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:
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 , 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.
Never made bread before. It was so easy and delicious 😋
So very very incredibly easy..when I made it I let it rise both times for an hour. On a warm oven..worked great..tasted great.. My husband is an unbelievable man who love’s love’s bread and he absolutely loved it..used butter to brush on top and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on top…
Made the French bread. It was great. Came out perfect. Thank you for the recipe
Very easy recipe for delicious bead! I actually used 2.5 cups bread flour and 2.5 all purpose flour. It was perfect: chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Thanks for sharing it with the world. :)
Very easy recipe for delicious bead! I actually used 2.5 cups bread flour and 2.5 all purpose flour. It was perfect: chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Thanks for sharing it with the world. :)
Oh wow! Your recipe was phenomenal! We decided to make chowder and homemade bread and this was perfect! Thank you! Is there a way to convert the measurements to weight measurements?
Thanks Janice! :) I haven’t tested this recipe using weight measurements.
I’ve used your recipe a few times recently and it turned out great- thank you! I am pretty new at making bread though and right now all I have in the kitchen is instant yeast. We’re in the middle of an ice storm so going to the store for active dry is not an option. How do I need to alter this recipe? Thanks so much!
Hi Tanelle,
Yes, you can. I would just add it in with the liquids and sugar then continue on with the steps. Hope you stay warm!
I only want to make 1 loaf, not 2. can you cut all the ingediants in 1/2 or does the sugar, yeast etc. need to be other than halved for one loaf?
Yes you could cut everything in half, or typically I’ll just freeze the other loaf to make garlic bread or give to a friend :)
So easy and turned out delicious!
This was my first time making this bread. So delicious and soft. However my loaves were large and slightly flat. Wider than I think they should be. I placed them in a warm oven, not on, for about 20 minutes and then second rise in warm spot for about 30 minutes. I didn’t roll or knead too much. But still good
This is the best and easiest bread ever!
I bought a range with a steam bake feature a while back, and had not yet tried it out. This bread was perfect for my maiden run on steam baking. The recipe was super easy, really quick, and turned out amazing.
I have made your recipe now for about 2 years. I grew up in the kitchen but your recipe is the best and easiest i have found. Mine is rising now. Thank you for sharing it!
I love this! Thanks so much for the kind words Mary :) I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
I tried this recipe for the first time a year ago, and it was my first time making bread from scratch, and it turned out beyond amazing. I’ve been making it consistently now this past year, and have had no desire to even try a different recipe. This is the best. Everyone I know who’s tried it has been obsessed with it. Thank you for this recipe!!
I love this!! Thank you for your kind comments Britany :) It makes me so happy to hear that you love the French bread!
This bread is SO good! I have made it several times- it doesn’t last long at my place. Fun and easy enough to make in my opinion. Thank you!
Amazing recipe! So excited that I found it. Thank you!
You’re welcome Shelby! I hope you enjoy the recipe :)
I have a bad track record with baking but this recipe was so easy to follow and it turned out amazing!! Will definitely be making this on a regular routine!!
Yay! This makes me so happy! I’m glad you enjoy the French bread :)
Omg!!! I’m not a baker. Made bread a few times without success. This was amazing. I mean amazing. I have to make more today. The flavor. Chefs kiss. I did use half bread flour I bought by accident( which is why I was looking for bread recipes) so I used less water someone had said in the comments. I like a yeasty bread so I used a heaping amount. Don’t even know if that matters but wow wow. I used the oven method to rise with a bowl of water. First rise 1 hour. 2nd 40 min. Honestly no idea what I was doing. But thank you for this recipe.
You’re so welcome Christina! Thank you for your kind comments! I’m so happy that the bread turned out for you and that you loved it :)