French Bread
Fresh French Bread at home is easier than you think! With a few simple ingredients and a little patience, you can make bakery-style loaves right in your own kitchen. The smell of fresh baked bread alone is worth it, and yet nothing beats slicing into a warm, crusty loaf fresh from the oven.
Nothing tastes better than homemade bread, and this recipe makes it easier than ever. The crust is crisp and golden, while the inside stays soft and fluffy. It’s the kind of bread that instantly makes any meal feel special.
Make this recipe because there’s no meal where French bread isn’t welcome. Use it to mop up soups and stews, pile on sandwich fillings, or enjoy a slice with butter and eggs in the morning. It’s a kitchen staple that never goes out of style.
What You Need To Make French Bread
Before you start, make a quick shopping list. Having everything ready makes baking smoother and more enjoyable, no scrambling for ingredients halfway through.
- active dry yeast
- sugar
- warm water
- salt
- melted butter
- unbleached all-purpose flour OR bread flour, either will work
- cornmeal
- olive oil
- egg white
- cold water
Best Tips for Making Bread at Home
If your house is cool, like our house is always cool, you can pre-warm the mixing bowl before adding yeast it helps the dough rise better. Just fill it with hot water and let it sit for a 5-10 minutes while you gather all your ingredients.
Always use warm, not hot, water for the yeast. Warm water for making bread is about 100-110 degrees. Too hot will kill the yeast and too cold will mean your bread takes longer to rise.
You can make bread with all-purpose flour, I do it all the time. But if you have bread flour use it!
Be sure to give the dough enough time to fully rise twice for the best loaf of bread. Skipping rise time or cutting it short can cause you problem with your bread.
Everyone loves a slice of fresh hot bread but it cuts so much better if you let it cool completely.
Storing Fresh Bread
Let loaves cool completely before wrapping them in a clean kitchen towel or paper bag. Store at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze tightly wrapped for longer storage. To refresh, warm in a 350°F oven for 5–10 minutes.
French Bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking sheets
- Serrated knife
- Pastry brush
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 packs active dry yeast 4 ½ teaspoons
- 2 tsps sugar
- 2 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 7 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1 tbsp cornmeal for dusting
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Rinse a large mixing bowl in hot water and dry completely to warm it
- Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in the bowl and let sit until foamy
- Add salt, melted butter, and flour to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed for about 3 minutes using the dough hook
- Pour olive oil over the dough turning once or twice to coat then cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size
- Punch down the dough and divide it in half
- Place one half on a floured surface and roll into a 12×15-inch rectangle then roll tightly from the long side like a jelly roll tapering the ends
- Repeat with the second half of the dough
- Dust baking sheets with cornmeal and place the loaves on the sheets
- Cover and let rise again until doubled in size about 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 450°F
- Using a serrated knife make diagonal slits across each loaf
- Bake for 25 minutes then remove from the oven
- Mix egg white and cold water together and brush over the loaves
- Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer
- Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely
Video
Notes
- Allow the dough to rise twice for a light fluffy texture
- Store cooled loaves wrapped in a clean towel or paper bag at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage
- To refresh frozen bread warm in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes
