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’m making this this afternoon. I’m excited, I’ve never made yeast bread before. I’ve heard the temperature of the warm water is important. Do you use or recommend a certain temperature for “proofing”(?) the yeast at the beginning? Thank you! I’ll rate after making and tasting!
Yes, make sure it’s around a hot bath temperature (I like to have it around 105°F). I use a thermometer to check. If the yeast doesn’t proof, start over and try again before ruining the flour.
Made this the other night, it was a little dense….I don’t think I let the yeast, sugar and water set long enough, but everyone LOVED it!! Going to try again tonight and see what happens :)
I loved how quick and easy this process is and how wonderful the loaves turn out. I always share the extra with friend or family and they have raved about how good the bread is
I’m so happy to hear you have loved it! :)
This recipe was easy and delicious! I will never buy store bought again.
I’m so happy to hear you love it!
Made it with 1/2 C butter. It was very good. I will make it without the butter to see what that’s like.
Going to have to make some more NOW! The rolls disappeared.
Great recipe, Jaimie! My first time making it and a great recipe for learning my new stand mixer, which made this recipe even easier!
The only change I’ll make next time is to leave the bread in for a full 20 minutes. I pulled it at 18. The bread is terrific, but my wife felt it should be slightly more brown. Two more minutes would have done the trick.
Thanks for sharing!
Mine came out doughy. It was brown on the outside and I took it out after about 18 minutes. What did I do wrong?
So sorry to hear that. Everyone’s oven cooks differently. I would try lowering the temperature and cover the bread lightly with foil if you notice it browning too fast. When knocked on, it should sound more hollow.
I’ve made this recipe so many times, and it always turns out awesome! When I want a softer crust, I brush it with melted butter and wrap it in Saran Wrap right out of the oven. My family of four eats almost an entire loaf the first hour, it’s so good!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment and review Jill! :)
This is a wonderful recipe. I did however have to almost double the time in Order to bring it up to a 208 Fahrenheit temperature.
This bread was great. It had
a nice texture and was very tasty and easy to make!
This was so easy to make! I wasn’t sure how to roll it at first so thank you for the video. I used my KitchenAid with the dough hook. I’d never made french bread before and I will probably never buy it again! So quick and delicious.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
This bread was amazing! It will definitely be a regular addition to our weekly dinner menu!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! :)
This was a great recipe! We halved it, as there are only 3 of us. Tasted delicious, had a great crust and somewhat dense but fluffy inside. We all had to stop ourselves from eating the whole thing!
I was short on time, so I did the following: I preheated my oven to 175F. After the first mixing, I set the covered bowl on the stove (my house is cold) for 10 minutes. Then I turned the oven off. For the second rise, I put the loaf in the warm oven and after 15 minutes turned the oven on to 400F (leaving the bread in). This was cooked within 14 minutes (internal temperature of 190F-200F). Beautifully golden crust. Thanks again!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your comment and review Megan. :)
Made this french bread and it’s so delicious!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it! :)
This turned out very well. Crispy crust on top and bottom. I used egg wash on the top. Baked 20 min. Husband gave it a thumbs up after slicing a piece right after it came out of the oven. Thanks for freezing tips but I doubt it will see the freezer. Lol
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment. :)
Excellent bread! I would keep in oven a little longer than recommened but it was very soft and chewy in the middle which was delicous! Will mkae again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing on the first try!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! :)
So good and sooo easy! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hello! What type of flour did you use?
I typically use all purpose or bread flour.