The BEST homemade french bread recipe made in just 90 minutes! So easy to make and comes out golden and crispy on the outside, while remaining soft and chewy on the inside.
Homemade bread is one of my favorite things to make. It can seem a bit intimidating at first, but this easy french bread recipe is a great place to start. It has a quick rising time and takes only 90 minutes from start to finish. If you’re a beginner to bread baking, make sure to check out my 3 ingredient artisan bread and my 45-minute breadsticks. Both are so simple along with my favorite dinner rolls and french bread rolls!
Easiest French Bread Recipe
If you’re looking for an easy french bread recipe, this is it! You’ll have 2 beautiful loaves in 90 minutes. The actual time you’ll be working will only be about 15 minutes, the rest of the time will be patiently waiting for the dough to rest/rise. This homemade french bread is golden and crispy on the outside, while remaining soft and slightly chewy on the inside. We love to serve it with a bowl of warm soup and the first time I made it, my husband said “this bread is SO good, where did you get it?” He thought I picked it up from our local bakery. It is just that good and really so easy to make. You’ll never want to buy store bought french bread again.
I absolutely love making bread and rolls of all kinds. There’s something so satisfying about making them in your own kitchen. The smell is unbelievable. We love to serve this homemade french bread with softened butter, honey and/or jam. So so good. Trust me when I say, this is the best french bread recipe!
How To Make Homemade French Bread
- Proof the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until it has begin to foam.
- Mix and let rest. Place 2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl with the salt. Stir in the yeast mixture and begin to knead by hand or using a dough hook and stand mixer. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour at a time until the dough is smooth but not sticky. Rub the olive oil around the dough ball and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Shape and let rise again. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it in half. Roll one half into a rectangle. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed. Round the edges and place onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball. Let rise for 30-45 minutes. Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf.
- Bake in oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Brush the top of the homemade french bread with melted butter if desired. Slice and enjoy! :)
Baking Tips
- The key to the perfect consistency is to knead in flour a little at a time, until the dough becomes soft and not sticky.
- If using a bread dough hook to knead the dough, knead the last couple of minutes by hand.
- Let the dough rest a minute during the mixing process (this allows the gluten to relax).
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot by the window or on top of the stove.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and then press down with your finger tips to remove any air pockets.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and any extra bubbles.
- Roll the dough into a loaf and then make sure to tuck the ends under and pinch all the seams together tightly to create a nice seal.
- For a crispier/shinier crust, brush on egg wash (1 egg white (whisked) with a teaspoon of water) before baking.
- For a softer and more flavorful crust, brush with melted butter right when it comes out of the oven.
Favorite Ways To Enjoy
- Top with butter, garlic herb butter, honey, cinnamon butter, jam or apple butter
- Use it to make classic bruschetta or bruschetta caprese
- Serve with all types of soup, like lasagna soup, corn chowder and hearty vegetable soup
- My family loves to make french bread pizza, stuffed french bread or garlic bread
- We also like to make spaghetti boats using leftovers of my easy spaghetti recipe.
- Make a french dip sandwich
- Once it’s a few days old, make french bread french toast, bread pudding or croutons
- Cut into cubes and serve with this cold Knorr spinach dip.
Freezer Instructions
Since this recipe makes two loaves, sometimes we freeze one of them for later. To freeze, wrap the bread tightly in foil or saran wrap (make sure it has cooled completely). Then place in a zip top bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
More Homemade Bread Recipes To Try:
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Homemade French Bread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water , about 105°F
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 5 cups (650 g) all-purpose flour , more as needed
- 2 ½ teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Melted salted butter , optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture on medium-low speed or by hand. Knead in 1/2 cup of the remaining flour in increments until the dough is smooth but not sticky (depending on climate you could use more or less than 5 cups). Add more flour as needed.
- Rub the olive oil around the dough ball, cover the bowl with a towel and let rest 15 to 30 minutes. If you have more time, let rise up to 1 hour.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and divide it in half. Set one half aside. Roll the other half into a rectangle (about 15 inches). Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder.
- Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed. Round the edges and place onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball. Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Cover loaves lightly with a towel. Let rise 30 to 60 minutes (the longer the better, if you have the time).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake 17 to 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow. If it's browning too fast, lightly cover with foil and lower the temperature to 375°F.
- Brush the top with melted butter, if desired. Slice and serve while warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
I didn’t see the size of the bread that this makes.
Can you give me this info? I just eyeball it. But I think the size of the dough that should be rolled out to?
The bread was great.
Hi Rose! The size is up to you. These can be rolled thinner to make a baguette or thicker for french bread. :)
Do you use all purppose flour or bread flour?
I typically use all purpose flour.
Great recipe! I am a beginner at bread making and failed several times.
This recipe was easy fast and turned out FABULOUS… Thank you for sharing it 😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment and review!
I made this bread twice now and it is super easy! I halved the recipe and it turned out perfectly! I did feel the first time I made it it was a tad too salty so I cut back the second time. This may have been due to using salted butter to brush it after it came out. We baked the bread for less time then it called for since we prefer it not as crusty. Nonetheless delicious and super easy! This is my family’s favorite bread that I made so far!
I’m so glad to hear your family loves it! Thanks for letting us know halving the recipe works so well. :)
It turned out great very tasty
Best bread recipe I have tried
Would have left a pic but did not know how😊
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Do you use bread flour or all purpose?
I typically use all purpose flour!
Gave this a try and it turned out beautifully.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is my 2nd time making this bread. Easy and never fail. Highly recommend.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
We just made this tonight. I think we may’ve put too much flour while kneading it. It was very tasty, soft inside, but the outside didn’t look like yours and looked dry, it was a little dense. Could that have been the issue? Kids loved it, cant wait to try other recipes! Thank you for sharing.
It takes a little trial and error to get it just right! I would try less flour next time. I’m glad the kids loved it still.
Hubby just made the bread its beautiful, great texture and taste. Could you tell me if anyone has had the comment of it being a tad to salty? Has anyone cut back on the salt. Too easy not to try and tweak it and soooooo good. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this bread! You can definitely decrease the salt if it is too salty for your taste. :)
Just made this recipe. Very easy to follow and was a big hit with the family! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad it was a hit with your family! Thanks for leaving a comment and review.
French Bread came out great. The 20 minutes I waited for bread to cool was the longest in my life.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Just shaped the 2 baguettes & letting them rise for 45 min before baking.
Just curious, no where in your description was there mentioned covering dough with a tea towel while resting. Usually that stated in most bread recipes.
Hi David! I typically cover my dough in the bowl with a towel but I let my shape dough rise uncovered.
The bread came out great. Had to tweak the baking time a bit. Will definitely use this recipe again
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Ohhh. So perfect and tastes sooo good. Thank you
I’m so happy to hear you loved it! Thank you for your comment. :)
I love this bread! Absolutely delicious!! One question though. Every time I make it there ends up being air where I rolled it – there’s a pretty apparent swirl in the bread where it kind of comes apart. I tried to pinch it more while I was rolling it this time and it didn’t help. Any advice?
Hi Heather! My loaves usually have a little swirl but the bread doesn’t come apart. I would try and roll your rectangle dough a little larger to give it more of a roll and then be sure the pinch is sealed tightly.
This was my first time making bread and this recipe turned out excellent!!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thank you !!! Just what I needed now that I finally found flour.
Easy, quick and delicious. Served with jalapeño honey butter .
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Sounds delicious!
I’ve made this several times and prefer it over other white Sandwich bread recipes. It’s simply the best. I rarely buy store bought bread anymore, and my family and friends love it as well. I wanted to bake it in a regular loaf pan and was wondering if I should increase the baking time a little? Thanks for this great bread recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you have enjoyed this recipe! I haven’t tried this recipe in a loaf so I’m not sure. I would probably bump the temperature down to 375 and then add about 5 minutes to the baking time and check it.
I live in Uganda, so there is no such thing as a local bakery or grocery store to buy delicious breads from in my little town. I made this for my family last night and we all loved it! Thank you for such a simple, delicious recipe!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your comment!