Franskbrød (White Bread)

I think we’ve mentioned plenty of times on this blog how much we love bread. It’s just one of the best things in the world! And once you get the hang of making it yourself, store-bought bread is never quite as good. So, today we’re bringing you yet another bread recipe, this time for franskbrød. In Danish, this literally translates to “French bread,” but it’s definitely not as difficult or as complicated as a baguette or pain de campagne.

Franskbrød is just a simple white loaf, baked in a loaf tin with yeast and no pre-ferment or starter. Many people have their own variations on franskbrød (they may add seeds or use whole wheat flour) but we are keeping it simple and straightforward with this recipe. For slightly healthier bread recipes, you can check out the “bread & rolls” section of our website 🙂 You can also feel free to customize this recipe however you want!

This recipe is seriously so easy. And if you’ve made bread before, it’ll be a breeze. Just combine your ingredients (you may have to follow a certain process depending on your yeast – check out our recipe below for specifics) and knead the dough. Let this proof for about 2 hours, then shape into a sandwich loaf. Leave this for another 30 mins, brush with milk, and bake for about half an hour. Once it’s cooled a bit, you’ve got a delicious loaf of bread to use for whatever your heart desires! We hope you try it out!

Franskbrød (White Bread)

4.34 from 3 votes

This fluffy white bread loaf is perfect for toast, sandwiches, french toast – anything really! It’s easy to make and turns out absolutely delicious every time.

Servings 1 loaf

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
• 100 ml (a little under 1/2 cup) milk
• 100 ml (a little under 1/2 cup) water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 28 grams (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 350 grams (2 3/4 cups) all purpose or bread flour
• Extra milk to brush on top

Instructions

 

• If using instant yeast – add the yeast, milk, and water (make sure the milk and the water are lukewarm in temperature) to a bowl and whisk to combine. Then add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, salt, butter, flour) and stir together with a wooden spoon. If the dough is very sticky, you can add more flour a little bit at a time. Once a dough starts to form, you can start kneading.
  
• If using active dry yeast or fresh yeast – Heat up the milk and water, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. Then, add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, salt, butter, flour) and stir together with a wooden spoon. If the mixture seems very wet and sticky, you can add a little more flour a bit at a time. Once a dough starts to form, you can start kneading.
• Knead for 10-12 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  
• Cover and let the dough proof for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size and passes the poke test (should NOT spring back immediately when poked, should spring back slightly but leave an indentation).
  
• Oil a loaf pan (or line with parchment paper if you’re like us and your loaf pans are the opposite of non-stick).
  
• To shape the sandwich loaf, dump the dough out on a clean surface. Using your hands, stretch it out into a rectangle, with a width equivalent to the size of your loaf pan.
  
• Start rolling from one end, keeping the roll very tight.
  
• Once you have rolled it up, pinch together any creases and roll the loaf against the countertop lightly to create surface tension and help close the crease on the bottom of the loaf.
  
• Place the loaf in the pan and cover, letting this rise for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size and passes the poke test again. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
  
• Once it is ready to go in the oven, brush the top with a bit of milk and bake.
  
• You can also score the top of the bread!
  
• Bake for 30-35 minutes (make sure to check it at 30!) until the top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
  
• Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: fluffy, hearty, loaf, sandwich, simple, soft

Difficulty: Intermediate