Here's a delicious recipe for homemade French Bread to serve with any meal. Delicious with the dipping oil and perfect for your next French or Italian Dinner.
In large mixing bowl, mix together 3 cups flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
In small saucepan or microwavable bowl, combine milk, water, and butter. Heat until butter starts to melt (between 110-115 degrees).
Add liquids to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough.
Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and allow to rise for 50-60 minutes.
At the end of the rising time, gently punch down dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. With a rolling pin, shape each into a 10 x 12" rectangle. Roll up jelly roll style, pinching edges and ends to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing sealed edges down. With a sharp knife or bread lame, score each loaf with 3-4 diagonal cuts. Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm. This recipe makes 2 large loaves.
To Make the Dipping Spice and Oil
In a small bowl, combine dried onion, crushed rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Store in airtight container to use as needed. This will make 1/4 cup of spice mix.
For dipping, combine extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons spice mix, and balsamic vinegar in a small serving dish. I will sometimes also add in minced garlic. Serve with warm French bread.
Notes
*You may freeze the extra loaf if desired by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, and then storing in a 2 gallon freezer bag.**Unless otherwise indicated, all butter on this recipe site uses salted butter.