French Bread Recipe
This is the BEST Homemade French Bread recipe 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 degrees 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 degrees F.
- Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead: 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 degrees 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 Bake, French Toast and Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Use It Up: This recipe is a great bread for some of our other recipes, including Bruschetta, French Toast Bake, French Toast and Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Nutrition
Serving: 1loafCalories: 1037kcalCarbohydrates: 214gProtein: 30gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 2363mgPotassium: 357mgFiber: 9gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 12mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!