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This is the BEST homemade French bread and is so easy to make! It’s soft, tasty, and comes out perfect every time.

Use this French Bread to make Easy French Toast, Easy Bruschetta, and even Homemade Croutons! Definitely a favorite bread recipe.

Two loaves of French Bread baked on a sheet pan.


the best homemade French bread!

We love Homemade Bread and after my mom mastered this homemade French Bread recipe, we now love it too! We’ve officially added it to our go-to bread recipes because it’s amazing.

Why we love this recipe:

  • It’s simple! With simple ingredients and easy steps, this recipe is no-fail!
  • Made with pantry staples. All of the ingredients are ones you should have in the pantry or fridge, which means you can make it any time.
  • Versatile. This french bread can be used to eat on its own, or use it to make Croutons, French Toast Casserole or serve it with your favorite soup recipe.
  • Easy to store and freeze. Like most breads, this is easy to make ahead of time and freeze which is always a bonus!

French Bread Ingredients

  • Rapid Rise Yeast – Active dry yeast, instant yeast and rapid rise yeast all work for this bread recipe.
  • Warm Water – This is used to activate the yeast.
  • Hot Water
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • All-Purpose Flour – Bread flour can also be used for this recipe.
  • Egg
  • Cornmeal – you can also use vegetable oil instead of cornmeal.

How to Make French Bread

  1. PREP. Prep baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. YEAST. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. In another bowl, combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour – stir. With the paddle attachment, mix the yeast and hot water/flour mixture until combined.
  3. DRY INGREDIENTS. Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each cup. Once all flour is added, let sit for 10 minutes.
    • To make without a stand mixer: Mix, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  4. ROLL. Separate dough into 3 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 9×12 rectangle. Roll it up like a jelly roll (long way).
  5. SCORE + BRUSH. Place dough on a prepared baking sheet (greased baking sheets work too, but we prefer the cornmeal method), seam side down. Score the bread across the top 3 or 4 times and brush with beaten egg wash.
  6. RISE + BAKE. Let dough rise, uncovered, for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Why Do I score the top of french bread?

Scoring bread simply means using a sharp knife or razor blade to make slashes on top of the dough that is ready for the oven. The slashes help control the way the bread will expand while it bakes, otherwise, it will expand anywhere that the dough is weak, creating an odd shape.

make it extra crusty

You’re going to need to simulate a baker’s oven to create a crispy crust:

  1. PREP. Place a baking stone on the center rack. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Put a metal broiler pan on the lower rack (at least 4 inches below the baking stone).
  2. SCORE. Once risen, transfer the bread to a baking peel sprinkled with flour. Slash slits on the tops of the loaves and lightly spray the loaves with water.
  3. BAKE. Slide the loaves onto the preheated baking stone and add 1 cup of HOT water to the broiler tray. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 20 minutes.
  4. SPRAY. After 10 minutes use the water bottle to spray the bread every 3 minutes for the remainder of the bake time.
  5. COOL! Use the baking peel to remove the bread from the oven and cool. The result – crusty French bread which is to die for!!

Recipe Tips

  • Knead. You won’t need to hand knead this bread, but be sure to mix each cup of flour sufficiently. Use the paddle or dough hook attachment on a stand mixer and mix at medium speed. Mixing well will help activate the gluten to make an elastic dough which will then create a better structure to the bread. 
  • Special pan. Some recipes call for baking in French bread pans, but I simply use a regular cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.
Freshly baked and sliced french bread recipe served with butter on a white plate.

Storing Tips

  • STORE baked bread inside a plastic bag, bread box, or aluminum foil. The bread should last 2-3 days.
  • FREEZE. Once the bread has been baked let it cool, wrap in parchment paper, and then foil. This easy French bread recipe can last for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, remove from the freezer and thaw.
  • To reheat place in oven, preheated to 400°F, for 4-5 minutes or until warm.

Uses + Pairings

This French bread recipe can be used to make pizza, bruschetta, or slather on some garlic butter for a side of garlic bread- the possibilities are endless!

Here are some of our favorites we make using the French bread:

It also pairs well with:

Pairs well with:

Three loaves of golden homemade french bread wrapped in a tea towel.
4.98 from 231 votes

French Bread Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
This is the BEST homemade French bread and is so easy to make! It's soft, tasty, and comes out perfect every time.
Servings: 3 loaves
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Rise Time: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • ¼ cup cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
  • ½ cup warm water 110–115°F
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour divided
  • 1 egg beaten

Instructions 

  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle evenly with cornmeal. (Greased baking sheets work too, but we prefer the cornmeal method.)
  • In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine hot water, oil, sugar, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix together with the paddle attachment.
  • Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.
  • Add remaining 3 cups of flour 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Once all of the flour is added, let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three pieces. Roll each piece into a 9-x-12-inch rectangle. Roll each rectangle up from the long edge like a jelly roll.
  • Place each dough roll on a prepared baking sheet, seam side down.
  • Score the bread across the top 3 or 4 times, and brush each loaf with beaten egg for a crisp and shiny crust. Let dough rise, uncovered, for 30 minutes in a warm place.
  • Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Video

Notes

Make ahead of time. To freeze baked loaves, let the bread cool and wrap in parchment paper, then aluminum foil. It can last for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you are ready to eat, remove from the freezer and thaw at room temperature. To reheat, preheated the oven to 400°F and bake for 4–5 minutes, or until warm.
Use it up. This recipe is a great bread for some of our other recipes, including Bruschetta, French Toast Casserole, French Toast, and Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1loaf, Calories: 1037kcal, Carbohydrates: 214g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 2363mg, Potassium: 357mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 79IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 12mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Bread
Cuisine: American, French
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!


About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




211 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is fast and wonderful. I don’t use the egg wash on top so it is great for vegan or those allergic to egg and milk, (my grandson). Since it has no milk or egg I use it for sweet rolls using Imperial margerine, (no milk in it), and regular rolls. I either flour or oil my hands a little to pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. The stickiness is worth dealing with for the speed and taste. It is stickier than normal dough but tastier and more versatile than normal dough. I bake for 20 minutes whether it is bread or rolls.

    1. Not every recipe calls for sugar, that’s true. This one calls for a bit and we think it tastes delicious! You’ll have to let us know what you think if you make the recipe. 🙂

  2. 4 stars
    I’ve made this recipe several times and we love it. But I dread making it because it is sooo sticky. It takes me so long to be able to roll it out. I spoon and level the flour. But how long should the dough mix with the paddle before letting it rest 10 mins. Maybe I’m not doing it long enough. Please help!

  3. 5 stars
    We made this bread for our tiny family of 2. As you can imagine 3 loaves is quite a lot. So we experimented with the leftovers, we made, cheesy garlic bread, I froze one loaf raw, and I froze half a loaf wrapped in bee wax wrap. The one froze in beeswax wrap I pulled out today and allowed to thaw on my counter for dinner. I am AMAZED that the texture and quality are almost fresh. This is a keeper.

    1. It can. I would recommend using half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour, because wheat flour is much heavier and dense. You’ll want to add a few minutes to the kneading time to help develop the gluten. It you need more tips on how to substitute whole wheat flour, you can find lots of info online!

  4. 5 stars
    I was skeptical of this recipe while making it. I didn’t have to oil any bowl and let the dough sit covered, or any of those other steps in most bread recipes. I have tried quite a few. I’m by no means good at making bread and typically always struggle with the rolling / shaping portion. I use a lot more flour to coat than is called for. I have also never followed the steps to shape any loaf and just shape my into a loaf in my own way. This recipe came out fantastic, even with me being not great at making bread. It was beautiful and rustic looking, crispy on the outside soft and flakey on the inside and slightly sweet which is a new thing from any bread I’ve made in the past and it tasted amazing. Will not make any other bread recipe again

  5. Can the dough be seperated into two loaves instead, and if so, how much longer should they bake? If you know. 😊

    1. You could make two larger loaves, as long as you have a pan that will fit them. As far as baking times go, I’d say add 5 minutes and then just keep checking. You’ll know it is finished when the bread is a nice golden brown.