French Honey Bread

This honey bread is a straightforward bread machine recipe that produces a lightly sweet, crusty loaf with just seven ingredients. The tablespoon of honey and teaspoon of sugar give the yeast a quick boost while adding a subtle sweetness that sets it apart from plain French bread.

Olive oil replaces the butter you’d find in most enriched breads, keeping the crumb tender without weighing it down. The result is a loaf that’s crusty on the outside, soft and slightly chewy inside, with a mild honey flavor that works with both sweet and savory toppings.

The recipe doubles as pizza dough, and the author notes it makes excellent crust. Pull the dough after the machine’s knead and rise cycle, roll it out, let it rest 20 minutes, then top and bake. The honey in the dough promotes browning, so you get a golden crust with slightly caramelized edges.

Chef Tips

• Use bread flour, not all-purpose. The higher protein content gives you better structure and chew in both the loaf and the pizza crust.
• Add ingredients in the order your bread machine manual recommends (usually liquids first, then dry, yeast on top).
• For pizza dough, roll the dough thin and let it rest the full 20 minutes. Skipping the rest makes the dough spring back and shrink.
• If using soy cheese on pizza, add it in the last 5 minutes of baking. It burns faster than regular cheese.

Variations

• Herb bread: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary and ½ teaspoon dried thyme with the flour for a savory herb loaf.
• Whole wheat blend: Replace 1 cup of bread flour with whole wheat flour for a nuttier, denser bread with more fiber.