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:
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
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!
Jameilyn, Thank you so much for the recipe. I made these today and my family loved it. I divided the dough into 3 logs. I baked it in a preheated baking stone in the middle of the rack at 450 deg for 24 mins, sprayed the log every 10 mins. After baking, we ate 1 log, gave one to our neighbor and the 3rd – I pre-made an Apple French Baguette French toast, ready to bake for tomorrow morning. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you again! – Cris
I’m so happy to hear your family loved it! Thank you for leaving a comment and review Cris! :)
This recipe was SO easy to make, and turned out great! The dough was easy to mix and easy to work with. The whole family enjoyed it.
I love this recipe. It is so easy and quick and way better than store bought.
Easy and delicious!
I have made this recipe twice and both times after I let the baguettes rise…they look beautiful until i cut the slits and put the egg wash then the loaves deflate like a sad pool floats. Lol What am I doing wrong?
You can try adding the cuts before the 2nd rise and that should help!
Can I confirm the flour refers to plain flour or bread flour?
1 cup flour is equal to how many grams?
You can use either. I typically use all purpose in this recipe. 1 cup of flour is 120 grams.
Wonderful!
Perfect. I doubled the sugar and the salt and it was fantastic as a loaf, rolls, and as a stuffed braised bread.
Thank you Jamielyn
So easy to make and delicious
Love to make this when we do spaghetti or lasagna for dinner. Super easy and not too time consuming! Just scrumptious
I’m so glad to hear you have enjoyed this recipe! :)
Perfectly perfect! This is the first time I’ve ever really tried to make anything but banana bread and it turned out perfectly perfect my husband loves it and it was really pretty easy following your recipe and instructions. Mine looks just like yours too!
I’m so happy it turned out well for you! :)
If you follow ALL of the directions (written AND video) you will get the perfect French bread!
I think this may be the best bread I’ve ever eaten. My husband ate two big slices of it right out of the oven. I only used 3/4 tsp of salt to reduce the sodium to stay within the 2000 mg daily recommend amount, and it still tasted wonderful!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
Easy, fast, yummy
Very easy to make. I learned a few techniques to improve the looks of my french bread. I think though it needs a longer proof and/or more salt to enhance the flavor. All in all, I will make this again.
Do you use regular all purpose flour? Or bread flour? I may have just missed that in the post. Thank you! I’m looking to make this tonight!
Either will work! I typically use all purpose flour.
I’m only part way through the process.
The format for presenting a recipe is flawed.
I’d truly appreciate a recipe shown in full, without having to scroll to the end to see the important stuff.
My bread is now rising, but you’ll need to scroll down to see the results.
Hi Doug! There is a button on the recipe that says “print recipe” that will pull the recipe in a new tab so you don’t need to scroll.
Really good, quick, and very easy! For a personal preference, I’d add a but more salt, but other than that, I plan on making this exact recipe again! My husband and mother LOVED it!