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.
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a slightly crisp crust and a tender and light crumb inside. This bread recipe delivered both. I did use the egg white wash on the dough before baking. It is perfection. Thank you Jamielyn.
I’m so happy to hear that you love the french bread Irene!
Hello, I just found this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! However, I only have fast rising yeast instead of the active dry, they just don’t sell active dry in my grocery store that’s nearby and the next one is over an hour drive away. Is it possible to replace the active dry with fast rising?
Yes, your dough may rise faster so keep an eye on it!
This is my second or third time making. Turns out great each time. A little lighter in color this time around. But I didn’t brush it with egg wash. Always tender. Good taste. Great easy to follow recipe. Note: I used quick yeast and bread flour and it turned out just fine.
Thanks for letting us know and so glad you enjoy it!
Absolutely delicious! I baked four loaves for a free community meal. Minus the heels, I got 15 slices per loaf. Everyone loved this bread, myself included! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Trying this right now. Going to bake it in a Bundt pan for a party sandwich. Will update with how it goes.
Can you use bread flour for this
You could substitute it on a 1:1 basis, but because the protein in bread flour is higher your bread have a different consistency and texture than if using all-purpose flour. If you have all-purpose flour I would use that for best results, but it can be swapped if in a pinch.
My dough never did rise after divided! Tried twice and came out flat both times!What am I doing wrong?
Without being in the kitchen, it’s hard to know exactly. Did it raise during the first rise? How long did you let the 2nd rise go? Was your yeast fresh?
Stumbled upon your site looking for a French bread recipe. Gave this one a try. Made half the recipe (one loaf) and am very impressed with the result. I tried a different one recently that didn’t call for feeding the yeast and proofing it. Well, the rise results were disappointing. This dough rose very well. I also like your suggestion of rolling it with a pin as that got rid of the big airy bubbles. Instead, the cross section is uniform with lots of small air bubbles that give bread a soft texture. At first, the dough seemed slightly sticky, but when rolled out in a floured surface for form a loaf became perfect. Of course, getting the water / flour ratio right s as much art as science and is something you develop a feel for over time. Still, your recommendations are an excellent starting point for making a wetter dough. The dough proofed very nicely doubling in size on the first 60 minute rise and then doubled again as a loaf in 40 minutes. Baked to perfectly done in about 21-22 minutes in my ovens steam bake mode (you put a cup of water in a tray). Looking forward to checking out other recipes from your site.
So glad you found the recipe and enjoyed it!
A+
Thanks for the review!
My bread was hard as a rock , dense, and doughy. No air in between the dough. I followed the recipe to the letter–except that I only had pizza dough yeast on hand. Yeast is yeast, no? The dough did not rise. I think this bread recipe had too much flour.
Pizza dough yeast is not recommended for bread recipes that have two rises. It contains additional conditioners in the yeast that help pizza dough become stretchy (and not shrink as much). I only make this recipe with active dry yeast.
Love it!
Great recipe! I find i need 5.25 C of flour and 3 tsp of salt. Especially the last. But I make a ton of homemade soups and this is my bread go to with it. Thanks!
Glad to hear it works out exactly as you like!
This is the first recipe I have ever tried for French bread, I found it a year ago and have it saved, it’s so easy and quick and always turns out perfectly. I’ve even used the dough to make cinnamon buns. Thanks so much for this 💜
The towel stuck and my bread fell. Any suggestions?
oh no! You can try punching it down, shaping it and letting it rise again (it may not rise as high) and I would recommend covering it with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray next time to avoid sticking. Let us know how it goes!
Steps 5 and 6 are really confusing. 5) place on a baking sheet. 6) line a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake 17 to 23 minutes etc…
What to do?
Step 5 is referring to when your performing 2nd rise and step 6 is referring when you bake the French bread.
Delish! Thank you.
Thanks for the review!
Easy to follow. Turned out great first time! Thank you!!
Yeah! Thanks for the review!
I’m on my third time using this recipe and it’s delicious! My bread has turned out very time!!! Highly recommend!!!
Glad you enjoy it!