Rainbow French Bread

This rainbow french bread is almost too pretty to eat. A soft fresh french loaf that has swirls of coloured dough to make a beautiful rainbow pattern.

I know there are a few steps and it may look daunting, but this bread is simple to make. It also makes a great activity to do with children.

WHY You'll Love It

Use basic ingredients. This recipe uses basic ingredients that you probably already have in you cupboards.

Pretty. This gorgeous and unique bread is almost too pretty to eat.

Fun activity. I make this bread with my two children as a fun activity.

Tastes amazing. There is no better taste than warm fresh bread out of the oven!

Texture. This bread have a slight crunchy and chewy outside and a soft and pillowy texture inside.

Ingredients

• Yeast- This recipe uses active dry yeast.
• Water- You want to water to be bath temperature.
• Sugar- White sugar is used to activate the yeast.
• Flour- All purpose flour is used.
• Salt
• Vegetable oil- Is used in the recipe and to grease the bowls the dough rises in.
• Food colouring - Use four colours, the brighter/neon the food colouring the better the effect.

Step by Step Instructions

Activity the Yeast

In a small measuring cup add warm water, yeast, and sugar. Gently stir and set aside for 10 minutes. This will activate the yeast and you will see and you will see a foam form.

Making the Dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the flour and the salt, mix together.

Add in the activated yeast mixture and vegetable oil.

Use a dough hook on a stand mixer on low speed until the dough is formed. It should form one cohesive ball that crawls up the dough hook.

Once dough is formed continue kneading for about another 6-7 minutes on medium speed. You can tell the dough is well kneaded if it can be stretched well without breaking or you can gently press down on it with your finger and the dough puffs back up.

Colouring the Dough

Remove dough from the bowl and divide dough into four equal pieces. You can do this with a scale but I just eyeball it.

Take one ball and add 1 tsp of food colouring into the dough ball. Knead the colour in by hand. You want to knead the food colouring until the dough is a solid colour. This does take a lot of time and you may have to add more food colouring in.

Continue this step for the remaining three dough balls using a different colour for each ball.

Once the dough has been dyed it is time to let it rise. Grease two large bowls with vegetable oil and place two dough balls per bowl inside. Turn dough over in the bowls to coat the top with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm location until it has doubled in size, about an hour.

After an hour gently punch each ball down, cover, and let rise again for another 30 minutes.

Shaping the Bread

After the second rise remove dough from the bowls and place on a clean surface. Using a rolling pin flatten each ball into a rectangle. Try and get the rectangles do all be similar lengths and widths (it doesn't have to be perfect).

Lay each dough rectangle on top of each other trying to line up the edges.

Starting at one of the long edges, roll the dough together so it creates a loaf. Pinch the seem and ends together, and tuck them together underneath the loaf.

Place on a lined baking sheet, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Egg Wash

Create an egg wash by mixing the egg white and cold water together. Uncover and brush egg wash over the loaf.

Using a sharp knife make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of the loaf.

Bake for 32-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread has a hollow sound when tapped on. Let cool before slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

STORING THE Bread

This bread is best served on the day they are made. You can keep them at room temperature for 2 days.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY YEAST IS ACTIVATED?

You'll know your yeast is activated when it starts to develop a bubbly foam on top. If it does not activate it may be that your yeast is old and has gone bad. Or your water was not warm enough.

HOW DO I KNOW IF My Dough is Kneaded enough?

You can tell the dough is well kneaded if it can be stretched well without breaking or you can gently press down on it with your finger and the dough puffs back up.

WHAT DOES SPOONED AND LEVELLED FLOUR MEAN?

Spooned and levelled flour refers to the way of measuring flour. To properly measure flour you should scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and then level off the access by scraping with a knife. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour causes the flour to compress and you will get more flour than the recipe calls for.

If you make this rainbow french bread please leave a star rating and comment below!

For more delicious baking ideas you can follow me on Pinterest and Instagram @jessiebakestreats 

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Rainbow French Bread

Jessie M

This rainbow french bread is almost too pretty to eat. A soft fresh french loaf that has swirls of coloured dough to make a beautiful rainbow pattern.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Rising Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dinner, Snack

Cuisine American, Canadian

Servings 1 loaf

Equipment

• stand mixer

Ingredients

  

• 2 & 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 & 1/4 C warm water
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for greasing the bowl
• 1 & 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 C all purpose flour spooned and levelled*
• 4 tsp 4 colours of food colouring this amount may vary depending on the dye you use

Egg Wash

• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp cold water

Instructions

 

• In a small measuring cup add warm water, yeast, and sugar. Gently stir and set aside for 10 minutes. This will activate the yeast and you will see and you will see a foam form.
  2 & 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, 1 & 1/4 C warm water, 1 tbsp white sugar
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the flour and the salt, mix together.
  1 & 1/2 tsp salt, 3 C all purpose flour
• Add in the activated yeast mixture and vegetable oil.
  2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Use a dough hook on a stand mixer on low speed until the dough is formed. It should form one cohesive ball that crawls up the dough hook.
• Once dough is formed continue kneading for about another 6-7 minutes on medium speed. You can tell the dough is well kneaded if it can be stretched well without breaking or you can gently press down on it with your finger and the dough puffs back up.
• Remove dough from the bowl and divide dough into four equal pieces. You can do this with a scale but I just eyeball it.
• Take one ball and add 1 tsp of food colouring into the dough ball. Knead the colour in by hand. You want to knead the food colouring until the dough is a solid colour. This does take a lot of time and you may have to add more food colouring in.
  4 tsp 4 colours of food colouring
• Continue this step for the remaining three dough balls using a different colour for each ball.
• Once the dough has been dyed it is time to let it rise. Grease two large bowls with vegetable oil and place two dough balls per bowl inside. Turn dough over in the bowls to coat the top with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm location until it has doubled in size, about an hour.
• After an hour gently punch each ball down, cover, and let rise again for another 30 minutes.
• After the second rise remove dough from the bowls and place on a clean surface. Using a rolling pin flatten each ball into a rectangle. Try and get the rectangles do all be similar lengths and widths (it doesn't have to be perfect).
• Lay each dough rectangle on top of each other trying to line up the edges. Roll once more with a rolling pin to squish everything together.
• Starting at one of the long edges, roll the dough together so it creates a loaf. Pinch the seem and ends together, and tuck them together underneath the loaf.
• Place on a lined baking sheet, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Create an egg wash by mixing the egg white and cold water together. Uncover and brush egg wash over the loaf.
  1 egg white, 1 tsp cold water
• Using a sharp knife make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of the loaf.
• Bake for 32-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread has a hollow sound when tapped on.
• Cool before slicing.

Notes

*Spooned and levelled flour refers to the way of measuring flour. To properly measure flour you should scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and then level off the access by scraping with a knife. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour causes the flour to compress and you will get more flour than the recipe calls for.

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