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French Bread


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 12 reviews

  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 2 loaves of bread 1x

Description

Even if you’re not a baker you can make this french bread. Use your Instant Pot to speed up the proofing process. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 1/4 cups warm water (not too hot to drink but hotter than luke warm)
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp yeast (instant or active dry yeast)
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
  • 56 cups of all purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Fit your stand mixer with a dough hook (if you don’t have a stand mixer you can just use a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon). Add in the water, sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast let the mixture sit for 3 minutes, until foamy. If using instant yeast, no need to wait go on to step 2. 
  2. Add in the salt, oil and 2 cups of the flour and mix on low for 15 seconds. Add in 3-4 more cups of flour a little at a time while the mixer is on low. Stop adding flour once the dough clears the sides and middle of the bowl. Then let the mixer knead the bread for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. 
  3. Spray your Instant Pot liner with non stick cooking spray. Add the dough into the Instant Pot. Turn your Instant Pot to the yogurt setting and click adjust until it select the yogurt button. Use the adjust button to cycle through until the light is on the “less.” My pot says 24 hours on the display. Then cover the pot with a glass lid or a plate (see note). Let the dough double in size, about 30 minutes.
  4. Spread a little flour on your counter and turn the dough onto the counter. Divide the dough in half. Pat each dough ball into a rectangle a little bigger than the size of a notebook paper. Roll the dough up starting from the long size and press out any air bubbles with the heel of your hand. Pinch the seam. Place the bread seam side down on a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray or lined with parchment (see note). Then repeat with the other loaf of bread. Lightly brush some olive oil over the top of the loaves.
  5. Use a serrated knife to slash four lines (very gently) in the top of your bread. 
  6. Lay a clean kitchen towel over the top of the bread and let it raise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. 
  7. Heat your oven to 375° F. Bake for 12 minutes and then rotate the pan and bake for 12 more minutes until the bread is golden. Slice, eat and enjoy!

Notes

DO NOT use the normal Instant Pot lid. If you do the dough might raise so high that it pushes the valve up and indicates to the pot that there is pressure. You won’t be able to open the pot and the lid will be stuck. 

I use this USA cookie sheet.* It is my absolute favorite. Don’t use parchment or non stick cooking spray on it. No need! Nothing sticks. It doesn’t warp either. It’s my favorite for cookie baking 🙂

Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

  • Category: Bread