Sweet Honey French Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Add to your bread machine per manufacturer instructions. While bread is baking, drizzle with honey if desired.

Steps:

• Place items in bread machine as per manufactures instructions.
• While bread is baking, drizzle with honey if desired.

Steps:

• Combine the honey, yeast and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir to combine and let the mixture stand until the yeast is activated and begins to foam, 5 minutes.
• Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl with a dough hook and slowly add in the yeast mixture. Gradually add 1 cup warm water and mix until the dough comes together into a ball that is not too wet (you may not need all of the water). If the dough is sticky, add a little bit more flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 2 to 6 minutes. You can do the thumbprint test: press in the dough with your thumb and it should bounce back when it's ready.
• Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a dishcloth, so it doesn't dry out. Let rest in a warm environment until doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Shape into 2 baguettes by making a flat rectangle out of your dough, then folding the top and bottom towards the middle, like an envelope, and sealing the seam with your fingers. Keep repeating the folding and sealing, stretching the rectangle lengthwise as you go, until it's about 12 to 14 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold and seal either end to round. Flip seam-side down and place on a sheet pan or baguette pan that has been dusted with cornmeal. Score the tops of the loaves, making deep diagonal slits 1/2-inch deep, cover with a dishcloth and let rise in a warm environment until they have doubled in size, 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and position your oven racks with one on the bottom and the other in the middle. Place an oven-safe (non-glass) bowl or pan on the bottom rack.
• When your bread has doubled for the second time, remove the towel and quickly and simultaneously, slide the sheet tray with the baguettes onto the middle rack while carefully throwing the ice cubes into the bowl on the bottom rack. The ice will create a burst of steam that will give you a nice crispy crust. Quickly shut the oven door so no steam escapes. Bake the baguettes until golden brown, 15 minutes.
• Cook's Note: If you have a glass window on your oven, place a towel over it when throwing the ice in, hot glass can shatter if ice touches it.
• Serving suggestions: ricotta cheese and acacia honey.

Steps:

• Place the water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If the bowl is cold, be sure the water temperature doesn't drop below 110 degrees F. Add the yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.
• Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. Add the flour slowly; you can always add more but you can't take it out. Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
• Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for one hour, until doubled in volume.
• Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel, and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with the egg white and bake the breads for 40 to 45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Steps:

• Mix 1/4 cup warm water and sugar in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix in butter, salt and honey. Using wooden spoon, stir in 4 cups flour.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form dough into ball. Butter large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then with clean towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each dough piece between hands and work surface into 9-inch-long loaf. Transfer loaves to baking sheet. Cover with plastic, then with towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Make 5 diagonal slashes crosswise in surface of each loaf. Lightly brush water over tops and sides of loaves. Bake loaves 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with water. Continue baking until loaves are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Steps:

• Place ingredients into bread machine according to machines specifications.
• Use basic white bread cycle, light crust setting.
• One tip- To get all your honey out of the measuring cups, stir around in the warm milk.
• You may also try substituting some flour with dry oatmeal for a Sweet Honey Oatmeal Bread. Just watch your liquid amount, it may need more or less.

Steps:

• Prepare the sponge
• In the bowl of the heavy-duty mixer, combine the milk, yeast (see note if using instant yeast), and honey and stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and half the flour and stir to blend. The sponge will be soft and sticky. Sprinkle with the remaining flour, to cover the sponge dough, but don't mix it in. Set aside to rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes. The sponge should erupt slightly, cracking the layer of flour. This indicates that the yeast is live and doing its job.
• Prepare the dough
• Add the honey, salt, eggs, and flour to the sponge. Mix at low speed just until the ingredients come together, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.
• When the butter is incorporated, it should be the same consistency as the dough. To prepare the butter, place it on a flat work surface, and with the pastry scraper, smear it bit by bit across the surface. (If you do not have a pastry scraper, use the back of a large metal spoon.) When it is ready, the butter should be smooth, soft, but still cool-not warm, oily, or greasy.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. When all the butter has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high for 1 minute, then reduce the speed to medium and continue to beat for 5 minutes more. The dough will be soft and pliable but shouldn't stick to your hands.
• First rise
• Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Chilling and second rise
• Punch down the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight, or for at least 4 hours, during which time it should double in size again.
• Form the brioche
• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, each weighing about 2 1/2 ounces. Roll each piece of dough tightly into a ball and place 6 pieces in each bread pan, staggering them in two rows of 3; there will be some space left at either end of the loaf but it will fill up when the dough rises again. Cover the pans with a clean cloth and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Lightly brush the dough with the beaten egg. Working quickly, using the tip of a pair of sharp scissors, snip a cross on the top of each ball of dough; this will help the brioche rise evenly as it bakes. Bake until the loaves are puffed and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Place the pans on the baking rack to cool. Turn the loaves out after they have cooled.
• Notes
• When using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast proof in warm milk; it can be added directly to the flour. Don't omit the milk, however, as this will change the balance of liquid to dry ingredients in the recipe. Instant yeast and active dry yeast can be used interchangeably in the same quantities.
• Honey both enriches the flavor of this brioche and helps keep it moist. Top quality honey makes all the difference here.
• The brioche is best eaten the day it is baked, although it can be tightly wrapped and stored for a day or two or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water. Separate two eggs; refrigerate two egg whites. Place remaining egg yolks and eggs in a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup honey, oil, salt, yeast mixture, 3 cups flour and remaining warm water; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Pour boiling water over raisins in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Knead in raisins. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Divide one portion into six pieces. Roll each into a 16-in. rope. Place ropes parallel on a greased baking sheet; pinch ropes together at the top. , To braid, take the rope on the right and carry it over the two ropes beside it, then slip it under the middle rope and carry it over the last two ropes. Lay the rope down parallel to the other ropes; it is now on the far left side. Repeat these steps until you reach the end. As the braid moves to the left, you can pick up the loaf and re-center it on your work surface as needed. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. For a fuller loaf, using your hands, push the ends of the loaf closer together. Repeat process with remaining dough. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg whites and honey with water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.