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.
I made this recipe again and it was better this time than the first! Very tasty! I’ll stick with the on sale, inexpensive AP flour. It works great! This time though, I placed a pan of water in the oven while it was pre heating and the bread got a nice soft crust and a very tender inside. Not bad for an old guy!
Made this today! Super easy and tasty! Came out a little too dense.Not sure what Idid wrong but will try again!
Yum!! My first French bread I’ve ever made! Easy!! No longer buying it from the store. Thank you!!
Just out of the oven at 23 minutes. Crispy crust, soft and pillowy inside. I will definitely use this recipe again.
One note, however. When instructing to roll the dough into a rectangle, there’s only one side of the rectangle mentioned..about 15 inches. No mention of the other sides. I think I made mine about 5 inches, fyi.
Awesome, awesome bread
Loved how this tasted but my bread came out pretty dense. The loaves felt heavy. Is this normal? It was my first making bread from scratch
Great job on your first loaf! I’m glad you enjoyed it. If it came out dense, I’m guessing you added too much flour or did not let the dough rise long enough in a warm spot. Make sure the yeast also puffs up before adding in as well. Good luck!
The bread tasted amazing but I feel like I’m doing something wrong. Maybe this wasn’t the best recipe to try for my first time making bread? I’ve tried 3 times, used 3 different brands of yeast, made sure the yeast was blooming and my bread still isn’t rising. What am I doing wrong? My loaves come out almost the same size as when I rolled them up. I let the dough rise for an hour, cut and shape, let rise for another hour but the second rise just doesn’t rise. Please help!
I’m glad you enjoyed the bread! If it isn’t rising, I’m guessing it is the enviorment (maybe too cool). Try turning your oven to 150 and adding a small hot pot of water. Then turn the oven off. After a few minutes place the plan in there and allow the bread to rise in there (covered).
I make this recipe all the time. So easy and delicious. Thank you!
It was delicious 😋
I’ve made bread my whole adult life, trying to find the perfect recipe. This is it. It complimented my soup, made sandwiches for lunch, and the best french toast for breakfast, I added herbs, garlic and butter to one loaf to compliment my spaghetti.
Your recipe turned out great. The loves were larger than expected and look very tasty (there still hot from the oven). I expect to taste them very soon.
Very easy to make a perfect loaf! I halved the recipe, used half whole wheat flour, and skipped the egg wash for a softer crust. Excellent alongside shrimp scampi!
The first time I made this we brought a dinner and loaf of bread to a friend. They later called and asked where we bought the bread so he could get some. Such a great recipe!
wow I haven’t made this particular recipe yet, but I do make the same exact recipe but with 3 cups of flour and it yields two loaves. I was wondering why 5 cups and what the difference would be. Mine comes out superb, I also use a Baporama (pan with a double insert where you put water in it so it mimics a professional baking oven with steam). they were made in the 80s but you can find them on ebay. the steam makes a huge difference.
Has a wonderful tang !
I made this bread recipe with an “on sale flour” and it was great! I printed out the recipe and will be making more! I will try a better flour next time too! Very easy to make. Egg wash on crust was delicious. Thank you!
Bob
Wife loved it
Super easy and turned out great 😊