Homemade French Bread
Simple, quick, and easy homemade French bread recipe.
Kids can even make this bread. For real. It’s that easy. Making any bread from scratch can be a daunting task and it’s easy to be intimidated by the whole process. I am going to break it down and hopefully ease any worries. You may even become a master bread maker!
This Homemade Bakery French Bread can be done in a little more than one hour which means you can have hot, fresh bread straight out of the oven when the kids get home from school even if you don’t start baking until afternoon. You won’t need to run to the bakery for your french bread anymore when you can make better bread at home….in no time flat.
I taught a culinary class for kids in both Texas and Arizona and I’ve watched 7-year-olds tackle this homemade French bread recipe. I loved seeing the pictures those kids sent me showing the french bread masterpieces they made for their families.
As a child, I remember riding my bike home from school and opening the back door to the smells of homemade bread baking in the oven. My Mom always said that she could live on bread alone so bread was always essential in our home. There’s nothing more comforting than a hot piece of bread straight from the oven covered in churned butter and homemade strawberry jam.
Let’s get down to the basics so you can start baking.
How to make quick and easy homemade bakery french bread:
- Making sure the yeast proofs is essential. Using fresh yeast is important and mixing with warm water (not too hot, not too cold) will ensure success. Yeast loves sugar so add a pinch of sugar to the mixture. Let it work for about 10 minutes.
- Adding flour one cup at a time is important so you can see when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. That’s when you know it’s ready. Put flour down on the counter so the dough doesn’t stick. That isn’t fun. I love my Bosch mixer and can find a great deal on one below.
- Using rolling pin, roll out into a 9 x 12 rectangle. Roll up lengthwise and mold into french loaf. I love this marble rolling pin.
- The loaves don’t have to look perfect. I rolled these babies in 7 1/2 minutes flat before I sprinted to my little girl’s performance. Don’t forget to make 3-4 diagonal cuts with a sharp knife before placing on silpat or greased cookie sheet. These silicone baking sheets make it so easy to remove the bread from the baking sheet. Let rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden brown. Watch it carefully to turn a light golden brown color.
- 2 Tablespoons Yeast
- 1/2 cup Warm Water
- 2 cups Hot Water
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/3 cup Oil
- 6 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 Egg for brushing on bread
- In a small bowl, dissolve your yeast in ½ cup warm water. Make sure that your water is warm (not too cold, not too hot). Let proof for 10 minutes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour and mix together. Add the yeast mixture to a bowl.
- Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Watch for it to start pulling away from the bowl to know it's ready. Once all of the flour is added, let sit for 10 minutes.
- Separate your dough into 3 pieces. On a floured surface roll each piece into a 9x12 rectangle. Roll it up like a jelly roll. Shape into a french bread loaf and smooth out edges.
- Place the dough on a greased baking pan or a Silpat, seam side down. Using a knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch thick in bread. Brush with your beaten egg.
- Let dough rise uncovered for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
- Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Happy Baking, my friends! I can’t wait to hear what you think about this quick and easy homemade french bread.
Hello I’m guessing you use a stand mixer? I don’t have one so will kneading by hand produce the same pulling away from the sides results?
Yes. As the dough pulls away from the bowl with the mixer when it’s had enough flour the same goes for not being too sticky on the counter or whatever you are using. Happy baking!
Hi Cindy! If you don’t have a stand mixer and will be kneading it yourself (hello, muscles), you will be able to feel when it isn’t so sticky anymore. You don’t want it completely dry but you don’t want it to be so wet that you can feel the liquid on your hands. I hope that makes sense. Good luck and let me know how it turns out! -Melissa
Do you bake one pan at a time or both pans at the same time?
If I’m using instant yeast, I’m assuming I don’t need to use warm water. It can be cool or room temperature? Also, would you use the same amount of yeast if using instant yeast? Would it work to even do the dough in a bread maker?
Great recipe!
Making them weekly!
Makes three so give two away.
I just made it for our dinner. It was soo good. My husband said no more buying french bread 😀
Thank you for the recipe.
I have never made homemade bread before, this was a first attempt. The recipe is so easy to follow and faster than I expected! It was a huge hit with our family and I will be making it often! thank you for sharing it.
This is my second time making this yummy bread. I think we won’t be buying french bread from the market anymore! Thank you for the recipe
OMG , just finished my first batch of this yummy French bread. It was so easy and it makes three nice large loaves, wow. The most important thing though is that it tastes every bit as it looks. I can see myself making this bread often. Thank you so much!!
Really stupid question… Are you rolling it to make it 9″ loaf or 12″ loaf?
It states to roll up lengthwise so that would mean a 12” loaf. ☺️
Hi!.. Thanks for this recipe. Have you ever attempted to freeze a loaf? (family of 4….so we can’t eat it all at once). Thanks again =)
I was wondering the same thing as well! Did you hear back whether you can freeze the dough prior to baking?
Did anyone find out about freezing?
Hi Brooke! You can absolutely freeze this bread. I place it in two gallon size Ziploc bags (one on each end) and freeze the baked French bread. It lasts for awhile in the freezer. I hope that helps!
Phenomenal bread..used wooden spoon and hands..So yummy and easy..
Thanks so much 🍞😊
Hi Gail! I love to hear it. Thank you for sharing and for trying my recipe!
Ha!! I dont think she answered your question? I just put 1/3 dough in the freezer to bake later. I figure if I can buy frozen dough to thaw, let rise & bake, why shouldn’t i ,right?? I didnt grease it up, but out in gallon freezer bag & rolled it up to get as much air out as possible, zipped it & tossed in the deep freeze. Only time will tell if genius or dunce!🙌🤣🙏🙏😎
As she stated in her reply she bakes the bread first THEN freezes it.
You can brush with egg, then freeze it. When you are ready to bake it, just defrost it, rise/bake the dough according to the instructions. That’s pretty standard.
I bake the bread then slice it and put it in a zip loc bag and put it in the freezer. Then when I want a sandwich I pull two slices out and thaw in the microwave for 20to30 seconds.
Just made this and I could seriously eat a whole loaf myself! It’s so perfectly fluffy and delicious slathered in butter. Was such an easy recipe and came together really quick!
New to bread making… so do you use regular flour or self-rising?
I would probably use bread flour.
Due to being unexpectedly low on all purpose flour, I used half all purpose and half self rising. Turned out great.
If a recipe doesn’t specifically state what kind of flour to use it is safe to assume it means all purpose flour. In yeast bread self rising flour is typically not used because it vontains baking powder which helps rise the bread. Since you’re using yeast theres no need for it
I’m wondering what a good vegan substitute would be for the egg brushed on top. What is it’s purpose?
Do you have a suggestion?
Hi Barbara! Great question. The egg wash adds a nice shine to the bread but you can use a vegan butter substitute instead if you want to add some shine. Have a great day!
I’m sure I won’t get a reply, but has anyone tried halving the recipe and baking it in the Lekue?
I’ve cut the recipe in half and baked it on a tradition metal making pan. Came out great!
Girlfriend, I have hit the jackpot! I’m a 1st time bread baker. My family of 5 LOVED IT! I feel like Mrs. Baird! THANK YOU for such an easy recipe! This will be my Thanksgiving “Brag Bread”. Can I tweak it by adding garlic/herbs? Is it possible to make this perfect bread even MORE perfect?! LOL
Hi LaTrel! Your comment just made my day! Thank you! I am so happy you loved it and I am so glad that you tried my recipe, being a first-time bread baker. You are awesome! You can absolutely add garlic and herbs and cheese and whatever you want. That sounds heavenly. Have a blessed day! — Melissa
Hi, I was wondering what kind of flour you have used to make the bread. Bread flour ? AP flour ? Pastry flour ( the bread on that picture seems very soft , not like the” regular “ French baguette) If you used AP , did you use bleached or unbleached ? I know , it sounds crazy asking about flour but you being a culinary teacher you understand that the “ main” ingredient which is flour makes all the difference on the final product . Thx 🙂
I made this with bleached, all purpose flour and it was delicious. I have been baking bread for 60 years and this was probably the easiest bread I have ever baked. Since it was a little chilly in my kitchen, winter in Nebraska, I did something I’ve never done before. I heated water in a small ceramic bowl to heat up the bowl, poured it out and then put the warm water, yeast and a little sugar to feed the yeast and it really bubbled up.
Ooooh my gosh!!! Thank you so very much for sharing that awesome bread recipe. I made it today and we had it for dinner with some home made butternut squash soup. My sister told me that it was a nice way to end the day 😁 My granddaughter said I should make that bread every day. We had our first snow storm and the weather also made the soup and bread extra!!! Can you imagine if we ate it every day 🤣🤣 thank you again for sharing 😁😁😁
Awww this makes me so happy to hear! I love to hear when someone is making a cozy meal of soup and homemade bread. There’s nothing better than that to warm the body on a snowy day. Thank you for taking the time to write a comment and for trying my recipe. I appreciate it!
Can this be rolled up and sized to be baked in loaf pans?
This was my first time attempting French Bread and it came out amazing!! Such a quick easy recipe and went well with the soup I had simmering for dinner. Thank you!
Mine came out amazing. I’m wondering if there are any tips for making a crispier crust. Mine came out a bit soft. The inside was perfect and my family loved it.
Put a pan of water in the oven also. This added moisture creates a crust on the bread like you get in bakeries. My daughter is a chef & this is the trick they use in bakeries. Some ovens now have steam option.
Yes, I do this all the time when I want a crispy crust and it works like a charm! I also sometimes will dust with flour prior to making the cuts in the dough, in lieu of the egg wash. Just like from the bakery! Haven’t tried it yet with this recipe though (waiting for it to rise as I type), but I’m sure it will be the same!
Just made your bread and it is delicious and it looks great too. I put a cake pan with about 1 inch of water on the bottom shelf while I was preheating the oven and while baking the bread so it would give it a crunchy crust. I will be making this again.
I made theses! They’re about to come out of the oven! Looks like you have a lot of other recipes I will be making! Thank you!
I have been trying bread recipes for over a decade but it never turned out good! This bread was amazing!!! I’ve never tried rolling it out and up like this before but it worked!!
Can you freeze the dough? If I yes, how long does it stay good? Three loaves at one time is a bit much for me.
Try cutting the recipe in haif and making one loaf. You won’t be disappointed.
This bread is SO good! I baked all three loaves, then froze one and gave the other to my son. Later, thawed the frozen loaf and reheated in foil. Worked beautifully. BTW, I have a stand mixer and used that to mix up the dough. I will be making this bread in a regular basis. Would be great for French toast and grilled cheese sandwiches in addition to dipping in olive oil/spices or simply with butter and jam. Yum!
Did you use your dough hook or paddle attachment??
Our first try with this recipe and my family loves it! We cut it right away after baking but it came out wet. We were wondering if my bread was undercooked or I need to let it sit? I took it out at 20 mins because it looks brown already.
Tried this recipe today my goodness..I cut the recipe in half so i made 2 small loafs and they came out perfect so delicious and better yet so easy!! Thank you Melissa😍
Hi there! I’m looking forward to making this bread this week, but I have a question before I can start. Can this be made with instant yeast, and if so, what changes need to be made to the recipe? Would I skip the step of putting the yeast in the warm water and just go straight to adding it to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients? Do I only use the “hot water” measured amount of water in the recipe? I only ever buy instant yeast, and I would really love to know what changes need to be made in order for me to be able to use the instant yeast in this recipe. I don’t want to have an epic fail! Haha, so I’m looking forward to hopefully hearing back soon with an answer, so that I can make this sometime this week! Thanks so much!!
I made this bread tonight with rapid rise yeast. I added the yeast to the dry ingredients, used the total amount of warm water. I let the dough rise for 19 minutes, kneaded for about two minutes and shaped and let rise for 30 minutes. Turned out great.
So if i am reading this right you used both hot water and the warm water ? Regardless that you added the instant yeast to the dry ingredients.
I added it to the dry but i only used the hot water part of the recipe
I never comment on recipes I get off the web. I HAD to for this one.
I was perusing for a great bread recipe and I don’t even remember what I typed in the Google search, but, your recipe came up.
I read over it, printed it out, went to the kitchen and made the best 3 loaves of French bread a person could ever hope to make. WOW!
I gave 2 loaves to my culinary challenged neighbor. She loved it! This recipe is a keeper. I will be making this on a regular basis! Thank you for sharing such an easy, wonderful bread recipe!
I put the dough in two loaf pans and left them in the oven an extra 15 minutes. Came out perfect.
Great recipe! I’ve never had good results with French bread until I tried this one. There’s only 2 of us, so I cut the recipe in half and made 1 large loaf. Perfection! Why buy stale store bread when making your own is so easy? I will be sharing this one.
I made this recipe today. It was so easy and delicious. My family has already polished off one loaf. Thank you for sharing!
My 10 yr old daughter made this tonight & it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, I just made the bread, its baking in the oven, I cannot wait to taste it! Yummy
What type of yeast did you use?:)
I wondered this too. The yeast link shows Red Star Active Dry Yeast 2 lb bag. No longer available on amazon. I will have to look for an alternative, since I have only ever seen the little packets. It would take multiple packets, as she calls for 2 tablespoons of yeast. Hope this helps.
I too made this in two bread loaf pans, and it worked great! Here as some tips that I hope will help others. Prep your pans with spray even if they are non-stick. After the dough sits for 10 minutes, divide in half. Roll each half in a rectangle, approx. 7″ x 15″ each. Roll each starting from the short side. Smooth over the seam and the ends, then place in pans, seam side down. Cut slits and add egg wash to the tops; don’t allow egg to drip down the sides if you don’t want to glue your bread to the pan! Let rise 30-40 min. until dough mostly fills the pan and top of dough is just past the top of the pan. Bake together for 30-35 minutes. If the tops start to brown too much during baking, loosely place a sheet of foil over them until done. Yields two large and lovely loaves of french bread. : )
Did you use 9″ x 5″ or 8 ½” x 4 ½ pans? Thanks!
This is so good! I read comments before trying and though it cant be bad with so many raves! Well here’s another. I imagine doing great things with this recipe! Ate three loaves in one day between three of us!
I’m a beginner French bread Baker and while I found the recipe easy, both tries have yielded gooey, unmanageable dough making for flat loaves that taste great! First time I used flour amount called for. Second time, added another half cup. How much more flour would be too much? Just not sure what the dough consistency should be. Any thoughts?
I think the problem is with the yeast: it was not enough for the flour. I use 50 grams of fresh yeast for this recipe, that’s perfectly enough. If the dough is too wet, add more flour. You should get a consistency that’s not sticky, the dough should keep it’s shape. I hope you give it another try, because this is truly a wonderful recipe.
I made it three times. Very good bread! About 15 people tried it and everyone loved it. I like it with butter, butter and honey, and butter and jelly. It rises well. I’m sure the hot water and ample yeast help it rise fast. It is a very soft fluffy bread when you use all white flour. I also tried half white and half whole wheat. It is a little denser but is still good. I plan to use this recipe the next time I want to make garlic bread.
Okay so one of my friends texted me tonight saying she was bored and I saw a post on the interwebs about how cool it was to bake your own bread so my impulsive self went out and got some yeast from the campus grocery store. we got back and got to work on this recipe until she pointed out that we didn’t have enough flour. It was too late to change course- it was 10pm, the store had closed, the yeasty bois were activating, and most of the ingredients were already in the mixing bowl. So we pressed on, determined to make something out of what we had. 5.5 cups of flour later, our “dough” was still as sticky as poorly-implemented glue but you know what? mama didn’t raise no quitter. we also didn’t have an egg, don’t judge me, we’re broke college students, and it’s probably mostly for show anyway. I swear I’m not actually a terrible cook but I have a little problem with these recipes telling me how to live my life. What’s the fun in following instructions on how to make something? they’re written by like professional chefs or something, of course it’ll come out great. let some excitement and mystery into your life. What have you got to loose? approximately $1.37 worth of ingredients? anyway it smells really good and masks the stench of my roommate’s hockey equipment. it also tastes fabulous despite having the consistency of a biscuit and appearance of excised tissue. anyway it entertained us for about 2 hours so yeah 10/10. peace out friends and thx for the general idea on how to make bread
Keep this recipe and dig it out 30 or 40 years from now when you retire. You’ll thank me later.
Yep! This is a keeper! Lovely, soft and beautiful loaves! I’m throwing away all my other French bread recipes!
I am beyond pleased with this recipe! I have made bread once before, using a “no-knead” recipe. Tonight, I decided to try this recipe as my 2nd bread attempt. I used a stand mixer, and silpat mats for baking. I couldn’t believe how BIG the loaves become! I’ll halve the recipe next time amd make smaller loaves. Not only was it easy, it’s delicious! I’ll be baking this as gifts and giving with the recipe!
I wouldn’t change a thing this bread is amazing!! Looks like I’ll be making this weekly its that good!!
Can you please tell me if I can use instant yeast, since this is what I have on hand. Do I need to make any changes if I do? Can’t wait to take this to our spaghetti pot Luck in two weeks.
I just (successfully) made French bread!!!! First time ever! Thank you for this incredible recipe. The loaves were not the prettiest (severe arthritis in hands) but tasted delicious.
What kind of oil fo you use. I usually use olive oil??
SO EASY and delicious. I’ve tried baking bread several times and it never came out right until this recipe. Can’t wait to jazz up my next batch with garlic/herbs or cheese. THANK YOU for posting
This is a really great bread recipe. I wanted a garlic bread for our spaghetti dinner but we were trapped in the house due to a sick child. I added garlic, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese to the dough and dropped chunks into a loaf pan to make monkey bread. It was so soft and delicious. The sick child who had no appetite went back for thirds and the child that usually hates garlic bread had multiple helpings.
Have you ever used this dough to make cinnamon rolls? Thank you for a simple, delicious recipe.
This is the best bread recipe ever!!! My family loves when I make this bread. It turns out great every time and is delicious!
I tried making this bread today and the flavor was great but my loafs came out very dense. Where did I go wrong?
Thank you!
I am finding mine tonight did the same i used instant yeast which on the package says to add directly to dry ingredients so thats what did i wonder if thats why it was a bit dense
Quite an easy recipe. Have a stupid query! I don’t understand how to roll it exactly. Can You explain that.
I am a beginner in bread making.
I’m experimenting and rolling mine up with a little cinnamon sugar on the inside and gunna make French toast with it… well see how it goes!!
This bread is easy, fast, and Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Excellent taste and texture! I will be making this bread on a weekly basis. I’m going to try adding rosemary and garlic to the dough.
Is there certain temperatures the water should be?
I decided to try with non bleached wheat flour. It’s wonderful artisan wheat loaves. It did take longer to bake, but it was definitely worth it!
I don’t have a mixer, so I am a little confused about how to mix the dough. Do I use a wooden spoon to mix ingredients, and then knead it? And then do I roll it out into the rectangular shape, cut it and let it stand/rise before baking? Can I use parchment paper on the baking sheet?
Exactly. This is how I do it and the result is always wonderful 🙂
This bread was absolutely delicious!! I gave some bread away to family and friends and they raved about it too! Thank you for sharing this!
First time to make this recipe and it was great, very easy to follow and that is the first time I have ever had to mix the baking soda with water, but the magic worked, Thanks for sharing.
I just made this recipe and will make it again for sure. Perfect, easy, tastes wonderful. Next time, I’ll add Parmesan cheese on the top of the baguetes. Thanks for this recipe.
DELICIOUS bread!!! It was my first time ever making bread and can’t believe how easy it was and how well they came out! I had run out of regular oil so had to use olive oil, not sure if that made any difference, but it’s addictive, I can’t stop eating it! Gave one away to my neighbor but I’m gonna have to keep the other two loaves (which I will undoubtedly eat tonight and tomorrow lol). Thank you for this recipe!
Can I use bread flour for this recipe? I’ve made this bread with just ap flour, but I am out of ap flour…thanks!
Hey, you have done a great job sharing this bread recipe with us. I was actually looking for such kind of post. I tried this recipe many times but I have failed, but now I will try as per your method and let you know how it was. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. Do keep sharing.
I’ve used your recipe before and had great results. I was making some for out of town guests during the summer on a particularly humid day. I found I had to add a full cup of extra flour to make it manageable. Still a great recipe.
It was my first attempt at making bread and I cannot thank you enough for keeping this recipe so simple and to-the-point. I forgot the second last step of the second rise for 30-40 minutes, but I live in India and it was so hot and humid that even 20 minutes rise yielded perfectly soft and lovely bread. My husband and I loved the bread and we even experimented with the third loaf by adding herbs and garlic to it.
The only disappointment I faced was with the third loaf, which had risen too much and then fell flat while putting the egg wash on it (maybe too much yeast). It still turned out delicious. Thanks again for your wonderful recipe.
Added some rosemary to mine, and used olive oil as my oil; delicious! Great with chicken soup!
Just used your recipe it was delightful definitely making again 👍
I want to make this recipe for my dad but he is allergic to eggs. Is the egg vital for the bread? Thanks
Delicious bread but I wouldn’t call it French bread. It wasn’t the least bit crispy. Maybe I’m just used to the Artisan crusty loaves from the bakery. But this is easy & a delicious loaf of bread.
I’m sure this tastes nice, but it isn’t French bread. French bread only has flour, water, salt, and yeast.
Not sure how to load a pic but I finally nailed their recipe down. Thank you for the recipe. It turned out delicious and I will make again, again, and again!!
I am finding mine tonight did the same i used instant yeast which on the package says to add directly to dry ingredients so thats what did i wonder if thats why it was a bit dense
Probably a dumb question, but I am going to ask it anyway, as I don’t see it stated in the recipe. What kind of yeast is used in this recipe… Active Dry, Instant Yeast, or Fresh Yeast?
I made this today and it seriously is SO GOOD!! And SUPER simple and easy! I’ll definitely be making it again (and again and again!).
It turned out great, and rose really well. They looked great. But we found it very dense and heavy. Should this be airy and light? Does this mean not kneaded enough or too much flour?
I have a Ankarsrum mixer and this recipe I make each week. It’s my favorite bread, lite, flavorful, wonderful! I don’t buy bread anymore 🙂 Warm water for the yeast until it’s bubbly, mix/knead until it gets like stiff gum. You’ll feel the tension begin. Rise afterward, then shape and let rest/rise covered on pan for maybe half hour. Then bake. I’m new to bread making but am now understanding the science of it. Loving it!!!
I have tried for years to make bread that my husband says mmm that’s delicious! This is the recipe that got me the kudos. Thank you for sharing!
My family loves this recipe. I’ve been making it almost weekly and it never lasts longer than 2 days.
Considering I am in Quito, Ecuador, I didn’t think it was going to work, but we just ate the best French bread ever… thanks for such a good recipe!!!
My 10 year old son can’t believe he’s made bread that tastes like it’s fresh from the bakery! His expression was “wow” when it came out the oven! He wants to bake it every week now! He loves the feel of the warm dough too – it’s like putty for him- a stress reliever! Thanks for sharing this
🙂