Veggie Sandwich on Homemade French Bread Lunch
As most of you know, my kids pack their own lunches. I start them in Kindergarten doing it themselves. Understand, we have parameters of course. They have to have a veggie, a protein, a fruit, and a grain. We also have all the food for lunches from our meal plans that often they will pack because it’s available, and it’s easy.
However, as much as they love to pack sandwiches, sometimes we run out of bread, before the week is over. Instead of heading out to the grocery store early in the morning, or in the middle of the night, I will make some homemade bread instead. The problem with homemade bread, usually, is it’s a bit too crumbly to spread anything on it. That’s why I love homemade french bread! It’s so much chewier, and holds together a little bit better for sandwiches. Plus, I like the size of French Bread as well!
So, for this lunch, we made a veggie sandwich. We added some hummus for protein. Sliced veggies to scoop out our hummus, and some pineapple- because we were also out of fresh fruit! (I need to get to the store ASAP!)
To make the French Bread, we mixed up some dough in our stand mixer and then let it rise, for about 2 hours! (a little longer than regular breads)
Then, I divided my dough in half and placed them in a pan, meant for french bread (that’s how much I like french bread! I bought a pan just for it! The holes around the bottom help the crust to get crispy all around.)
I let it rise again in the pan, and then scored the top with a knife.
Then, we baked it, sliced it, and used it for sandwiches.
For our veggie sandwich, we made it with spinach, avocado, and provolone cheese. I like to keep our sandwiches manageable for kids- too many ingredients or fillings are hard to eat! We grilled it to melt the cheese. It’s OK to send a grilled sandwich to school! It won’t be warm, but it still tastes fine.
And our final product: DELICIOUS!
Mmmm..Doesn’t that look amazing? I assure you, it was!
I love the laptop lunch containers for making sure my kids include all the food groups! I’ve talked about them before here about how easy they make it to keep our lunches balanced- meaning half fruits and vegetables!
So, for this lunch the nutrition data is as follows, and the french bread recipe below!
Veggie Sandwich on Homemade French Bread Lunch
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups white flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups warm water
For brushing top of bread
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Blend three cups of the whole wheat flour with 2 cups of the white flour.
- Add yeast and salt and stir to combine.
- In a stand mixer with your dough hook, slowly pour in warm water. Only add the last cup of flour if your dough needs it. Dough should be soft, and not sticky, but the less flour you use, the softer your bread will be.
- Knead the dough for about 8 minutes.
- Place in a bowl that has been greased with oil.
- Turn the dough on all sides to coat the dough with the oil.
- Cover and let rise for 2 hours.
- After rising, punch dough down and divide into two loaves.
- You can use a french bread pan, or a cookie sheet. Shape into two long loaves.
- Take the egg white and brush the top of the dough. Score the top of your loaves with a sharp knife.
- Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until you can knock the top of the loaf and it sounds hollow.
Nutrition
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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How do you store your homemade bread?
WE keep ours in the pantry in a plastic bread bag. If we won’t eat it in the next 3-4 days, then we store it in the fridge.
Is this self rising or all purpose white flour?
All Purpose flour Jen.
Do I have to use wheat flour or can it all be white? I have a child allergic to wheat.
Yes Sarah- You can absolutely use all white. But it seems like if someone has a wheat allergy, they’d also be allergic to white flour, no??
Hallo
Ill be making bread for the first in an attempt to escape all the unnecessary ingrediants found in breads in the market and urs loooks vry ez.
Ijust wanted to ask whr do i bake itin since i dnt have a bread baking utensil
I’ve never made homemade bread before, but I LOVE french bread and this looks too delicious not to try! Can I substitute Coconut Flour for the wheat flour? Will it still rise the same?
What type of yeast is used for this bread? Active dry?
Is there a way to make this without the special pan?
Can I make this in a regular loaf pan?
Where did you get those awesome pans?
I am trying to print this from my MacBook and I can’t get just the recipe. What is the trick to ignore all the comments and photos, etc?
Has anyone tried this in a bread maker?
What is the best gluten free flour to use for this recipe? Also, does it have to be commercial yeast? I have a sensitivity to gluten and commercially produced yeast like Fleishman’s.
Hello again!
How long do I need to kneed this if I’m making it by hand? Is there a certain change in consistency I need to look out for or is just all dependent on how long I kneed it? Thank you in advance.
Wendy- I haven’t tried a gluten free version of this. Is there something besides commercial yeast?
It’s fixed Debra!
Yes, Active Dry will work @Jennifer
I doubt it April- but I’ve never worked with coconut flour before.
I got the pan at Sur la Table David, but you can get them from Amazon as well.
If you want it to be like french bread Amy, just shape your loaf on a cookie sheet.
Just until its smooth and elastic Amber.
I made it in our bread maker today using the dough cycle and then baking in the oven. It turned out perfectly!
Thanks Kate!
I made this yesterday using a cookie sheet (I don’t have a cool french loaf pan like you) and my loaves came out kind of flat. When I cut them into slices they are more like biscotti size. Doesn’t taste bad but can’t use for sandwiches. I wonder what went wrong. Do you think it was just because I used a cookie sheet?
I’m sure it’s not Nicole, cause I’ve used cookie sheets for years! You may just need to shape it shorter and taller, and make sure it rises properly.
With breads, unfortunately when you try a new method, it sometimes takes a few times to get it right. So, definitely try again!