Easy Sourdough French Bread
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There’s just something so wonderful about a fresh loaf of French bread. When I think of French bread, I think of a delicious French dip sandwich or a nice buttered slice of French bread alongside a meal. Also, this bread is wonderfully soft and fluffy. The great thing about this particular French bread is the sourdough element which provides a kick of gut-friendly bacteria. This French bread is also dairy and egg free. One of my family members suffers from dairy and egg allergies and it makes me so proud and happy that she can eat this bread! With that being said, the oil in this recipe can easily be replaced with butter for a richer bread.
- Prep Time: 11 hours
- Bake Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 11.5 hours
Meal Ideas
There are so many different ways you can use sourdough French bread. Here are a few of our family’s favorite ways:
- Pot roast sandwiches
- Cold cut sandwiches (turkey, chicken, etc.)
- French dip po boy
Homemade Bread Storage Options
- Room Temperature: Homemade French bread can be stored at room temperature in a bread bag or bread box for 3-5 days before going stale.
- Frozen: Homemade French bread can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. It is best to freeze French bread whole (without pre-slicing).
Equipment
- Large glass or ceramic bowl (paid link) and stand mixer with attachments
- Silicone Spatula (paid link)
- Rolling pin (paid link)
- 9×13 baking sheet (paid link)
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 2/3 cups) water
- 150 g (3/4 cups) active sourdough starter
- 31.5 g (1.5 tablespoons) honey
- 12 g (2 tsp) salt
- 28 g (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 600 g (4 2/3 cup) all purpose flour
Instructions
- First, add all ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Next, stir the ingredients together with a spatula (or the paddle attachment) until well combined.
- Attach the dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes (or knead by hand) until smooth.
- Then, shape the dough into a ball, return to the bowl, and set aside.
- Allow to rise for 8-10 hours or overnight until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and place the dough on a clean, floured surface.
- Next, cut the dough into two equal parts.
- Then, take one piece of dough and, using your rolling pin, roll out into a rough rectangle shape with about 1/4″ thickness.
- Starting with one of the long ends of the dough, roll up the dough into a log shape.
- Next, pinch each end of the dough.
- Then, tuck the pinched dough ends underneath the dough log.
- Place the dough on a 9×13 parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Repeat steps 8-12 with the second piece of dough.
- Next, allow the shaped dough loaves to rise 2-4 hours or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 500 F.
- Place the loaves into the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 375 F.
- Then, bake the loaves for 18-20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the bread reads 205-210 F.
- Allow the loaves to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Finally, enjoy all your hard work!
Notes
- Rise times will vary and depend on the temperature of your home.
- You can place a few diagonal slices on top of this bread before baking but I did not in this particular instance.
Soft and Easy Sourdough French Bread Recipe (Po Boy Bread)
Keep your screen from going dark
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
400 g (1 2/3 cups) water
150 g (3/4 cup) active sourdough starter
31.5 g (1.5 tablespoons) honey
12 g (2 tsp) salt
28 g (2 tablespoons) olive oil
600 g (4 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
Instructions
First, add all ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
Next, mix the ingredients together with a spatula (or the paddle attachment) until well combined.
Attach the dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes (or knead by hand) until smooth.
Then, shape the dough into a ball, return to the bowl, and set aside.
Allow to rise for 8-10 hours or overnight until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and place the dough on a clean, floured surface.
Next, cut the dough into two equal parts.
Then, take one piece of dough and, using your rolling bin, roll out into a rough rectange shape with abou 1/4" thickness.
Starting with one of the long ends of the dough, roll up the dough into a log shape.
Next, pinch each end of the dough.
Then, tuck the pinched dough ends underneath the dough log.
Place the dough on a 9x13 parchment-lined baking sheet.
Repeat steps 8-12 with the second piece of dough.
Next, allow the shaped dough loaves to rise for 2-4 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 500 F.
Place the loaves into the oven and immediately decrease the termperature to 375 F.
Then, bake the loaves for 18-20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the bread reads 205-210 F.
Allow the loaves to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Finally, enjoy all your hard work!
Notes
- Rise times will vary and depend on the temperature of your home.
- You can place a few diagonal slices on top of this bread before baking but I did not in this particular instance.
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