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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.
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
- PREP. Prep baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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:
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- SPRAY. After 10 minutes use the water bottle to spray the bread every 3 minutes for the remainder of the bake time.
- 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.
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:
French Bread Recipe
This is the BEST homemade French bread and is so easy to make! It's soft, tasty, and comes out perfect every time.
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.
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This made perfect bread for dinner, followed by the best French toast the next morning. Thanks!
Yay! Happy you think so 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
Should bread flour or AP flour be used?
Either work just fine 🙂 I’ve used both.
Just wondering if you can substitute the oil with belted butter?
Yes, you sure could 🙂 Enjoy!!
I made this. The recipe was great and easy to follow. My husband and I loved it. I will definitely be making again. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
You are welcome! Glad it’s a keeper 🙂 Thank you so much!
Wow, I’ve been trying to find a bread recipe forever. This one was perfect. The way she described how to make it happen–to so flawless.
Awe, you are too nice 🙂 Thank you so much!
My go-to for quick easy bread. Love to keep some in the freezer. Our favorite for garlic bread too!
Me too! Thank you for saying that!
I’ve made thia recipe Several times and love how easy it is! However, the last two times, The Bread is undercooked/doughy but the top is Dark golden brown. I tried dropped the Oven shelf down, leaving it in long…i woNder if i am letting it over-rise? Ive set them On the open oven door to raise before because my house iSN’t a warm environment to encourage rising (once it turned out the next, not so much!) Maybe It’s too much to have three loaveS on One tray? I’m not sure How i should modify.
Best bread ever! Im not much oF A baker But this comes out perfect every time.
Happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
I looked this up on the Red star yeast page.. this is what they suggest… THE TEMPERATURE OF YOUR LIQUID IS KEY TO SUCCESS IN BAKING!
Since yeast is a living organism, accurate liquid temperature is of utmost importance as it directly influences the yeast activity. Liquid ingredients can be mixed together and brought to the correct temperature in a small saucepan over low heat or in a mixing bowl in a microwave oven. If liquids are too hot, there is a risk of killing the yeast or over-stimulating it to multiply too quickly, thus causing the dough to overproof (rise inconsistently). On the other hand, if liquids are too cool, the yeast will not activate properly and the dough will rise too slowly or not at all.
Using a thermometer is the most accurate way to determine the correct liquid temperature. Any thermometer will work as long as it measures temperatures between 75°F and 130°F.
The appropriate temperature depends on the bread making method being used.
Traditional baking
Dissolve dry yeast in a water temperatures between 110°F – 115°F.
If yeast is added directly to the dry ingredients, liquid temperatures should be 120°F – 130°F.
Use 90°F – 95°F liquids for cake yeast
Bread Machine baking
Use 80°F liquids for bread machine baking
Your recipe doesn’t say what type of yeast to use. I’m going to use the quick rise since the time seems to be pretty fast. Please correct in recipe.
I use active-dry yeast. Hope you like it!