mine instead of having it "roll" style into mini slider sandwiches so it was thinner and less heavy. I fear my new breadmaking will not be good for our waistlines!

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perfect! this was the first loaves of bread I have EVER made from scratch and they were so wonderful. I didn't do the egg wash, but I brushed with butter after taking the out of the oven. Also, I put 3 cubes of ice on the oven floor 3 times, every 10 minutes and the crust was soft as can be.

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Shazam! Easy as it gets. Thanks for clear instructions - the only thing I did differently was to bake on parchment rather than cornmeal/oil. No issues at all.

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I make this bread every other week. One to eat all week & one sliced & into the freezer for the following week. I pop the frozen slices in the microwave for 15 secs & into the toaster, and fresh bread again! The only thing I do differently than this great recipe - is add a tbsp of sugar to the yeast & let it sit for 5 minutes. I also use loaf pans & don't bother with the cuts into the dough - because I like to use the bread for toast/sandwiches. Thanks for a great recipe!

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I've made this bread a number of times. It's very easy. I still haven't gotten the crust just how I like it---I would like it to be a bit more flavorsome and chewy, but it is still without a doubt the best bread I've been able to make at home. It freezes amazingly well. I slice it up in advance and stick it in a plastic bag and then in the freezer. I make sandwiches for work in the morning with the frozen bread and by lunch time, it tastes very fresh. Not soggy at all...in fact, at this point the crust is the closest to how I like it.

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I made this for the Youth Group dinner. It turned out great.
I will definitely make it again.

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Just finished making this! I've never made bread before in my life. This was perfect! I'm so excited! It was a hit with my whole family. I also skipped the egg wash step and used the butter as another posted suggested. It was wonderful!

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This is so easy, fast prep time, and doesn't involve a lot of clean-up. I even taught my 13 year old son to make it. Absolutely the BEST french bread. Just like the rustic loaves I always wished I could make! Thank you for the recipe!

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This was the first bread I have EVER attempted to bake and I honestly went into this with a little reluctance - but let me tell you, the recipe and instructions couldn't be any simpler and the bread came out absolutely divine - so soft on the inside, and the crust was just right, a lovely crunch to it but not too hard. I baked my bread for just about 27 minutes in a 450 degree oven (skipping the egg wash step entirely) and brushed butter onto the crust as soon as it came out - covered with a dry dish towel until it cooled - delicious! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe and helping me get over my fear of not being able to bake a good loaf of bread! :)

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Excellent!

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