My Famous French Bread

Over the weekend, I received an email from a reader asking about the French bread I mentioned in my last article. I had been so focused on sharing photos of my bitterballen that I completely forgot to discuss the bread! During my time in France, I dated a baker who taught me the art of sourdough baking. We made bread together many times over a few years. I don’t mean to brag (okay, maybe just a little), but I became quite skilled at baking bread.

Later, I lived in Germany, where I quickly became hooked on Flammkuchen, a type of German pizza. Flammkuchen is quite different from the pizzas you find in Italy or the U.S. The dough is wetter than typical pizza dough, and it’s rolled paper-thin. It’s topped with bacon, onions, and crème fraîche. It was a whole new experience, especially if you’re used to traditional tomato sauce and cheese pizza. The extra water in the dough makes it light and airy, a texture that’s hard to describe.

Soon, I found myself thinking, “I need to learn how to make this!” With my experience in bread-making, I started experimenting. I made a few test batches of dough until I got the consistency just right. After a few attempts at making pizza in my flat in Berlin, I decided to try something different. I rolled up a pizza into a loaf of bread, and that’s how my “famous” French bread came to life.

Okay, so it’s not technically French bread—it’s more of a German bread. But let’s be honest, “French bread” sounds a lot more appealing, right? (Sorry, Germany!)

It’s been a long time since those European days. My baking skills have definitely gotten rusty. I had forgotten many of the recipes and techniques I had learned back then. After several frustrating attempts to bake a decent loaf of bread, I realized I needed some help. So, I turned to Google.

These days, there is a vast amount of baking content online. People have written about every technique, every style of bread you can imagine. It’s truly overwhelming. However, I couldn’t find anything that resembled the bread I used to make. My bread in France was always sourdough-based, and the dough was so wet that I had to quickly form it into a ball on the table before popping it in the oven.

The closest I came to finding a similar recipe was this sourdough sandwich bread recipe. While it wasn’t quite the same as the bread I remembered, it was still delicious. The sesame seed topping added a nice touch too. Below is a version of my “French bread,” inspired by the recipe I found online. I did tweak the water ratio slightly, as the dough was too wet to handle comfortably.

Sourdough Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:

• 180g ice water
• 10g olive oil
• 300g bread flour
• 2g dry yeast
• 6g salt
• 70g sourdough starter or discard

Instructions:

• Mix Dough:
  • Combine ice water and flour, knead until mixed.
  • Add sourdough starter, dissolved yeast, and mix well.
  • Add salt and olive oil, knead until dough pulls away from the bowl.
• Stretch & Fold (if needed):
  • If dough is weak, fold 2-3 times within the first hour to strengthen.
• Ferment:
  • Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 2 hours).
• Divide & Shape:
  • Flour surface, spread dough, and roll into a batard.
  • Press out air bubbles, mist with water, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Bake:
  • Preheat oven to 480°F (250°C).
  • Bake for 18 minutes, creating steam for extra crispiness (optional).

Notes:

• No mixer needed—knead by hand until smooth.
• Dough can ferment overnight for enhanced flavor.
• Total time: ~3 hours (or overnight for next-day baking).

Thanks for reading! Au revoir.