I love when people comment on my blog and I especially love it when readers send me their tips or suggestions on ways to improve my recipes. The blog post that has generated the most comments so far has been the post that I wrote about my attempt at making Jimmy Johns bread. (In case you didn't see it - you can check it out here.)
To make a long story short - it was kind of a disaster. It came out flat and pretty much nothing like the bagel like bread that you can get at Jimmy Johns.
After a LOT of suggestions and tips and comments from my faithful followers, I decided to revisit my Jimmy Johns recipe with the advice from my readers. This time around, it was MUCH better. I am so happy that I gave it another shot. Thank you to everyone who sent a comment or word of encouragement to inspire me to not give up on my dream of creating Jimmy Johns bread at home.
Jimmy Johns Bread (Take 2)
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup oil
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups bread flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
Combine sugar, yeast and warm water in mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and knead until smooth and soft.
Let rise for 1 hour.
Divide into 12 pieces and roll into loaves.
Place on silpat lined baking sheet and let rise 45 minutes. Score with a sharp knife.
Bake 18 minutes at 400.
Can you tell that I was proud of my bread?
Check out the inside...
It made some mighty good sandwiches too.
Hungry yet? No need to run out to Jimmy Johns anymore - I'll make my own delicious sandwich bread from now on. Just kidding - I'll still go to Jimmy Johns - just because I love it.
Ciao!
Hi Amy! Nice recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made my bread today from the Jimmy Johns "take 1" recipe. It came out well (better than yours, sorry for the failure on your recipe :( ), but the taste wasn't quite the same as Jimmy Jones "french bread". The Jimmy Johns "take 1" recipe it's a delicious bread if you knead the bread really well and then let it rest for one and a half hour (I also thought it was a long time, but it worked well!), and I also added 1 extra tablespoon of soybean oil.
As soon as I go to the supermarket to buy more flour I'll try out the Jimmy Johns recipe "take 2". It looks amazing! Does it taste like the original "french bread" from the franchise? I live in Brazil and I can only remember the taste from my past days in US, as we don't have Jimmy Jones here!
I'm so glad that you tried the bread recipe. I definately prefer the taste of the second recipe to the first. It is the closest thing that I've found to the Jimmy Johns original bread recipe. I also prefer the bagel-like texture of the second recipe. I hope your second batch of bread turns out even better than your first. Bon Appetit!
ReplyDeleteHey Amy. Thanks SO MUCH for gathering this information and posting this recipe (and the last one) on the Internet. I tried this recipe last weekend and had a few hiccups. First, I rolled the bread into things that looked more like fat breadsticks than loaves of Jimmy John's bread, and both my wife and son thought it was too sweet. I also think it could have been cooked a very small amount longer.
ReplyDeleteNext batch is rising right now. I used 2 Tbsp of sugar instead of 3, and I plan to bake for 20 minutes instead of 18. We'll see how it goes!
Thanks again!
I hope that your second batch of Jimmy Johns bread turned out even better than your first. Thanks for stopping by the blog.
DeleteSecond batch was AWESOME! Third batch is rising now. :)
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteAfter making this, today, I don't think it an exact Jimmy Johns bread, but it is so darned good. It's a keeper for sure. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteCan you freeze baked bread and reheat for later? I've never baked bread before and eager to give this recipe a try... -rb
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good recipe to start with if you do t have a lot of experience at bread making. And yes, I do freeze it on occasion. It's best if it's eaten the same day that its baked but it's still pretty tasty after its defrosted too. I wrap each loaf in plastic wrap and put them in ziplock bags before freezing them and that seems to work pretty well.
DeleteI dont have a stand mixer can I use this recipe in a bread machine?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Good luck.
DeleteR u referring to dry yeast in the recipe?
ReplyDeleteyes
DeleteHi made it today and they are really amazing! Very easy and soon tasty. Ifilled them with meatballs - grrrreat!
DeleteJust made this recipe and I loved it! Rolls were soft and had a nice crust. Thank you :)!
ReplyDeleteCan I use all purpose flour?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can use all purpose flour.
DeleteWhat kind of oil?
ReplyDeleteI like to use canola oil but any vegetable oil is fine.
DeleteI know this is a super old thread, but can you explain your obsession with wanting a French style sandwich loaf to have the texture of a bagel? It makes be wonder about your experience with bagels. I would never describe JJ French bread interior crumb as like a bagel.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about that myself, too. I do like JJ's bread, and that's why I ended up here, but I can't quite understand the description of the interior as being "bagel-like." At any rate, I'm going to try this recipe today, as it seems closest visually to their bread from any internet recipe I've found.
DeleteI hope that you were able to try my bread recipe. I would love to know how it worked for you. It's one of my favorite bread recipes.
DeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. I love to hear from followers.
I would describe Jimmy John's bread as having the chewy texture of a bagel, without the flavor/characteristics of a bagel in the classic sense. It's that chew I would imagine the author is trying to replicate, and one I would very much like to master, too. I've saved the recipe along with the suggestion of 'Anonymous' to decrease the amount of sugar and introduce steam into the initial baking environment. Here's hoping for success!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi. Great recipe in regards to the ingredients used. Being a baker myself, I modified this recipe for you. The modifications are simple adjustments to the process mostly. Firstly, I added an additional 60 ml of water (1/4 cup). This of course could just have to do with my climate. Next, I would simply skip the yeast activation and mix all wet ingredients. Then, add salt and sugar (I used 2 T) and mix. Add dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes once the mixture comes together. The resulting dough will then be gathered into a ball, lightly oiled, covered and allowed to ferment in the fridge overnight, about 24 hours. The fermentation adds immense flavor to the dough. The next day, pull the dough and remove from the bowl. Place on a counter and divide into 6 portions (about 240g each). Allow portions to warm. Once warmer, you will flatten the dough into a rectangle. Take and fold the top of the rectangle towards the middle and then the bottom upward over that. Press to seal and flip. Push the ends in and roll into a long roll shape. Place on baking sheet. Allow to proof for 45 minutes. These go into the oven at your described temp. Into the oven, throw 6-8 ice cubes on the bottom. These will melt and create steam. The resulting steam will give you that Jimmy John's classic chewy tough skin while maintaining a moist, perfect interior. I made your recipe in this manner and have to say that the taste and texture is practically spot on to that of Jimmy John's. I will be keeping this recipe in my index for the years ahead! Thank you for sharing and please let me know if you try my suggestions out. -D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updated recipe - I will give it a try and let you know how it turns out. Thanks for stopping by the blog.
DeleteAmy
Hello Amy, I hope you're well, it appears this has been abandoned. I too have been on an endless quest to recreate Jimmy John's Bread, and I stumbled upon your recipe. I owe you a debt of gratitude, as your hard work has been redeemed, it IS the recipe, I have officially deleted all my other roll recipes, this is absolutely incredible.
DeleteI want to also state that I also owe Unknown a debt, the person who provides the technique suggestions. It is indeed Amy's ingredients, and the Unknown commenter whose input I combined, and it is a FLAWLESS recreation of JJs bread. The 24 hour fridge ferment really does add and better the flavor. The steam does improve the outer crust, the center stays SO moist. Amy, you are brilliant, I seriously can't thank you enough for taking the time to share your journey with the world. You are still changing lives with your recipe, one at a time. And also to confirm for others who are lucky enough to find this thread, try Amy's recipe out of respect, she did the real work and had the passion, it is phenomenal. I highly recommend adding the techniques the Unknown commenter to Amy's recipe, it takes it over the moon, you'll never look anywhere again, I promise you, this IS IT!! Eternal thanks, Amy.
Hi how long did you roll your rolls into how many inches?
DeleteThis bread is dangerously amazing, thank you for the recipe. It needs nothing else added to it or anybody else’s adjustments. You did a great job! I can not stopped eating it, perfect ingredients. Thank you again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the hard work you put into these recipes Amy.
ReplyDeleteI want to go ahead and make this recipe but I confused at the ingredient list, why 2 types of flour? and a total of 6 cups for that matter.
Also why split up the sugar in 2 different lines for a total of 4 Tps?
Can I use instant yeast? Thanx for your response
ReplyDeleteThis is great! Not 100% like Jimmy John’s because it feels a little crisper but excellent sandwich bread! I did have to add a little bit extra water to get the dough to come together but I also halved the recipe so that might’ve affected things. So good!
ReplyDeleteI had to add 1 extra cup of water.
DeleteMy first attempt and they turned out fabulous! Made Italian Subs with them!! Will be my GO-TO recipe. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThere was only 1 change- I only added 5 Cups of AP Flour, it did not need anymore with the amount of water. Perfection!
ReplyDeleteHi how many inches do you roll the rolls out to?
ReplyDeleteWait, how is this different than the first recipe? I made it the first time around and it wasn't great. Maybe I didn't knead it enough. Plan to try it again, but I don't see the difference.
ReplyDelete