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Soft, simple and no-fail, this homemade French bread has simple step-by-step directions and comes out perfect every time!
the best homemade French bread!
We love a homemade loaf of bread and especially today’s French bread recipe.
Grandma mastered this homemade French bread recipe decades ago and now that she has taught us how to make it, we love it even more.
Like with most french bread recipes, this one uses basic pantry staples, simple ingredients, and the steps are easy (plus it stores and freezes well). If this is your first time making yeast bread, this is a great one to try – it’s no fail with our step-by-step directions. No need for a bread machine!
It’s especially delicious served with our favorite pasta and salads, right up there with our Italian Bread! Plus, this easy french bread recipe is versatile – it can be eaten on its own, used to make Croutons, French Toast Casserole, or served with your favorite soup recipe.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 55 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
- 2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast – Active dry yeast, instant yeast, and rapid-rise yeast all work for this bread recipe.
- ½ cup warm water – This is used to activate the yeast. And should be between 110-115°F
- 2 cups hot water – adding hot water helps keep the dough warm which helps it rise better
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil – canola oil or olive oil
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 cups all-purpose flour – or bread flour, see how to Measure the Flour Correctly. If you are baking on a wet or humid day you may need more flour. Add enough for the dough to be soft and not overly sticky.
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup cornmeal – or vegetable oil. It prevents bread from sticking to the pan and adds a delicious texture to the bottom.
How to Make French Bread
- PREP. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle evenly with ¼ cup cornmeal. (Greased baking sheets work too, but we prefer the cornmeal method.)
- YEAST. In a small bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons yeast in ½ cup warm water.
- DOUGH. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups hot water, 5 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 3 cups of flour. Mix with the paddle attachment (not the dough hook attachment).
- Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of flour 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Once all of the flour is added, cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- SHAPE. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 9×12-inch rectangle (add extra flour if needed so it’s not overly sticky). 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 (diagonal slashes will allow the bread to expand as it bakes). Beat 1 egg and brush each loaf with the egg wash for a crisp and shiny crust. Let dough rise, uncovered, for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- BAKE. Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Some recipes call for baking in a French bread pan, but I found that for best results simply use a regular cookie sheet, jelly roll pan, or baking stone.
- Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool and cut with a sharp knife and serve warm.
Make it extra crusty
You’re going to need to simulate a baker’s oven to create a crispy crust:
- Place a baking pizza stone on the center rack. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Put a metal broiler pan on the rack at the bottom of the oven (at least 4 inches below the baking stone).
- Once risen, transfer the bread to a baking peel sprinkled with flour, and lightly spray the loaves with water.
- 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 10 minutes. Use the water bottle to spray the bread every 3 minutes for the remainder of the baking time, 10 more minutes.
- Use the baking peel to remove the bread from the oven and cool. The result – crusty French bread which is to die for!!
Complete The Meal
Main Dishes
Bread Recipes
Italian Bread Recipe
2 hrs 40 mins
Baguette Recipe
15 hrs 14 mins
Focaccia Bread
8 hrs 55 mins
Sourdough Bread
8 hrs 40 mins
Collections
Complete the Meal
- Ways to eat French bread: Buffalo Chicken French Bread, Barbecue Chicken French Bread, Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Bread
Homemade French Bread Recipe
Equipment
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 flour. Mix with the paddle attachment.
- Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the remaining 3 cups of flour 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Once all of the flour is added, let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three pieces. Roll each piece into a 9×12-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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
After you have shaped the dough, do not let it rise, instead place it on a baking sheet and freeze it. Once solid, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and again with foil. Freeze for 3-4 months. Thaw to room temperature (this will take several hours) and then let it rise for 30 minutes before baking.
Store baked bread inside a plastic bag, bread box, or aluminum foil. The bread should last 2-3 days.
To freeze, wrap it in parchment paper, then foil and freeze for 3 months. To reheat, thaw wrap in foil, and place in oven, preheated to 400°F, until warm.
I love this french bread recipe. I would like to make it while we are glamping next week. Is there anything I should change for high altitude? I know it will rise faster and I will need to increase the temperature on the oven
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.
Thanks for sharing how you use the recipe!! So glad the bread it a winner!
French bread is not supposed to have sugar in it.
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. 🙂
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!
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.
So so glad you enjoyed the bread! And could use store and use it for later!
I love your recipes. I always for your recipes whenever I’m in the mood for cooking.
Oh thank you!! That makes me so happy to hear!
Can this be made using wheat flour?
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!
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
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! So glad the bread recipe was a success!
Easy ,Easy recipe came out excellent!And delicious.
Can the dough be seperated into two loaves instead, and if so, how much longer should they bake? If you know. 😊
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.