Homemade French Bread Recipe
Posted Apr 16, 2021, Updated Aug 16, 2024
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This homemade French bread recipe is easy to make with only 6 ingredients and is so much better than store-bought. Watch the video and follow our step-by-step instructions to learn how to make French bread!
I’m a sucker for homemade bread. No knead bread, pretzel bread, dinner rolls, you name it I prefer to make it fresh in my kitchen. This Homemade French Bread is no exception, and it’s the best French bread recipe you’ll ever make!
It’s easy to make with only 6 ingredients! Once you try this French bread you will never be tempted to buy those $2 loves of bread at your local grocery store again. Use it to make homemade croutons or this french toast casserole.
French Bread Recipe: Ingredients & Substituions
Here are a few notes on the ingredients in this french bread recipe, as well as some possible substitutions.
- Warm water. Make sure the water does not exceed 105 degrees F, or it will kill the yeast.
- Granulated sugar. honey can be used in place of granulated sugar, if desired.
- Active dry yeast. If using instant yeast, decrease the amount to 1 ½ tsp.
- Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this french bread recipe, if you don’t have olive oil my top two recommendations are canola oil and avocado oil.
- All-purpose flour. Use unbleached, all-purpose flour or bread flour for the best results. You can substitute up to 1 cup with whole wheat flour, if desired.
- Egg (for egg wash). This is optional, so you can skip the egg wash if you have an egg allergy in your family. Note that if you choose to omit the egg wash the bread will be just as tasty, but not shiny or as golden-brown.
- Ice Cubes. The steam from the ice cubes helps crisp up the outside of the french bread! A special trick for perfect homemade french bread.
How to Make French Bread
Like I said earlier, this recipe is easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through how to make french bread step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
The first step in this french bread recipe is to proof the yeast. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand until foamy, which takes about 10 minutes. If mixing and kneading by hand, proof the yeast in a large bowl.
Once the yeast is proofed, add olive oil, sea salt and 1 cup flour to the mixture and stir with the dough hook. Then, add more flour, ½ cup at a time until the dough is smooth and forms a ball on the dough hook.
If mixing by hand, stir with a spatula or wooden spoon as you add the flour until a ball forms.
Knead for 2-3 minutes either with the dough hook or by hand, until the french bread dough is smooth and elastic. It will be slightly tacky, but will form a ball easily. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball.
Next, lightly oil a large bowl, place the french bread dough in the bowl, and cover with a damp tea towel. Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.
Form the French Bread Loaf
Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Remove the air from the dough and roll it out into a 12”x 9” rectangle.
Then, roll the dough like a jelly roll, tucking in the ends and pinching the seams and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Use a sharp knife to cut 4-5 shallow diagonal lines down the loaf.
Next, let the dough rise for about 30-60 minutes until it has about doubled in size.
Bake
If desired, brush egg wash over loaf, then bake the french bread on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Put ice cubes on the bottom of the oven as soon as you put the pan in there and close the door. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Slice & Serve
Let cool slightly, slice and serve. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy this homemade french bread:
- Serve this french bread recipe alongside your favorite soup – like this vegetable soup, tortellini soup, butternut squash soup or this chicken and rice soup!
- Use it to make french bread pizza.
- Dip it in this baked goat cheese dip!
- Use it to make the best bruschetta recipe!
- Slather some homemade cinnamon honey butter on this french bread for a special treat!
- I love dipping this french bread in some high-quality olive oil and parmesan cheese or balsamic vinegar!
- Serve it alongside your favorite main dish like this roast turkey and this balsamic slow cooker pot roast.
- This french bread is a great companion to your favorite pasta dishes like this pesto pasta and this cheesy sausage gnocchi!
- Use any leftovers to make the best homemade croutons ever!
Store
Store any leftover french bread in an airtight container (or plastic bag) at room temperature for up to 3 days for maximum freshness. You can use any leftovers to make these homemade croutons too – so good!
Freeze
Wrap cooled French bread in plastic wrap and put in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature or wrap in foil and thaw in the oven set to warm (about 200 degrees F).
French Bread Recipe FAQs
Putting ice in the bottom of the oven when you put the loaf of french bread in helps create a crispy outer crust. The egg wash also helps.
To reheat, wrap the bread in foil and put it in an oven preheated to 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes, or until it’s warmed through. Wrapping it in foil will help lock in the moisture and prevent it from drying out.
I suggest making this french toast casserole – yum!
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Homemade French Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten (optional egg wash)
- 5 ice cubes
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand until foamy – about 10 minutes. If mixing and kneading by hand, proof the yeast in a large bowl.
- Add olive oil, sea salt and 1 cup flour, and stir with the dough hook.
- Add more flour, ½ cup at a time until the dough is smooth and forms a ball on the dough hook. If mixing by hand, stir with a spatula or wooden spoon as you add the flour until a ball forms.
- Knead for 2-3 minutes, either with the dough hook or by hand, until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will be slightly tacky, but it will form a ball easily.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball.
- Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and cover with a damp tea towel.
- Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into a 12”x 9” rectangle and roll it like a jelly roll, tucking in the ends and pinching the seams. Place the rolled dough on the prepared baking sheet.
- Take a knife and cut 4-5 shallow diagonal lines down the loaf.
- Let the dough rise for about 30-60 minutes, until almost doubled.
- If desired, brush egg wash over loaf.
- Transfer loaf to the middle rack of the preheated oven and put the ice cubes on the bottom of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool slightly, slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Warm water. Make sure the water does not exceed 105 degrees F, or it will likely kill the yeast.
- Granulated sugar. honey can be used in place of granulated sugar, if desired.
- Active dry yeast. If using instant yeast, decrease the amount to 1 ½ tsp.
- Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this french bread recipe, if you don’t have olive oil my top two recommendations are canola oil and avocado oil.
- All-purpose flour. Use unbleached, all-purpose flour or bread flour for the best results. You can substitute up to 1 cup with whole wheat flour, if desired.
- Ice Cubes. The steam from the ice cubes helps crisp up the outside of the french bread! A special trick for perfect homemade french bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can dough be made in a bread maker?
Yes! Through the first rise!
I’m a novice baker trying to try different recipes and this was my first french bread! It came out just like the pictures above. I t was delicious and perfect! Thank you!
You’re amazing! Honestly. Everything I make by you is always good. This is the only website I need for cooking and baking haha.
Thank you, Steph!
This is amazing! YOU are amazing! The detailed instructions and the video allowed me to make bread that was – for the first time in MY LIFE of 65 years – worth presenting to my loved ones. I am infamous for dinner rolls that resemble hockey pucks in density and solidity, not to mention loaves of bread that my in-laws used as door stops once I left their house. Seriously. For a person with absolutely no skills in making bread, you have turned my life around.
I’m SO grateful that you took the time to share your review, Nalini! Here’s to many more delicious loaves!
We did 1 loaf of following the recipe and 1 loaf with garlic butter, basil, and cheese. We all thought it was so good.
Thank you so much Elise! I’m loving the idea of garlic butter, basil AND cheese! YUM!
I love your blog! The recipes are easy to make yet delicious and when I look for new ideas that are realistic to make while two toddlers ransack the house, I know I will find a keeper here. I have made white and whole wheat versions of this bread, always as a double batch, and it’s never failed. The kids are demanding pieces as soon as the bread exits the oven. Wonderful as a base for bruschetta, sandwich based dinner, toast as a side for soup or in the French toast casserole recipe. Thanks for being my go-to sanity dinner site!
I started baking bread after age 45. The first loaf I made at age 15 was a disaster. Being an impatient teenager my thought was if yeast needs warmth to make dough rise well then… set the oven at 350 degrees put the dough in the loaf pan and into oven. Set the timer and my brother was salivating when thinking about fresh bread. Sadly it was a rock! My baking experiment failed lol. I told my brother to get the shovel and we buried the pan and all before my mom came home from work!! So made this recipe for a change from my favorite bread recipe and it turned out great! By the way when I started making bread at 45 my husband could eat the whole loaf right out of the oven!
3rds time around for this one…..1st cup I used whole wheat…then mix of bread and plain flour…standard go to now…great soft …didn’t egg wash it ..we like it soft