Turkey Shaped French Bread

5 from 6 votes

Turkey Shaped French Bread

Turkey shaped French bread is an adorable, delicious, and fun twist for this holiday season! This easy bread recipe makes the perfect side dish for any holiday meal. Drizzle this crusty bread with melted butter or brush with olive oil and fresh herbs. Your guests will gobble it up!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Dough Proofing12

Total Time13

Course: Bread, Christmas, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Chula King

Equipment

Bread Machine (See Note 1)

Ingredients

9.84 ounces filtered water (291 ml, about 1 cup and 4 teaspoons) (See Note 2)
½ Tablespoon Kosher salt
½ Tablespoon granulated sugar
15 ounces (425 grams, 3 cups) bread flour
½ Tablespoon instant or bread machine yeast (See Note 3)

Instructions

Add all ingredients in the order listed to the pan of a bread machine. Select the dough cycle and press start. When the dough finishes kneading, remove it from the pan of the bread machine. Place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (See Note 4)
Lightly flour a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer the dough and form into a rough oval, approximately 8 inches by 7 inches by 1 ½ inches.
Starting towards the top of the oval, make two vertical cuts on both sides for the wings. Do not detach the dough. Make two diagonal cuts for the legs to form a V, starting at about the center of the oval, and detach the dough. Roll each piece of dough between your hands to form a drumstick. Press each drumstick onto the turkey body.
Curl each wing piece using your finger and press the ends onto the turkey body to form the wings. Press the ends of the turkey legs together.
Using kitchen shears, snip the edges of the wings. Then, cut a V in the top of the turkey between the wings. Using your hands, correct the shape of the turkey.
Place the turkey shaped French bread in a warm location until doubled in size, about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
When the bread doubles in size, brush it with an egg wash. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes, rotating the baking tray halfway through the cooking time. (See Note 5)
When golden brown, remove the Turkey Shaped French Bread from the oven; allow to cool slightly before serving.
Yield: 8 servings (See Note 6)

Video

Notes

If you don't have a bread machine, you can make the dough in a food processor or a stand mixer.
Do not use tap water when making bread. The chlorine in the tap water can retard the growth of the yeast or even kill the yeast.
Active dry yeast must be proofed before adding it to the other ingredients. On the other hand, instant yeast and bread machine yeast can be added directly to the ingredients.
I desired you can allow the bread machine to complete the dough cycle and form the turkey bread after the dough cycle finishes as opposed to refrigerating the dough overnight.
Whisk together one egg and one tablespoon of water for the egg wash.
This bread can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for a day or two. It can also be wrapped well in aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

Nutrition