Easy Homemade French Bread
Homemade French bread has never been easier! This simple recipe produces a light and fluffy loaf of French bread that will rival any bakery!
This easy homemade French bread is so simple and perfect for a bread making beginner.
But as you can see from all the comments below, it’s just as valued by expert bread makers, too!
Making French Bread Dough
This straightforward bread dough can be made in a stand mixer or by hand.
- Warm water
- Yeast (instant or active dry yeast)
- Bit of sugar and oil
- Salt
- Flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
At the start, the dough will look shaggy and rough.
But as it kneads, it will become soft and smooth.
The most important part of this dough (and other yeast doughs) is to judge the amount of flour by the look and feel of the dough rather than the exact amount of flour called for in the recipe.
Factors such as humidity, elevation, room temperature, how we each measure flour, and more can affect the amount of flour added. So don’t stress about precise flour measurements and continuously feel the dough to achieve a soft dough that is slightly tacky but doesn’t leave a lot of residue on your fingers.
Too little flour and the dough will be a mess to handle. Additionally, the bread won’t hold its shape as it rises and bakes.
Too much flour and the dough won’t rise well and the bread will be tough and dense.
Two Methods for Dough Rising
In the recipe, there are two methods to letting the dough rise:
- Leave the dough in the mixer, cover with a lid or towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Stir it down by turning on the mixer for 10 seconds or so. Repeat the “rest and stir down” cycle five more times.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
I alternate between the two methods depending on my mood. The 10-minute increment rising method is unique to this original French bread recipe. The idea is that allowing the dough to rise this way produces a lighter crumb.
But the more traditional rising method also results in a delicious, fluffy loaf.
How to Shape French Bread Loaves
The question I get asked the most about this easy homemade French bread is how to shape the loaves.
The loaves can really be made any size or shape; I usually end up making 12-inch loaves, but if they end up being a bit thinner or chubbier, it’s no big deal!
Press each portion of dough into a flat rectangle and fold the bottom edge up and over the dough, pressing the seam flat with your hand.
Then, roll the dough up again to meet the top edge.
Fold the top edge over and press or pinch lightly.
Take the end of the bread dough and fold it up and over an inch or two to give an even thickness all the way down the loaf.
Pinch to seal the end. Repeat on the other end of the dough.
Then, deliberately and thoroughly pinch and seal the entire length of the loaf.
How to Score the French Bread Dough
Scoring the bread dough (in my house, also called: slashing or gashing) helps the dough rise better AND prevents it from cracking in unexpected places while baking.
Using a bread lame for this task is extremely helpful. A bread lame is a long stick or utensil with a razor blade on the end. The razor is used to make thin cuts in the dough.
If you don’t have a bread lame, using a clean, sharp razor blade or an extremely sharp kitchen knife can work. Be aware that if the knife isn’t sharp enough, it’ll likely deflate the dough.
The bread loaves can be scored before or after the final rise. I prefer to do the slashing and gashing before they rise as I’ve had one too many loaves of risen bread deflate at the first touch of the razor, and there is nothing so soul crushing as when that happens.
Let the bread loaves rise until noticeably puffy before baking.
Easy Hack for Crusty French Bread
For a delicious golden crust, immediately before putting the bread in the oven, toss 3-4 ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven. Add the bread and quickly (but gently!) close the oven door.
The steam as the ice cubes hit the toasty bottom of the oven will lightly crisp up the outer crust as the bread bakes.
Important Note! Please consult your oven’s manual for details or caution on putting ice/water on the bottom of the oven floor – I’ve never had a problem, but everyone should do their own research and use their own best judgment (also take care not to toss the ice cubes on the glass oven door as it could crack).
If you are struggling to get a deeper golden crust on the French bread, try:
- Increasing the oven temperature by 25 degrees and/or
- Moving the oven rack up one position (I find my bread browns the best in the middle or upper middle area of my oven)
Whole Wheat French Bread
As noted in the recipe, French bread works quite well using whole wheat flour. I’ve found the best results are when using white whole wheat flour (red whole wheat flour makes a denser, heavier loaf).
I recommend subbing in half whole wheat flour to start and then adding more whole wheat flour as you continue to make subsequent batches of bread.
If using whole wheat flour, add a 2-3 minutes to the kneading time to help develop the gluten (also, adding a couple tablespoons of vital wheat gluten/gluten flour can also help the whole wheat bread bake up light and fluffy).
Helpful Tip: If you’ve struggled with your bread flattening out while baking instead of holding the perfect shape, you might try these French bread pans {aff. link}. I have them and LOVE them. I don’t use them every time I make this bread, but I do pull them out quite often (I also use them for this rosemary bread).
Perfect Homemade French Bread
With over 2,500 5-star reviews, this homemade French bread has become a favorite for so many of you.
Hundreds of you have let me know that you have been intimidated by homemade bread until you found this recipe! It is easy, foolproof, and will make you feel like a bread making rock star.
Helena says: Finally, after 5 failed bread attempts using other places recipes, this is THE recipe to use! Happy dance! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! Delicious bread!
Valerie writes: Such a fantastic, easy recipe. The “hands on” time is minimal and it comes out perfect every time. Thanks for sharing a recipe that’s become my “to do” dinner bread!
Nichole says: Followed instructions exactly! First time making any sort of bread ever. The bread turned out perfect!!!!
Pia commented: Hands down my go-to bread recipe. Today’s edition is 1/3 dark rye flour, with Italian herbs and caraway seeds mixed in and sprinkled with everything bagel topping. Yum! Best bread recipe ever, and so easily customizable!
FAQs for Homemade French Bread
Yes! Halve all the ingredients straight across – just keep an eye on the amount of flour and judge the final amount by the look and feel of the dough.
Yes, it freezes great (after baking and cooling).
Moving an oven rack up or down can help. In my oven, the bread browns best in the upper half of the oven. Also, you can try increasing the oven temp by 25 degrees.
Absolutely! You can mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula or spoon and knead by hand.
I always use the same amount interchangeably. Recently, I’ve heard that active dry yeast doesn’t need to be proofed in liquid first, but I always still do when using active dry yeast (no need to proof with instant yeast).
Yes, just keep an eye on baking time – smaller loaves may need less baking time.
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Easy Homemade French Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups warm water, 110-115 degrees F
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
- 2 ¼ teaspoons salt (see note)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 5 ½ – 6 cups (781 – 852 g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (see note)
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture bubble and foam before proceeding (this can take 3-5 minutes). If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe (no need to let the yeast activate).
- Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and mix. Add in 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour gradually. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball that doesn't leave a lot of dough residue on your fingers.
- Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough starts to cling to the sides of the bowl (or the center column if using a Bosch or other mixer with a center), add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a sturdy but soft ball of dough forms.
- Rising Method 1: Leave the dough in the mixer, cover with a lid or towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Stir it down by turning on the mixer for 10 seconds or so. Repeat the "rest and stir down" cycle five more times.
- Rising Method 2: Instead of letting the dough rest for 10 minute spurts and then stirring it down, transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide in half. Pat each section into a thick rectangle, 9X13-inches or thereabouts (doesn't have to be exact). Roll the dough up starting from the long edge, pressing out any air bubbles or seams with the heel of your hand, and pinch the edge to seal. Arrange seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I use separate baking sheets for each loaf).
- With a bread lame, razor blade or VERY sharp knife, cut several gashes at an angle on the top each loaf (you can wait to score the bread until after it rises, but it can easily deflate if the razor/knife isn't sharp enough).
- Cover the loaves with greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size, about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the center position. If you find your bread isn't browning as much as you like, preheat the oven to 400 or 425 degrees and/or move the oven rack up one position (watch carefully so the bread, especially the bottom, doesn't burn).
- Optional: for an extra golden, crisp crust, place the loaves in the preheated oven and immediately toss 3-4 ice cubes on the bottom of the oven. Close the oven door quickly but gently. (See note below!)
- Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through.
- If desired, brush melted butter over the hot loaves (this softens the crust a bit, so if you want a crispier crust, don't butter the top).
Notes
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from The Sister’s Cafe
Made this today, easy recipe to follow and the bread is delicious!
Made this bread last night and it came out perfect. Was so easy. Cut in half to make just 1 loaf.
hi do you ever use the “proof” setting on your oven for this?
Just made this tonight and it was perfection!
This recipe turned out amazing! The only thing I did differently was I w used a European-style Artesian flour and in place of the water, I used whey I had from making mozzarella cheese. The crust is very and the inside is soft. It has alot of flavor. Thanks Mel for a great recipe!
Have you ever added cinnamon and sugar after the first prove before rolling it up to make a cinnamon bread? Do you think that would work? Thanks so much for the recipe! My family LOVES it, and we were thinking of switching it up and making one sweet loaf this time. Any suggestions appreciated!
I haven’t, but I definitely think it is worth a try!
I have totally done this multiple times and the kids love it! You can also add butter and garlic and spice it up. It’s all delicious! The recipe is amazing!
I’m at sea level and I don’t know if that was the problem or my oven, but the crust did not crisp up – even with the ice cube trick. It wasn’t the flavor I was looking for either.
You can brush with beaten egg for a darker crust. I use half butter milk half water to give it that twang French bread has otherwise this is just white bread. You can add a tsp of vinegar or lemon juice too! You may like it more if you try those tricks I do!
I just made this and its doing the second rise. I got confused when rolling it up. What is starting at the long side?
Hi Charlie, sorry for the confusion. In step #5 when the dough is patted into a thick rectangle, start rolling it up from one of the longest sides of the rectangle (vs a short side). Does that help?
I made the bread according to the recipe, using bread flour and instant yeast. I placed ice cubes in a tray underneath the bread. I baked both loaves at the same time, side by side. They came out beautifully! Thank you!
I made this recipe for my family and THEY COULD NOT GET ENOUGH!
They thought I had bought it from a bakery!
It turned out, light and fluffy inside with that crispy outside. Absolute perfection!
I used a loaf to make garlic bread and that was an enormous hit as well!
Hi I just finished making this last night, I want to use it Saturday for French toast, how do you recommend storing it?
I usually store sealed in a bag (once it has cooled completely).
Your bread looks delicious and I would like to try it. Just a little note, technically French bread does not have any kind of fat added, but Italian loafs do.
Hi! My bread came out very light in color. For some reason I’m not able to get that beautiful golden color. Do you know what the reason might be?
Hi Sabina, you can try increasing your oven temperature by 25 degrees and/or moving the oven rack to middle or upper middle position (I’ve found this helps my rolls or free-formed bread brown better).
Is the rise method an either or? Or do you do both rises?
The dough needs to rise but you can use either method #1 (rise in one big mass in a bowl) OR method #2 (rise in 10 minute increments).
This was so easy and turned out so yummy!
I’ve made this bread twice in 2 nights. We love this recipe. The bread tastes amazing, the texture is perfect and the crust is exactly how I like it. My boyfriend waited and waited to cut it but then photographed it first. Haha That was flattering. I used bread flour the first time and all purpose flour the second time. I think, I like the Ap best, but both were delicious! Thank you for a great recipe! I can’t wait to use this recipe on holidays.
Can’t wait to make this! If I plan on refrigerating the dough overnight, should I shape it into loaves first? (I am a novice baker). Also, how long would I wait to bake it after removing it from the fridge?
I would shape into loaves and then refrigerate. After you take it out of the fridge, I’d let the dough come to room temperature and continue rising until puffy.
I haven’t made bread in years and finally decided to give it a go. I used bread flour and followed the recipe perfectly and the bread came out absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!!
Easy and yummy!
Made this bread. Two large loafs! It was oh so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
bread tasted great but my loaves were flattened. they rose great both times and when i put them in the oven it flattened. any tips?
Try adding a bit more flour, if they flatten while they rise or bake it usually means the dough needs more flour for structure and/or they should rise for a little less time.
I made this bread today and almost half a loaf is gone. It is a very, very easy recipe to follow and the results had my hubby drooling.
Thank you for giving me confidence to bake bread, something I was always reluctant to do before, but it is easier than baking cookies or cakes! So little work for great results.
So good! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m not picky about fresh-baked bread (it’s all good!) but this was indeed tasty AND easy. I kneaded by hand and let it rise en masse. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m curious why your loaves have smooth, round ends, rather than looking rolled up like a cinnamon roll log?
Also, how do you keep your dough from spreading across the pan during the second rise?
This bread was pretty good the first day (a little dense but not chewy), but it was a bit chewy and not as good the next day.
This bread is definitely best fresh/same day. I tuck the ends of the loaves under so they are smooth and round. If the dough is spreading during rising, you probably need to add a bit more flour to the dough or roll/form into tighter loaves.
This recipe is excellent. Very easy to make and the results were outstanding. I did not use my Kitchen Aid mixer, I did it by hand and it came out perfect. I baked them on my pizza stone with parchment . Thank you for sharing such a great recipe
Best bread recipe I’ve ever used.
Family adore it.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
It turned out delicious! I used bread flour and good olive oil and yes I added the salt. My husband loved it!
This is my go to recipe for bread. I use it for rolls, burger buns, brat buns, and French bread loaves. My favorite
Do you just shape into the type of rolls you want after first rise?
What if you use butter instead of oil to give the bread a buttery taste? Will it work?
You can definitely try – should work fine.
So excited to try this! Would you recommend the same kneading time (3-5min) if you are doing it by hand rather than in the mixer?
If making by hand, I’d suggest kneading for double the time.
WOW!! Without a doubt this is one of the very best bread recipes I’ve tried in many years!! The texture is exceptional and the taste is perfection!! I know I will be making this frequently for quite some time! Simply scrumptious!! Thank you!!
Can the dough be kept in the fridge before the final rise and baking? Some of my recipes encourage 2-3 days in the fridge.
Yes, the dough should do fine in the refrigerator.
It did end up working out very well – it works great to bake some right away and the rest a few days later. There’s just two of us now, so we get the freshest outcome that way. 😉
Easy recipe and amazing taste. First made on New Year and now making twice every week. Stopped buying bread from store. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
THANK YOU! I tried this recipe and it turned out great!
Hi! I made this yesterday and halved the recipe. It turned out so well, I made another one. It is so freakin’ easy! Question, though. After spreading out the dough, prior to rolling up, would it hurt anything to sprinkle cinnamon/sugar and then roll? It seems such a mild and soft dough you could flavor it. TIA!
I haven’t tried that but it’s certainly worth a try!
I don’t know how to rate this recipe but it is 6 Stars for me! I made this with whole red wheat and added the gluten like you suggested. Topped it with some honey out of oven and let the honey soak in for a day. It is soooo light! Never made a wheat bread that wasn’t heavy. I’ll let you know how the cinnamon turns out. Thank you!
Can you make the dough, let it rise first time and put it in the fridge and bake the next day?
Thanks
I haven’t tried that but usually yeast bread dough does fine refrigerated overnight.
Oh my goodness, I just made this and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on it right before I put it in the oven and it is so very very very good. I will be using this recipe often can’t wait to take it tomorrow my family for lunch after church. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! I have made this a few times and the bread has come out great each time. It’s very hard to not devour the entire loaf with butter when it come out of the oven!
Do you think that bread flour would be good for this recipe?
Yep! Works great.
I’ve made this recipe twice, first time flat, second flawless in looks but it tasted like sourdough. And it wasn’t as airy as I wanted it to be. What did I do wrong? My family loved it but I wasn’t a fan. How long should it rest after baking? I’ve got plenty of supplies for trial and error
If the bread was flat, it sounds like it needs a bit more flour to hold the structure of the bread as it rises. This bread isn’t airy and filled with holes like an artisan bread (that starts with a very wet dough). The crumb is tighter than that type of bread.
Made this and LOVE it. Very easy recipe to follow and results were perfect.
Could you let this rise in a banneton basket for shape, or does it have to be rolled?
Yes, you definitely can…I did that today with a double batch I made of this bread.
What a great way you phrase the ways to mix-after reading & successfully getting two loaves-I wish I had read it through twice&cooked them one at a time-must find how you get credit for the Amazon kit – lame& soon the weird pans you showed-
This was fantastic!!! Great recipe for beginners. I chose rise option 2 and threw 4 ice cubes in a separate cookie sheet under the bread in the oven. Wonderful rise, texture, and flavor. Will definitely use this one again and again!
I have made this recipe dozens of times and it always comes out perfect. I was wondering if you think I could turn it into rolls. I need some good crusty roll for french dips…any suggestions? Thanks!
The dough should work great as rolls! I’d roll them into balls (about 2.5-3 ounces each), let them rise and bake them for 15-17 minutes.
Made it a couple days ago and am already making it again. I halved the recipe and it came out perfectly (all purpose flour, active dry yeast since it’s what I had on-hand, the rest & stir down method, and used a lame to slash the loaf before rising). The loaf was huge! I am making the recipe again right now, this time doing the full recipe, and I plan to divide into 4 loaves, 3 of which I’ll freeze after baking. There are only 2 of us, and so I ended up eating 3/4 of the giant loaf in 2 days, whoops! Hopefully this spreads the wealth a bit. Am looking forward to making this for friends & neighbors in the future.
I used the french bread pans advertised above. They rose over the sides. Any suggestions?
You could try forming longer skinnier loaves or make three loaves out of the batch (also take care not to let the bread rise too long).
Great recipe! My only issue was my crust wasn’t as golden and crispy as it appears in your picture. Tasted great though and super easy to follow for a bread making rookie.
I’ve never made bread of any kind. This being my first attempt I had so many questions of the process and the end result after hearing how tricky it can be – well, it wasn’t at all. I followed to recipe to a “T” (1/2 batch) and it worked perfectly. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, not a ton of flavor but wasn’t expecting too much. Made great French toast!
This is a perfect intro to bread making. Thanks for sharing!
2020 has been the year where I learned to make bread. I made all kinds of bread. And this, which I made on the last day of 2020, is the best! My kids and husband and I filled out bellies!
Have you ever used high gluten flour before? I have been trying to use it up. In the beginning of April after everything went nutty in the world, it was all I could find and I do not want to waste it. So even though I really don’t care for it too much, I try to use it. Works fine for cookies. Well I have been waiting for it to rise for a good hour and its not rising. So any suggestions on what to do now would be greatly appreciated. I suppose I may need to just toss it if not….
Hi Connie, is it bread flour?
I did make this bread several times before. It’s a fantastic recipe! It’s not a traditional French bread recipe but it does make a fabulous tasty and beautiful bread. Wish I could post pictures with this comment because my bread came out stunning.
My bread was done but didn’t really come out as brown and crispy looking. Any tips for what might have gone wrong?
You can try increasing the oven temp by 25 degrees and also baking the bread on a higher oven rack (I find the best browning happens above the halfway mark).
This is a good loaf of bread. That being said I think it lacks the typical French bread flavor. Possibly fermentation would make it taste more like French bread. Regardless it’s good bread and I’ll make it again.
Nothing better than the perfect French baguette! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I’d like to make this for Christmas so is there a way that I can pre-make the dough and either freeze it or partially cook the bread so it comes out of the oven crispy and fresh on Christmas day?
I am not the author, but this is a pretty standard recipe and nearly the same as mine. You can freeze the dough at any point after the first rise. Let it come to room temperature, work it into a loaf and allow it to rise a final time and it’s good to go!