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 strawberry 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
- Dip in olive oil bread dip as an appetizer
- 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 , or bread flour (add 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!
Categorized as: Bread, Dairy-Free, Reader Favorites, Vegetarian, Yeast Bread
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
It was my first attempt at making this French bread. It didn’t come out well at all. Inspite of letting it rest for longer periods at both 1st and 2nd time in the same recipe. I waited 1hour and then again 1hour after rolling it out and forming cylinder shape. The dough did not rise much after baking. It was hard. What could have gone wrong. 😕
Hi Karen, So sorry to hear that. Don’t give up! The first attempt is always the hardest. My guess is that it was a problem with your yeast. It could have been expired, or the water could have been too hot (which will kill the yeast). If it’s not hot enough it won’t activate it. I like to test the water on the wrist of my arm, it should be bath water temperature. I’d make sure your yeast is nice and foamy before moving on with the next step. Then also make sure to not add too much flour, that can also weigh it down.
I do not follow step 5 .
Thats the spirit!
Awesome flavor first bread done well. Thank you for your info most helpful and very delicious 😋
So happy to hear it was a success!!
used instant yeast, bread flour, and a bread mixer; made two large great loaves! I had a lot of fun doing the recipe, next time i’ll be letting it rest for a while longer to see the results. I let one loaf rest for 45 minutes after taking it out and the other is going over night so I can see if there’s a difference. great and easy recipe!
Love to hear you had fun making the recipe, Alex! Thanks so much for your review :)
Quick and easy! I used one loaf to make garlic bread and the whole family loved it!
Bread tasted great – I will definitely be making this again!
So happy to hear the recipe was a success, Amber! :)
This dough is wonderful and so easy to handle. I just put it into the oven and can’t wait! Wish I could post a picture of the dough. It’s amazing. Thank you for an easy and great recipe. Looking forward to eating it!
You are so welcome! Hope you enjoy :)
Getting ready to make this bread a second time to go with dinner. First time was amazing, everyone thought it tasted sooo good. I thought it was great and it was so easy and quick to make. Thank you for this recipe.
Glad to hear it was such a success! Thanks for your comment and review, Lora :)
Can you make this in air fryer
I have never tried that and unfortunately I don’t think you’d get the same results.
This is my second time making this bread, and I followed the instructions exactly…….it is absolutely delicious! Crispy crust, soft inside. Yummy :)
I may try adding some extras next time, like some rosemary perhaps. And I’m definitely going to use leftovers to make French toast. I tried so many recipes before this and none came out exactly how I wanted. This is now my go-to for French bread!
This makes me so happy to hear, Karen! Glad you love the recipe :) Thanks for your nice comment and review!
This bread is so so good. Took it as a garlic bread to a potluck, everyone raved about it.
So happy to hear it was a hit, Sheryle!
Best Frenchbread and so easy to make. My only complaint— it doesn’t last very long. My family eats it up before it is a day old.
We have the same problem at my house ;)
This is now our favourite bread recipe!
Yay, so glad your family enjoyed!
Yay! Glad. you loved it!
What about bread machines? Do I need to adapt the recipe? It sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to try it!
I have not made this in a bread machine (I don’t have one), but let me know if you try it out!
I make it in a bread machine all of the time! I just put the wet ingredients in first and the dry on top, then set it on the dough cycle. Once it is complete, I take it out and pick up on the step where the dough is rolled into a rectangle and rolled up. Rise, then bake😊 It’s perfect every time!
Thanks for sharing, Tanya! So helpful :)
Hi there I only have Quick-Rise Instant Yeast can you plz tell me if that is ok to use and can I just add like that to the flour mix plz?
Yes, if using instant yeast, no need to proof with water first. Just add the same amount in with the other ingredients.
Can this bread be made into one loaf? Should I use a pan?
I haven’t tried making it into one loaf. It would be a bigger loaf so you’d need to adjust the cooking time and maybe cover with foil towards the end so it doesn’t burn.
If you want to make 1 loaf just cut the recipe exactly in half. Turns out great. If you use the recipe as is and make one loaf it will be very large, close to 3 feet long. You don’t want it to be too thick otherwise you risk the outside being overcooked.
Very delicious and super easy to
make! My customers
(my family) were so happy how it turned out to compliment my chicken vegetable soup! This recipe is going to be in our house for a long time now!! Thanks!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for your nice comment and review, Kandiss :)
Mine vcame out awesomeness when it came out of the oven i brushed it with garlic butter and chives
Sounds delicious!
Thank you for sharing this recipe .
I want to try it . Can I use bread flour,？
Yes you can use bread flour :)
Thank you so much, this is the most delicious one I ever had , I doubled the engredients and used bread flour it’s really soft, and easy .My husband loved it
I will make it again for my birthday celebration tomorrow.
God bless you more.
I’m so happy to hear both you and your husband loved the recipe, Cristina! Thanks for your comment :)