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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.
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Homemade Bakery French Bread
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Baking, my friends! I can’t wait to hear what you think about this quick and easy homemade french bread.
Hello I just made this recipe for probably third time. It is an easy to follow recipe but This time I dont know what came wrong that the crust is fabulous but the Inside came a little clumpsy and looks kind of heavy the texture is not the same….can it be the yeast that I have being keeping in the fridge for 2 or 3 months? It is not due but could be old now. Thanks for your response.
I just made this recipe and it was amazing! I wasn’t so sure about this recipe at first, especially the part that says the yeast should go in after the sugar but I continued following the recipe exactly and it turned out beautiful! I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you!
Ooh, I missed that… yeast after sugar. I dumped the yeast in the water and then tossed in the sugar all in one feld swoop. It took a few minutes of stirring, but it eventually dissolved and pooped up nicely.
What temperature is warm water and what temperature is hot water?
your water should be between 105-120 fahrenheit, any hotter will kill the yeast
I too want to know how hot is the “HOT” water in this recipe? I know yeast warm water should be 105-115°F. What about “Hot”?
Hello!
I would like to cut this recipe in half. Would I use 1/4 cup of water to proof the 1 tablespoon of yeast? Thanks in advance!
Which yeast is better, original or rapid rise?
This is the easiest and my family loved it. It was my first homade bread ever. I was wondering if you can use this to make an everything bread and what seasoning do you suggest?
Thanks for such a simple yet yummy recipe. I followed it exactly as written. Actually, I didn’t even use a rolling pin to roll it out. I just used my hands and eye-balled it and it worked great!
Turned out delicious.
Made this for four times. Superb. Thanx for the recipe
5 stars! Great recipe! I’ve made this several times now and it’s no fail. My favorite version now is to add chopped jalapeños as I’m mixing everything together. Then add a few slices on top. Then I “bake” it on my Traeger smoker. No need to adjust any of the ingredients or time. It’s turned out perfectly each time. Thank you!
Love the bread recipe but did notice that the printed version forgot to mention to add a pinch of sugar to the yeast! Next time I make it I will add the sugar… curious to see if it makes a difference!