Sweet Honey French Bread

I made this bread by hand and baked with with egg white on the top for 20 minutes on 375. It was golden, lovely, and very lightly sweet. My husband flipped and ate the whole thing. I'm keeping it in my records forever.

First time the aroma was great but it was a little denser then we liked. I added 2 tablespoons of water and changed the salt and sugar to 1/2 teaspoon. The flavor is great and this is one of our favorites.

Very tasty, and good texture on this one. However, this makes a bit small of a loaf, as it is posted. The second time I made it, I upped the servings field to 18 and had allrecipes adjust the quantities for it. This produced a 'normal' sized loaf for it, and came out perfect. Both times I only use the dough setting on my machine, then take it out and bake it at 350 deg for 35 minutes.

This really was good bread. I didn't read the directions correctly and added 2 tablespoons of honey instead of 2 teaspoons. I think it made the bread that much better. It was not too sweet at all. My family loves this bread and I will continue to make it - with the extra honey.

This has become one of my favorite recipes. It's a good, all purpose bread. It comes out great every time, and I've probably made it at least 20 times. My husband loves it!

GRRRRRRRREATTT recipe Michele. Don't know what makes this French or what gives it such a nice crust & texture but it works. Have made a zillion loaves of bread (I try everything)and this one is excellent. Best regards from Jackie Boehm

I used my bread machine to make this into a dough, then I took it out and let it rise for an hour. I punched it down, and cut it down to 8 rolls. let them rise for a few hours then baked. I didnt put honey on top, but used butter instead. Came out pretty good, big hit at our small easter dinner. Thanks :)

Fantastic! I doubled and made in my Kitchen Aid. Yeast proofed first then I added rest of flour and used dough hook for 7=8 minutes. I did add and extra couple tsp of sugar to this batch. It turned into a beautiful white dough that was very easy to handle. I let rise for 1 hour, then split into 3 pieces and rolled into 18-20 in long strips and braided. Sprayed a cookie sheet and put braid on, covered w wet towel and let rise for another 1/2 hour. Glazed with an egg white, water and honey mixture. I chose to sprinkle with some white seasame seeds (which added a nice dynamic!) Baked in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Wonderful!! This comes as close to my favorite store bought italian loaf (with a sweet twist) as possible. I'm keepin it!

I really liked the flavor of this loaf, but the loaf was really small. I used it for croutons, but the loaf would have been too small as a side for my family of 4. Overall the flavor was good, though, especially considering I was out of honey so I didn't really sweeten it at all. I would love to try it again doubling the recipe, but for my first attempt, I was disappointed that it didn't yield more. The second and 3rd times I made this, I was out of honey, so I substituted with molasses. Honestly, I prefer it this way! It makes the loaf taste more "rustic" sweet and less "sticky" sweet. Also, doubling the recipe worked a lot better -- we had enough for my family of 4. Its a really good, easy base recipe, but I have had to play with it to get it the way I like it.

I can hardly get this loaf out of my machine and my kids have it eaten! It took 2 loaves before my husband even got to taste it. A favorite in our house!

The written recipe needs adjustment since it makes a really small loaf. Double the recipe for sure and use a full packet of yeast ( 2 1/4 teas.) I doubled the honey as well and made a nice braid. 375 degrees for 25-27 min. Nice base recipe and concept. The honey adds nice subtle flavor.

I tried this recipe for the first time this afternoon and thought it was wonderful! It really isn't as sweet as everyone makes it out to be, but it is wonderful. I used the light crust setting and the crust is just perfect! I did drizzle a little honey (maybe a teaspoon) about 5 minutes before the baking was completed, and it proved to be a bit messy during the unloading of the bread, though it was delicious! We ate ours with honey or honey butter, and it didn't even have a chance to cool before it was gone! Definately a keeper for the recipe box!

I have made this recipe several times and it;s always a success. I double it, run it through the "dough cycle" on my bread machine. Remove and separate into 4 balls, let them rest 10 minutes. I then roll & shape, let rise another 30-40mins, brush with egg, bake in 375oven for about 30 mins and voila!

I don’t use a bread machine so I proof the yeast in the water, honey and sugar that I had warmed to 110º. If you are planning to use the dough hook on your KA to knead – don’t. The dough ball is so small that the hook doesn’t pick it up or at least mine didn’t. I manually kneaded it by hand and baked it at 350º for 25 minutes. The bread is very, very subtly sweet and the honey doesn’t come through as much as I had hoped although I added a tablepoon of honey, however I did not drizzle the honey while baking. It still was very good and makes a lovely little loaf of bread. We thought it was very good.

My daughter said the bread was "amazing"!High praise indeed. I made dough in bread machine and then shaped and let rise a bit on a cookie sheet, then baked at 350 for 30 min. I might try it in a loaf pan next time to give it a better sandwich bread shape. I don't really like the way crusts turn out in my bread machine, so I prefer to finish in oven.

Absolutely delicious! I have made this bread several times, both in the bread machine and with my mixer, and every time it has come out perfect. This last time I made rolls and they made the best sandwiches ever. The slight touch of honey makes just the right amount of sweetness. This is definitely a keeper!

This bread was quite good. Even on the third day!

I made this bread by hand and it was very easy. (I misread the directions and put 2 Tablespoons of honey. Yummy!) I used King Arthur unbleached all purpose bread flour which I was told has a higher gluton content and is better for bread recipes. I went to YouTube for videos on how to make homemade bread and followed the directions for kneeding and rising. I would recommend everyone without a bread machine to do the same. Since I do not have a mixmaster with a hook, I did this completely by hand. I rounded off the measurements for the salt to one full teaspoon, since I do not have a 2/3 measuring spoon. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees but turned it down to 375 when I popped them into the oven. I forget to let it rise a second time and ended up with two 6 inch loaves which was fine. Even though I made those two mistakes (the additional Tablespoon of honey and failing to let it rise a second time), the bread still turned out delicious! I did not use an egg wash on top and I would strongly suggest not using egg wash if you want your crust nice and soft. I did use parchment paper to line my baking sheets which I strongly recommend. It prevents burning. I received rave compliments from my family members who are not big bread eaters and asked me to make more. I am pretty sure that if I let them cool to room temperature and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil, these loaves would freeze well so next time, I will double the recipe and freeze them. You can't go wrong with this

Really disappointing. There aren't that many reviews, which I normally look for, but I took a chance with this recipe. The flavor was fine, and it was really crusty (which is good) and soft in the middle, but it was VERY small and dense. I used new yeast and follwed the directions exactly, so I'm not sure what the problem was.

Very disappointed with this bread...came out too gummy and heavy almost like lead.

It is good bread, just really hard to get out of the bread maker and a little too hard to use for sandwiches. Really good for hard break with soup.

This is a GREAT recipe!! I make it almost every night and my family loves it. Sometimes I substitute a half cup of whole wheat flour for the white just for a change of pace. I have never added the honey on top - it's great without it!

Made this in bread machine at DOUGH setting. Let it raise; rolled it out on floured board into a French loaf and put it on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for 20 minutes and baked it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. It turned it perfect and delicious. Crusty outside and very tender inside. My son ate half of it after he tasted it.

I made this in a 9 x 5 pan, but I think it would have worked better in an 8 x 4 pan. In any case, the crust is chewy and the flavor is slightly sweet. I loved it.

This bread came out really good! The smell was soo good I couldn't wait to try it. I set it on light setting and the crust came out nice with a little crisp to it. I cut it while warm and spread some Bigelow's Honey Spread on it. I'll add this recipe to my favorite breads!

After reading the reviews that this recipe yeilded a small loaf, I doubled the recipe (I have a 2 lb loaf machine). I don't know what I did wrong, but the dough was "soupy", so I added additional flour - could be I calculated wrong, but I don't think so. After I got the consistancy correct, it turned out to be VERY dense. The flavor was SO good (yes it was subtly sweet - not sweet like a quick bread) that hubby ate it up!! The crust was wonderful and crunchy (maybe from the oil?) with a great flavor. The honey added during baking did not make it messy for me, but I added it at the beginning of the baking cycle, or I think maybe it might. Next time, I think I will be more careful with doubling the recipe and will bake it in the oven in the shape of a traditional "french loaf".

This was great bread! My only complaint was that it wasn't very sweet, even my boyfriend said it was bette than my normal bread recipe but not at all what he expected from "Sweet" bread. So it is now my regular bread recipe and I am still looking for something sweet, maybe adding more honey or sugar would help...

Turned out great and was easy to make. I didn't have bread flour and it still turned out very good with regular all purpose.

Tasted great, gotta love bread machines!

I took the advice of another review and added extra honey. I served it with some homemade honey-butter spread. It was delicious!! Will use this recipe again.

I did the dough cycle in my bread machine and then baked this in the oven. It was excellent! I drizzled honey on the top before baking and it made it nice and sweet. The two of us ate the whole loaf in a day and a half!

Excellent crust, loaf is dense, but is a good all around bread. I also use light crust setting, and it comes out perfect every time. My family loves this recipe. I've made 4 loaves in a week -- and it's usually gone within 12-24 hours!

I adore this bread. Simple ingredients that I always have on hand. I added 3/4 of a cup of diced pepperoni when the bread machine indicated to add ingredients after the first kneading cycle. Super for grilled cheese. Loved dunking this bread in tomato soup.

I adjust the servings to 18 so that allrecipes converts it to a standard loaf. Try this bread people! This is now our regular white bread we keep in the house for eating along side meals or when preparing a sandwich.

This is the second French bread recipe I have tried, and so far this has turned out the best. I probably added a little more honey and a little more salt than called for but it turned out well. Also, I adjusted the recipe up as another viewer suggested to make a more normal size loaf when baking without a bread machine. The bread was not too dense, the crust was lightly crispy, and the flavor was really nice. The smell of this bread is wonderful. A great beginner bread to make. Oh, and I made two small rounds rather than one long loaf. My husband and kids loved it with the fresh butter I made to go with it. Yum!

This bread was very good, the texture was nice, and flavor was delicious. The instructions were vague. But I have made enough loaves to know to raise for an hour and bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes. It came out great. Yum! Next time, I will leave off the honey drizzle on top.

Amazing bread! It was very simple to make as well as great texture and flavor. I'll be making this again! I didn't really change anything in the recipe except I doubled the ingredients (as I wanted two loaves) and didn't use a bread maker (followed the suggestions from a previous post) - set oven to 375 and egg washed the bread before baking (great color). Perfect!

Good recipe - nothing different fromthe French bread I usually make. It makes a REALLY tiny loaf, which was a bit disappointing.

I've made this bread a few times now and it comes out great every time. The husband and kids (who are extremely picky :) ) ate the whole loaf the same night.

This is the best bread I have ever made in a bread machine. Yes, it's not sweet, but man it's good!I absolutely love how crusty it is. I was planning on making 2 loaves since these are small. I sliced into the first one to taste it. Wow! I was starting to think I would never produce a awesome loaf of bread in the bread machine. I am going to make a second loaf right away for dinner. I think my DH will flip over this bread. My kids will like it to.

Since I got my bread machine I have tried about 30 recipes..this one is the very best yet! It's moist and chewy,with a perfect crispy crust and a light sweet taste. It goes with everything and slices perfect for sandwiches!

This is very good. I used my breadmaker for the dough cycle only and then made French loaves. I doubled the recipe bc of the comments that it made a small loaf; got two large French loaves that way. I did not drizzle with honey; just used the spray butter and baked at 350 for 35 min. Turned out perfect with a nice crust and good flavor. It is not that sweet, so if I wanted a sweeter bread probably would add the honey. But this way its perfect for sandwiches, too. Thanks for the recipe!

I loved the bread. The crust was just right but For me it need Ed to be a little more sweet so I doubled up on the honey and added extra flour to reach the desired consistency.after these changes it is the best sweetbread I have ever eaten or made! I cant eat enough of it! :)

WONDERFUL. I prepared the dough in my bread machine, and then took others' suggestions and baked it in the oven. When it was done rising in the machine, I thought it seemed like it would yield a very small loaf, but it rose beautifully and filled an 8x4 pan quite nicely. I baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes and it came out golden brown. I worried that it would end up being rock hard (an issue I frequently have when baking bread) but it was perfect. Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside. The honey gave it just the right hint of sweetness without being overbearing. This will be my go-to basic French bread recipe from now on. Next time I'll double the recipe to yield a larger loaf.

I've been having a problem making bread lately and wanted a recipe to test my breadmaker & yeast. I thought I'd try this one and I'm so glad I did. It tasted just a little yeasty although I think I added a little more yeast than was called for. I did have to add a little more water as well but I think that's due to my bread machine. I think with a little more honey this will be excellent. I let the machine make the dough then removed it, kneaded it quickly and formed it into a roll/log to let it rise and bake in the oven. It made a good sized loaf, about the same size I buy at the grocery store. Definitely will be making the recipe again, probably in a few days!

This was really good! I would up the amount of honey in the bread, probably will do more like 1-2 tablespoons. I made this recipes exactly how directed and it was great & not really all that sweet, SO i think more honey will just add to the flavor! I used my bread machine to kneaad it, I braided the dough and baked it @ 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. I drizzled honey on top halfway through but probably wouldnt agian..I like the flavor but it made it kind of sticky! A slice with butter and some honey on it is AMAZING!

I have not been happier with any bread machine recipe than I am with this one. The others were nice enough, but this is just so perfect! It really does have a French bread texture, and I am not a French bread fan at all, but it works so well with this bread, giving it a light and fluffy but crispy texture that, combined with the light sweetening and a little honey drizzled over the crust, makes the bread a real treat to eat. I made it 2 tablespoons honey rather than 2 teaspoons on accident, and I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract as an experiment. It came out beautifully!

This bread is not sweet. The texture is very soft with nice crumb. the dough would make good hamburger or hotdog buns. The loaf also makes great toast. I set the bread machine for a light crust and the bread was perfect.

The family loves this bread. It is tasty and firm enough for sandwiches. I've also used what is left from old loaves (mostly the heals that no one will eat or when it gets a little to dry for sandwiches)for our thanksgiving stuffing and most recently Gramma's bread pudding from this site. They were both a huge hit. I increased the serving size to 18 and it makes a perfect size loaf. Thanks for the recipe.

Very delicious and sweet. The loaf is a little smaller than the usual, but it didn't matter because I made it into dinner rolls. Our guests loved them and our family did too. Thank you!

made this this morning...used the dough cycle in my bread machine then shaped it into two loaves...i did change the calculations to 16 so it rounded of the amounts of the ingredients better...did an egg wash and sprinkled poppy seeds on it...baked and then after it cooled i toasted it and slathered it with more honey...heck what a great way to start my day!...luv this recipe...thanks...this time i made the recipe as stated without altering the servings and it made a nice small loaf for one person...let it bake in the bread machine too...i was not disappointed...this is a really good bread recipe...thanks again...

Excellent flavor and aroma, easy to bake too! I sell out of this one like crazy at the famers markets!

I'm only giving this 3 stars because it definitely did not taste like honey! I had also read another review that said it yielded a small loaf, and I would have to agree. It was good, but I won't be making this recipe again....I'm sure there's a better one somewhere on allrecipes.

I have now made this bread twice, and love it! My husband & 3 boys couldn't stop eating it at dinner! Very tasty and easy. Thanks Michele!

I loved this bread. Nice texture and crust. To bad it's such a small loaf, kids had it eaten within the hour. I'll have to double it next time.

Excellent bread, however I did do a couple of things the other reviews recommended. First I did double the recipe; added a little more salt and did not use my bread machine. I used my mixer with the bread kneading attachment. My family liked it so much I had to send some home with them.

I made this one several years ago, and I rememebered it because I over-zealously drizzled honey during baking and it burned a little! My fault...but I made it again today and this time I added 1/2 cup of wheat flour, and about 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. It turned out very nice, and my 8yo thanks you! My 3yo esp. liked watching the 'bread washing machine' (as he calls my bread machine). Thanks for the great loaf of bread! We had a tea party with it and green koolaid tea. (:

Holy god. This is terrific. We substituted 1/4 of the bread flour with whole wheat flour, and it still turned out so soft. We topped it with basil pesto, and we're blown away with the flavor.

This bread always comes out perfect. Use the French setting on your machine for a bigger fluffier loaf. You can use the regular setting if you are in a hurry and it comes out fine!

Good but not too sweet. I would like it to be a little sweeter. Did half honey and half molasses.

This was a nice, basic bread recipe (chewy inside, crisp outside), perfect with homemade vegetable soup on a snowy day. I didn't change a thing, and the 59-minute, quick-rise cycle on my bread machine formed a great little loaf. I'll use this recipe again!

love these.... just made them today.... made them into rolls (well mini rolls..lol) after reading that the original recipe makes a small loaf.... so tried these into roll size... (only 2nd time baking bread) i will make these again, double the recipe, and maybe add a little more honey, but as is OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!

This was good... nothing dense about the way ours turned out. There wasn't anything spectacularly yummy about the recipe, but it was really good!

This didn't come out edible for us. It was a very small loaf and hard as a rock inside and out.

I substituted 1/2c of the white flour for whole wheat flour and then used this bread for the recipe "Make Ahead French Bread" Extremely tasty!

Changed the servings to 18 to make a normal sized loaf. A good "staple" bread...not too sweet.

Very good recipe. Bread comes out moist and tender on the inside and crusty on the outside. When I make it again I won't put the honey on the outside as it bakes as it tends to burn; it's actually sweet enough without it.

I make this bread often. Very easy and tasty. Nice and light almost croissant-like texture.

soo super easy! This was the 1st bread machine bread I've made that was a recipe, verses a bought bread mix box. The outside was super crusty. which was awesome. My only problem was getting it out of the pan. I did it with in minutes of my timer letting me know the bread was done. So maybe that was reason it literaly ripped into 2 halves coming out of the pan. However it was excellent regardless of how it came out of the pan. It was light and airy on the inside, supper crusty on the outside.

Followed the recipe exactly and there is something wrong. It came out totally flat. I tried to do it as dough and the just bake it in the oven but the dough was way too wet.

I found this bread to be quite dry and dense. Awful for sandwiches, but ok wth dinner. Hubby liked it, though, so I guess that's worth another star.

This recipe is very yummy. I had to make some changes, I don't have a bread machine. I doubled this recipe. In a small bowl I added 1/4 cup of water and 1 Tbs yeast, let sit for 5-10 min. In a large bowl I mixed 4 cups of sifted flour, 3 Tbs honey, 4 tsp olive oil, 1 1/3 tsp salt, 1 1/3 tsp sugar. I then added the yeast mixture, stir; then add 1 1/4 cups water and mix well. Place on well floured surface and knead dough-a little sticky from honey, but the flour helps to make it not sticky. Then separated the dough to make 2 loaves and placed them each on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let rise for a couple of hours. I melted butter brushed it on dough, then added sesame seeds on top. Separately I baked each loaf in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, a little brown, giving the edges a slight crunch. My 16 yr-old couldn't stop eating it. We love it! Thanks

I really loved the flavor of this bread. I baked it in my bread machine, but next time I think I will bake it in the oven. A keeper.

It's perfect! Thank you very much for the sweet French bread :)

Wonderful bread! I changed the setting to 18 servings, and it makes a 1.5 pound loaf using 3 cups of bread flour. I don't use the honey drizzle at the end, and I don't find it to be a sweet bread...just a delicious bread that has become my go-to recipe. It makes great toast, and I used slices from a loaf I baked yesterday for French toast today.

This was good. not as sweet as I thought it was going to be. I do recommend adding more honey. I did enjoy very much though!

I loved this recipe. I added a little more honey, because I like a little sweetness to my bread. I did not even have to eat it with butter or anything the bread was amazing. I loved how thick it was, I would be able to make sandwiches on it!

Easy to make and yummy to eat!

I made this yesterday and it was great. I doubled the recipe, dumped it all in the bread machine and three and a half hours later I had a thing of beauty. Will definitely be doing this one again.

Super easy and delicious

This bread was delicious. Soft and light with a great taste.

The bread was very good and is now a favorite with my husband who is very picky. I followed the recipe for the bread machine with a couple of adjustments. I changed servings to 18, Instead of .25 yeast and letting it sit to dissolve, I used 1 tbsp yeast and used olive oil instead of regular oil. Put the ingredients in starting with water, oil then dry ending with the yeast on top and used my dough setting. I let the dough sit for an hour after cutting and shaping it to a twist french loaf, this allowed the dough to rise to a regular size loaf of french bread such as you would buy in the store. I glazed it with honey before baking at 350F for 25 min. The bread came out beautiful and is now a keeper. Perfect size for my family of 5.

Excellent recipe. The bread is very light and the crust is deliciously crusty. As my husband prefers his bread a tad bit sweeter, I'm going to add just a little more honey and sugar to the recipe. Otherwise this bread is a BIG hit!

amazing simply amazing! We were having ziti and I saw this and thought why not?My honey loved it. He said it was the best bread he ever had.I did double it thank god because he had half of it gone before dinner hit the table. I also used dough setting and baked it in trhe oven like some others did.

Ehhh...This recipe gives you a decent loaf of bread, but nothing to rave over. I couldn't really taste the honey at all, and it tasted a little more like a sourdough bread to me than French.

came out great. will be a go to from now on,

I made this over the Thanksgiving holiday and it was a total hit. It came out moist, light and fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside. It also had that little very subtle sweetness that made everyone say, "wow this is great bread." I did change it a little tho. I used the dough setting on my breadmaker. I doubled the recipe and let it rise outside of the breadmaker and baked it off in the oven. I also chose not to drizzle additional honey on the outside. Didnt want to over do the sweetness or make it sticky and messy. This is definitely on my list of breads to make regularly and bring to dinners. Great!!! recipe and thanks for sharing.

This was the best french bread I have ever made. I did not use a bread maker and ended up adding a little bit more flour to get the consistency perfect.

this turned out great in my bread machine!

Most amazing french bread I have baked! I bake it in the oven though after rising 45 minutes, 425 for 20 minutes.

Sweet spongy bread! This is so simple for the bread machine. You really can't beat it!

Awesome recipe - I upp'd the honey to 4 tbs which may seem like a lot but it was perfect. I also changed the servings to 18 in order to make a full 1.5lb loaf in my bread machine. I'm going to slice it up and save half to make french toast too! Definitely a keeper.

Followed the recipe exactly & it tasted great! Lovely with jam for breakfast.

This is awesome bread, just fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly the first time only I don't have a bread maker so I did everything by hand. Not only is this bread like eating a fluffy nicely crusted piece of heaven, the dough is extremely easy to work with, I found. I've made iy probably 7 times since I found this recipe a month ago. After my first try, I doubled the recipe since it was TOTALLY not enough bread and I use leftovers to make bread pudding. (Makes great bread pudding) What I love about this recipe is how versitalle it is. Changing tiny things in it can change it's application. I've now made piroshki's and rolls out of it as well as the typical french bread loaf. I had very fond memories of my mother making french bread fresh out of the oven for us on Friday nights using the white bread plus recipe out of the Joy of Cooking. It was the most delicious thing I had ever had... Till I made this recipe. ^_~

This recipe was SO good, except I used organic high gluten flour instead of bread flour, and I used the "sweet" setting on my breadmaker :D. It turned out amazing.

This bread is great and so easy. I make it in the bread maker so the loaves don't look like the ones pictured. This bread can be sliced thick and used for everything from french toast to garlic toast. Thanks!

This is fantastic with the honey butter from this site!

When my very finicky husband prounounced I could make this bread anytime, I knew it was a keeper. Thank you!

I didn't particularly care for this recipe. The loaf was VERY small, maybe just over half the height of my 1.5 lb. bread machine canister and didn't taste like anything that was put in it. I think I'll try other recipes.