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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.
This is the best bread recipe ever!!! My family loves when I make this bread. It turns out great every time and is delicious!
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.
So did you add the seasonings while mixing the ingredients for the bread? And did you still roll the dough before piecing it out?
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
What kind of oil fo you use. I usually use olive oil??
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.
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 have tried to activate my yeast 3 times and it has not worked yet. It hasn’t foamed at all. My temperature is right and my yeast is brand new.
Try adding a TB of sugar in with the yeast to proof. Then only add 2 TB sugar in with the flour.
I always add 1/4 tsp of sugar with my yeast and warm water and it’s always foamed. Hope this helps if you don’t usually add sugar.
I wouldn’t change a thing this bread is amazing!! Looks like I’ll be making this weekly its that good!!
I have made biscuits many times but I have never made homemade bread except in a bread maker. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I hope you love it, Anne!
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!
Yummy, soft bread! It was easy to make. My parents toasted it, and we ate it right out of the oven.
Yep! This is a keeper! Lovely, soft and beautiful loaves! I’m throwing away all my other French bread recipes!
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.
That’s cute I love it. I have the÷ bread inthe oven now. Can’t wait. So far it looks like I did it right. Thank you
I like your attitude, Becky! You should definitely keep up the writing!