A delicious bread machine bread great for french toast, grilled sandwiches, or toast. It has no fat and very little sugar.
This bread is actually perfection! Sooooo good! And sooo super easy too. I do not have a bread machine so here is how to make it without one: First mix the yeast, sugar, and water and let that proof for about 10 minutes. Then, mix in the flour and salt and knead until smooth (okay, so I DO have a KitchenAid Mixer, which helps immensely), about 5-7 minutes with the dough hook in the KitchenAid. Place in a greased bowl (make it a BIG bowl, this rises sooo much) and cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled (about an hour). Then punch down and knead another two minutes or so on a lightly floured surface, flatten slightly (maybe an inch thick) and roll once into an oval shaped loaf (be sure to pinch the seal closed). Make three diagonal slices on top of bread, place on greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise another hour. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Oh, also, I used an extra 1/2 cup of flour, but my house must be extra humid because I always have to add extra flour to my bread recipes. You are looking for the dough to pull completely away from the edge and bottom of the bowl when you are doing your first knead. This bread is soooo good it is really a must try!
Read MoreVery disappointed with the loaf that came out of my older model bread machine. Top was sunken and the texture was rubbery.
Read MoreThis bread is actually perfection! Sooooo good! And sooo super easy too. I do not have a bread machine so here is how to make it without one: First mix the yeast, sugar, and water and let that proof for about 10 minutes. Then, mix in the flour and salt and knead until smooth (okay, so I DO have a KitchenAid Mixer, which helps immensely), about 5-7 minutes with the dough hook in the KitchenAid. Place in a greased bowl (make it a BIG bowl, this rises sooo much) and cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled (about an hour). Then punch down and knead another two minutes or so on a lightly floured surface, flatten slightly (maybe an inch thick) and roll once into an oval shaped loaf (be sure to pinch the seal closed). Make three diagonal slices on top of bread, place on greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise another hour. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Oh, also, I used an extra 1/2 cup of flour, but my house must be extra humid because I always have to add extra flour to my bread recipes. You are looking for the dough to pull completely away from the edge and bottom of the bowl when you are doing your first knead. This bread is soooo good it is really a must try!
The posted recipe is nearly the exact recipe for French Bread that was included with my bread machine. I agree...it's the BEST french bread! I read that some people's loaves were falling...it may be that the proportions are off a bit. My recipe says (instead of 1 1/2 cups of water) there should only be 1 cup + 2TBL for 3 1/2 cups of flour. 1 1/2 TBL of vegetable oil is an optional add. I always make the 2 LB loaf, bake it on the French Bread cycle and it comes out perfect every time!!
I'm smiling ear-to-ear over how wonderful this bread turned out! I didn't change a thing to the recipe and baked it on medium crust on the french bread cycle. It turned out a nice golden brown color and was very crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. I love how the end pieces are really crunchy. This is my very first time ever baking in my bread machine too!!! My husband was so impressed. A great way to eat it is to slice it and dip it in some balsamic vinegar with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. It's also one of those breads that is so good you can eat it plain!
I was unsure of a bread with no fat, but since I am watching my weight and love (and we are talking addicted) bread I gave it a shot. I am so happy that I did. This bread does not lack in flavor and texture. It is one of the best basic white breads I have made. I am so glad to have found this and so is my diabetic father!! Many thanks!!!
Simple, tasty bread! Thanks for the recipe! If you're having problems with your bread, here are some things to consider: 1. Double-check the settings on your bread machine--and if you've never used it before, be aware that your first loaf will probably be a "throw-away" loaf (don't worry, it's not you, it's the machine). 2. Check your ingredients. They should be at room temperature when added, not cold--especially the yeast. Also, if your yeast is not fresh enough, your bread may not rise enough, or at all. 3. If the top of your bread consistently falls, check the seal on your bread machine, or try setting it in an area that has no drafts. Failing that, you can adjust the ingredient amounts, using the recipes given by the manufacturer as a guide. 4. Be sure you're using BREAD flour, not "all-purpose." Bread flour has added gluten, which helps the rising and the texture of the bread. 5. Don't expect this to come out tasting or feeling like purchased sandwich bread or those "brown-and-serve" breads. It won't. HTH!
Fantastic bread. Very crusty and crunchy (although very pale and odd looking when used French cycle). Most tast and crunchy recipe made. Makes wonderful extremely crunchy toast !! A bit much for children, but great for those wantoing tasty very crunchy bread. DOesn't keep well - but doesn't need to !!
Very disappointed with the loaf that came out of my older model bread machine. Top was sunken and the texture was rubbery.
This is a very tasty bread. I did not use a bread machine so I had to make a few changes. To fit my 2 qt bowl I was baking in I reduced the ingredient amounts to:1 tsp active dry yeast, 1 cup water, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt and 2 cups all purpose flour. I proofed the yeast in the sugar & 110 degree water for about 10 minutes, then added to the dry ingredients and mixed well. I covered with saran wrap and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place, 75 degrees. I then used two forks to punch down the dough, basically by pulling the dough off the sides of the bowl into the middle. I buttered bottom and sides of a pyrex oven safe bowl with 1 tbsp butter, room temp. Then raked the dough into the prepared bowl. Preheated oven to 425 (then turned off so I could warm the stovetop a little). Sit bowl on stove top to rise a second time, I left mine uncovered this time, this rise took about 45 minutes. I let mine rise about 1 inch under the top of the bowl. Then I baked on 425 for 15 minutes, reduced heat to 375 and baked an additional 15. Removed from bowl onto cooling rack immediately. Turned out delicious!
great recipie. it tastes like english muffin bread. the loaf isn't that big, but it packs a lot of flavor!
i really liked this recipe...i did the dough cycle in the bread machine then shaped it let it rise then i cooked it in the oven...well needless to say i nearly ate half of the loaf myself...i was really good and i will make this again...thanks for the recipe...update...i made the loaf in the bread machine from start to finish and used the french cycle...well it proved again that it is a great recipe for me!!!...besides the shape...it was just like i had baked it in the oven...
This is so easy to make! I shaped the dough into bread sticks and they are so crunchy and tasty!!
This was a real time saver for me. It was fast and easy. The bread came out wonderfully, beautiful color, texture and taste. It is a moist bread that maintained its shape even when being cut. Natalie
I doubled the recipe and added just a couple of teaspoons of shortening and 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed. Made with my kitchen center dough hooks and finished by hand. Do not let rise too long (over 40 minutes) just before baking. Add some water directly onto the bottom of the oven before turning the oven on, and watch them swell up while baking! The steam keeps the bread moist and lets it rise.
This bread is the best low fat one I've tried since reaching my goal on Nutrisystem. After losing 50 lbs. I was looking forward to introducing regular foods, but worried that low fat bread would be tasteless. Not so with this recipe. I used the medium crust setting and French bread on my machine. The crust is crispy, and the bread is good for sandwiches.
Great, simple recipe. Like another couple of reviewers here, my bread collapsed, seriously although it was still eatable. I halved the amount of yeast and the problem disappeared. Too much yeast/too lttle salt makes the dough rise too quickly and then collapse.
Easy inexpensive bread. Kids couldn't stop eating it. Loved that it did not have any butter or oil in it.
Did not turn out well when I did this in my bread machine. Had to add an extra cup of flour as I had a liquid mess in the bottom after the first 5-10 mins. Ended up pale and flexed with flour. ( I added the flour and then started the cycle again) However I did this again by hand and cooked in the oven. Turned out much better and one of my daughters absolutley loves it. Will do this again but in the oven in future
This bread was good! Working this dough was a sticky situation, but other than that it was easy to make with common ingredients. It was the perfect accompaniment for my spaghetti pie.It was crusty with an airy,chewy texture.This bread would be perfect with soup too.Thanks for sharing!
Seriously YUMMY - I've been looking for a good vegan [no animal] white bread for ages and this one is perfect. Easy to make, cheap and lovely tasting.
The top of the bread collapsed in on itself, and it had an odd, sponge-like texture. I ended up throwing it out.
This is a great bread with soup. Chewy on the inside, crusty on the outside. We use the French cycle and add oregano, rosemary, and garlic for an herb bread.
This is an EXCELLENT bread. I don't have a bread machine and I did exactly what Dandydell said in her review and it came out perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. We ate half the loaf that night!
Awesome! I have used my bread machine for 10 years, and this is the best recipe I have found. One note is that it did not bake all the way on light crust. I made it again using the medium crust setting, and the crust was pale and the bread was delicious. Next time I will try the dark crust setting.
I enjoyed this bread. Made as written. I did have to let the second rise go a little longer. My only challenge was the dough was quite sticky so I did add a little flour. Good taste and nice consistency. Thank you.
I let this bread mix and rise in the machine, then take it out to shape. One more rise before I bake it in the oven with a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack for an extra crispy crust. Yum!!
I really enjoyed baking this bread. I did use the conventional method (knead and rise).
This was an easy recipe but most of all I was surprised at how good it taste with such few ingrediates. I've made this several times in my bread machine and it always turns out well. I did find out if you use BREAD MACHINE bread flour instead of just bread four it will rise a little to much. Next time I scaled the recipe down from 12 to 8.
This is THE best tasting bread machine recipe that I have ever used. Taste is like true old fashion homemade bread. If you want store bread taste this is not your recipe, but it is certainly one for us.
The dough for this bread was quite loose while it was mixing so I added about another 1/2 cup of flour. I also used the French bread cycle as suggested. It turned out light and delicious. I will defintely make this again.
This bread is SOOOO good when it's freash out of the bread maker. The following day/days I love it as french toast or garlic bread under the broiler.
Have made this about 10 times now and although it looks a little odd on top (maybe it's my bread machine?) the taste and texture are wonderful. In fact, am under strict orders from Himself never to use another white bread recipe!
This bread has a great taste and the crust was really crunchy. Would make this again and again.
I made this bread without a bread machine just as another reviewer suggested. Make sure to proof with water that is 105-110 degrees. I put this in a bread pan and it made a nice big loaf. It tasted excellent! I made french toast with this. So easy and yummy!
Great crusty old fashioned bread. I had a problem with it rising a little too high though. It was a challenge to get it out of the bread machine.
Amazing bread! Super easy to make, requires no special ingredients, and always a crowd pleaser. You will be surprised how much flavor this non-fat white bread has. Recipe is great using white bread, medium crust settings.
I thought that the bread machine was my greatest time saver till I tried this recipe!! I used both the french and light crust settings and had great results with both, although the kids had a hard time with the chewy french crust. All in all, this is my new bread recipe!
This is my favorite bread recipe. A nice crust(chewy)and not alot of ingredients. Very easy and very tasty. I share this one with my friends!!
Good bread. I used french bread setting on my machine and reduced yeast to about 2tsp of fast acting. I'll probably reduce the water amount a little bit next time too. Makes good french toast!
I made in my older bread machine but I hate the mess the paddle makes in the bottom of my loafs. So I use the dough setting, turned it out and formed my loaves let them rise and baked at 350 for 40 minutes.
This bread is fantastic. Great color, taste, rise - everything. So easy, few ingredients and nothing "hard to find". This will be made again and again.
Made two smaller loaves which came out nice. Good texture, good smell, good taste. Bread machine did the work for me so all I had to do was separate the dough. I should have let the dough rise in the smaller bread pans for half an hour, but I got anxious. All in all, good bread.
I've been making bread for about 45 years. This recipe is everything you are looking for. It's quick, easy, rises beautifully, and the bread is the best! I don't use a bread machine, but this adapts simply to bowl and oven. You will become addicted to the process and product. I am heading to the kitchen right now to make a double recipe!
I make bread about 2-3 times/wk and this is the first time I've had a loaf collapse on me. I followed the recipe exactly with the Med crust and the French cycle. The top looked like a huge crater. The flavor was good and the inside was almost a sourdough texture which isn't what I expected but wasn't bad. The crust was crunchy but chewy at the same time. Not quite what I'm looking for.
This bread is AMAZING! I always make the 2lb loaf on the French bread cycle. One of my family's favorite meals is this bread, hot out of the machine, and some butter. That's all. I've been to France several times and this bread rivals the bread made there. As a matter of face, I think I'll go make some now...
I am in the process of making this bread,for which I have high hopes. I wanted to make the dough only in my machine but bake in the oven. I dont like the short fat loaves the machine produces. My dough is REALLY gummy and sticky though. I'm not sure if it's me, the machine, the air in my house... I will continue and update. Any suggestions?
This bread recipe is fantastic! My bread maker doesn't have a french bread setting (I have a new Zojirushi), but I put the ingredients in the machine and put the setting to "dough." Once the dough was made I removed it from the pan (flour your surface and hands, it's sticky!), formed a wide, flat oval (don't play with it much, you really don't need to) put it on a greased cookie sheet, covered it with a towel and let it rise until doubled in size (in a sunny window works well). I then baked it at 325 convection for about 40 minutes. If you don't have convection on your oven, do 350 for 40 minutes. It will sound hollow when it's done. To finish, I rubbed an herbed garlic basting oil over the entire top once it had cooled a bit. Delicious!!! Just as good or better as expensive bakery bread. Try it, you will not be disappointed!!!
Love this bread! I followed the recipe, but I used all purpose flour. French bread setting, medium crust. Turned out great!
A great basic recipe. Nice and chewy without being overly dense - perfect for sandwhiches. I also love the low sugar and no fat content - I feel like I'm eating what bread is supposed to be, lol. Thanks so much, this will be a regular.
Delicious! I made it by hand using a Kitchen Aid mixer dough hook and 1/2 cup extra flour. Everyone loved it.
I was very pleased with how this turned out - nice and crusty, with a good chew to it. Simple but delicious with nothing more than a pat of butter!
I made two so far today, and my roomie put me in charge of making bread form now on, both turned out very well. The second loaf, I substituted probably a quarter of the water for olive oil and added a dash each of oregano, basil and black pepper. The pepper in particular provided a nice bite. The bread was nice and fluffy on the French bread setting with a light crust.
Great, simple recipe! Crisp, chewy crust and tender on the inside! Perfect with a bowl of soup!
This was good! I do like the crustiness of it a lot. It's really good sliced thick and toasted with butter slathered on it while warm. We're having it tonight with ChaCha's White Chicken Chili, from this website. Thanks so much, Becki! I LOVE this website! :-)(May 19, 2003)
Very good! Tastes very similar to that frozen dough of white bread you can buy in the store, but has more of a crumbly homemade texture. Is moist and very good warmed up with butter.
I made some changes to this recipe due to my own tastes. I add caraway seeds to top before baking, brushed the top with salt water to give it a crispier crust, and I skipped the final rising. I loved it! It would with or with out the changes!
This is the best bread machine recipe for a chewy, French style bread. I love it warm, served with soup. (My favorite non-machine recipe for a crusty bread is Essence of Bread, on this site.)
my boyfriend loves this bread. it tastes just like french bread, and the basic ingredients are great for when you're out of milk or eggs
I have made this bread for New Year's Day for about 3 years now. This year was the first time it fell in my bread machine---the top caved in! I hope that is not bad luck! I think it is my new bread machine. I have made 3 different loaves in it and all of the tops have fallen. Anyone have any suggestions/solution for this problem? This is a really good loaf, I agree it tastes like French bread. Very dense, but yummy. I used the French bread cycle on my machine as others suggested.
This is a good but very basic recipe. I might try some seasoned butter on the remainder. It was my first successful attempt using my bread machine. I used regular all-purpose flower.
My second attempt at homemade bread, it is a nice basic bread recipe. Very simple.
if you want a bread jst for toast then this is great, its moist, soft etc but if its for sandwiches then not. for sandwiches this bread is soft but its very crumbly. was yummy with my marmite though! :-)
Went perfect with a nice stew. Very versatile bread, we used extra for sandwiches, and would make a lovely thick cut french toast.
Used the "French Bread" cycle for a crispier crust. This bread made the best French toast!
This is the first time I have attempted a bread recipe that did not call for any fat...I won't be trying any other fat free bread recipes any time soon. The dough was just a sticky mess. It rose well but had no structure at all...it was just a big lumpy blob. Then on the second knead the sticky mess stuck to the sides and had to be manually pushed down with a spatula. When it finished cooking the crust was strange there were so many holes and the inside was like a sponge...massive craters and a rubbery texture. I said I was going to throw it away but my father who loves bread begged me not to...that is until I cut into it and revealed the spongy texture...he then offered to take care of the disposal himself.
This is delicious! Definitely best when using the French cycle with light crust when using the machine. The crust was very crispy and wonderful! I will never again waste my time or money on store-bought crusty breads. This is more like Italian or Vienna, with a lightly sweet flavor. We ate it up in one sitting, it was so good!
The Dr wanted me to eat less fat and that usually means less taste with certain foods. I was very happy to find this recipe because my whole family loves this bread, and I can eat it too ! Thanks for sharing it.
Great basic white bread without dairy. I've used on the regular crust setting as well as French and both turned out well. If your bread machine requires the loaf size, this is a 1.5 pound loaf.
Yum! I made it on the French bread setting, and (like others have said) it came out looking a little bit weird. It looked like it had collapsed. The taste, however, was just wonderful. Perfect right out of the bread machine with butter.
My husband & I love this bread . It's simple, great as toast and filling. It reminds me of the bread my grandma made on her wood stove
I have made this recipe several times in my 1 1/2 lb bread machine because it's my partner's favorite. However, like many other reviewers, it rose way too much. This time I decided to use the dough cycle and bake it in the oven, using dandyell's suggestion of 350 degrees for about 40 minutes on a lightly greased pan. I add some white pepper and Sylvia's seasoning, brushed some butter over the top towards the end of baking, and added a bit of cornmeal to the bottom. Perfection!!! The texture is soft and chewy, with a beautiful crust that's not too crisp. I made a delicious sandwich with it, and my partner is planning on devouring most of the loaf. I did have to add a little flour to the dough, but I'm also not a super precise measurer.
I was so sure that this dough had fallen after the first run through the mix setting of my machine. However with only browning left to go I am surprised that it has filled my high capacity machine with half the ingredients.
I'm new to using a bread machine (and baking bread in general). I've tried this recipe 3 times so far. It is a big hit. However, the 2nd time I made it the top caved in. I thought it was my yeast so I threw it out and bought some new. The 3rd time it did it again. Now, I believe it is the amount of yeast I'm using. The recipe calls for 2 and 1/2 teaspoons. However, the first time I made this, when it didn't cave in, I used 1/4 OZ from a packet. 1/4 OZ is actually 2 and 1/4 teaspoons I believe. The 2nd and 3rd time I used a jar of yeast and measured it out myself. So...I'm going to try it a 4th time and see if that will do the trick. Other than looking weird, it is very good!
This is one of my all time favorite bread recipes. Comes out perfect every time I make it. Thank you!
Great bread recipe I used my oven 350 40 minutes I proofed my yeast for ten minutes let it rise for an hour Let rise for another hour in Pyrex dish 9x13 and baked easy to make Thanks for the recipe
I made this, but didn't use a bread machine. I will be making this again.
I do not have a bread machine, so kneaded by hand. I baked the loaf at 400F convection for about 30 minutes. Really nice bread, will make it again.
This bread is fantastic! The texture and flavor are wonderful with a beautiful crisp crust. Made with the French bread setting it turned out just right.
I made this for the first time this week to go with soup. Its absolutely delicious! Now I can't keep it in the house because my teenage children keep eating it and requesting more. Thank you for sharing!
The absolute BEST BREAD! People always ask for the recipe on this. I doesn't get any better!
I added powdered milk to the liquid mixture and added flax seed with awesome results!
I tried this out last night without a bread machine, according to another reviewer's method, and it came out pretty good! I think it lacked a little in flavor, but made up for it in texture! It was nice and crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy in the middle.
Great flavor with changes. Reduced ingredients by 1/3. Changed the water to 1/2 cream and 1/2 water. Added 2 T of butter. Placed in a bread machine and the loaf came out wonderful! I will use this recipe again.
Made a very small dense loaf. I took the advice of one of the reviewers and reduced the amount of water- probably a mistake since the dough seemed too dry during mixing and I had to add some.
I have made this 5 or 6 times in the last 2 weeks. It is DELICIOUS. Crunchy crust, soft and flavorful and solid on the inside. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
It was like pankake batter and didn't rise at all. Won't be using this recipe at all.
