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Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, this Easy French Bread Recipe is easy to make and tastes amazing. It is our family’s favorite bread recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
The only downside to fresh, homemade bread is that it can take a bit of time. Proofing, rising, rolling, rising etc. Today’s recipe is a quick and easy one. It may not be quite as quick as the 30 Minute Roll recipe I have on my blog, but it is pretty close. And the results are two delicious loaves of French bread that are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ingredients Needed
- Flour. All purpose flour and you can also use bread flour.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Active Dry Yeast. You can also use rapid rise yeast or instant yeast, just add it in with the flour. You do not need to proof it in the water.
- Water
How to Make Easy French Bread
The dough from this recipe is mixed in your stand mixer with a dough hook or you can mix by hand.
- Combine 1/4 C water, yeast and 1 tsp sugar into a bowl. Allow to stand for five minutes or until yeast is bubbly. (You can skip this step if using rapid rise yeast.
- Into the bowl of the stand mixer, add flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, salt and 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of water.
- Add in yeast mixture. Mix well and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth.
- Cover and allow to rise until double (about 15-20 minutes)
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and divided into two pieces.
- Use a rolling pin to roll dough out into a rectangle This is the rolling pin I like to use for bread dough. Be sure your surface is generously floured so dough doesn’t stick.
- Roll dough up jelly roll style and place the seam side down on a baking sheet. I also like to use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on my cookie sheet. It helps the bread bake evenly and makes clean up a breeze.
- With a sharp knife, a razor blade or a baker’s lamb cut three slits into the bread. Be sure to only go about 1/4 inch deep. If you go too deep your bread may look a little funny after it rises the second time.
- Give the bread a nice little bath in an egg white wash. To make the egg white wash, just add 1 Tbsp water to 1 egg white and mix together. This is what gives it the beautiful golden color. You can also sprinkle with some coarse salt.
How to Get a Good Crusty French Bread
- Heat up a pan of water on the stove until it boils.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- TURN OFF the oven.
- Place the pan of boiling water onto the lower rack of your oven and place your loaf of bread on the rack above.
- Allow the bread to rise this way until double. This will take about 20 minutes. The bread will also bake as it rises.
Why put a pan of water in the oven?
The steam that is given off from the water helps the loaf get that nice crust that a good loaf of easy French bread needs.
- Remove the pan of water from the oven and turn the oven on to 425 degrees F.
- Leave the bread in the oven as the oven preheats to 425 degrees F. Depending on your oven this will take about 10 minutes. The oven will usually have just reached its 425 degrees at the end of the 10 minutes. My bread is usually always done at the end of the 10 minutes.
- If your bread is not done, turn the head down to 350 degrees F and bake for another 5 minutes or until done.
Alternative Baking Method
After forming the loaves, let them rise, covered on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush top of bread with egg wash or olive oil (you won’t get as golden a color with olive oil), sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy a nice, warm loaf of home baked easy french bread with some butter with dinner!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does whole wheat flour work in this recipe?
With this recipe I recommend using half whole wheat and half white flour. I always use a white whole wheat flour.
Can I half the recipe?
This recipe is easy to half and in fact I have a small batch version of this recipe here.
Does this bread freeze well?
It freezes great, just be sure to cool it completely and wrap up air tight. It will keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.
Can I use rapid rise yeast?
Rapid rise yeast will work fine. I use the same amount as I do of active dry yeast. Just add the rapid rise yeast directly in with the flour, no need to add it to the warm water first.
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Easy French Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water 105-115 degrees
- 1 pkg dry active yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cups plus 2 Tbsp. warm water
- 1 egg white and 1 Tbsp water.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Combine 1/4 C water, yeast and 1 tsp sugar into a bowl. Allow to stand for five minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
- Into the bowl of the stand mixer, add flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, salt and 1 cup pluys 2 Tbsp water.
- Add in yeast mixture. Mix well and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth.
- Cover and allow to rise until double (about 15-20 minutes)
- On a lightly floured surface roll out with a rolling pin. (May divide dough into two pieces for two smaller loaves if desired)
- Roll dough up jelly roll style and turn ends under and place seam down on a greased cookie sheet. Cut 3 diagonal slits into each loaf (only about 1/4 inch deep)
- Mix together egg white and 1 Tbsp water and gently brush on loaves. Or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Boil a pan of water and then put it into a shallow dish, if your pan is not oven safe. Place pan of water on the lower shelf of oven.
- Place bread in oven on shelf above pan of water.
- TURN OFF OVEN
- Allow bread to rise and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan of water
- Leave bread in the oven and turn oven to 425 degrees and bake bread for 8-10 minutes. (this includes the preheating time)
- If the bread is not done at the end of the ten minutes, reduce oven to 350 and bake for an additional 5 minutes longer or until bread is golden brown.
Tips & Notes:
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Nutrition Facts:
Heather m. Whipple says
Why 1 tablespoon of sugar?
This bread already has 1 teaspoon of sugar in it with the yeast. I do not think French bread is supposed to be sweet at all. If I make this bread I will be leaving out the 1tablespoon of sugar.
Leigh Anne says
Heather, feel free to leave out what ever you like. Enjoy
Michele says
I am not very useful in the kitchen, but my hubs has been interested in bread lately. I luckily won a Kitchenaid mixer a couple of years ago. I tried this recipe for the first time today, and it came out so good! I really made it because my hubs was wanting French bread pizza and was hoping to surprise him. Turns out, I surprised the both of us. It was so yummy! Thank you!
Leigh Anne says
I am so happy you loved the recipe too!!
Lamesa Forrester says
I used self rising flour, is that ok? Or should I start over?
Leigh Anne says
I am sure that will be fine
Molly says
I made my first homemade loaf of bread just last week and was so excited when it went well, that I decided I should make french bread to go with my spaghetti (garlic bread…yum!) tonight. It wasn’t very pretty, for a first attempt I give it an 8 out of 10, but it was so delicious I decided this is recipe is going to replace the other bread recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kari says
I had an issue with my water and yeast mixture not combining all the flour. I dont have a mixer so I was working it by hand. I am at the last rise step however my bread never doubled at either rise. Please help!
Leigh Anne says
Kari, One of two things happened as far as it not rising. Your yeast was expired or you used water that was either too hot and killed the yeast or it was not warm enough so it didn’t activate. Not sure what you meant by your water and yeast mixture didn’t combine with the flour?