Easy Homemade French Bread! This recipe gives you a perfect loaf of golden, soft, chewy french bread! What more could you need in life? (Maybe a warm bowl of soup or big ol’ dish of pasta to eat with it!)
Fail Proof French Bread Recipe
When I say you this bread is easy, I am not joking! It really is fail proof! Never have I had it not turn out. It always makes the perfect loaf of bread!
This recipe gives you one loaf of bread- not 2, not 4 (like most recipes out there). We cannot eat 2 loaves of french bread before it goes bad and I don’t like freezing it, so this recipe makes 1 loaf which is perfect for us- but you can double it if needed!
Don’t let yeast dough intimidate you! I will give you some pretty good photos to track your bread making skills!
You will be able to see what it means when people say “proof your yeast” or “activate you yeast, making sure it gets foamy and bubbly”! Also, you will see just how much flour you need! The yeast and the flour seem to be what makes or breaks yeast dough recipes! So follow along!
How to Make The Dough for Homemade French Bread
Making bread of any sort can be intimidating, but fear no more! Grab your yeast, some warm water, sugar, flour and salt. You will need some olive oil or canola oil for rubbing on the dough after it is made, so grab that too!
In a mixer, using your paddle attachment, you will add your sugar and warm water to the mixing bowl!
TIP: When I say warm water it should be warm enough that it feels warm, but not hot enough it will burn you. Think of the water you use to wash your face… a touch warmer than that should be perfect!
NOTE: You can use your hands instead of a stand mixer to make this bread. If you use your hands it will take a lot more work because you have to knead the dough (the mixer does this for me)!
Next, add in your yeast. Give it a little stir with a spoon. Then let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This is where “activate or proof your yeast” comes into play. It will get foamy and bubbly. This means it is active yeast that will make your bread rise.
*If your yeast doesn’t get foamy, it may means you have bad yeast that isn’t active(alive). But try it one more time. Make sure water isn’t too hot or too cool. If it still doesn’t work then your yeast is probably old/bad.
TIP: To keep your yeast healthy and perfect for bread making, store it in a dark, cool place. I store mine in the door compartment of my fridge. Always check the dates and throw it out once it expires.
Once the yeast is activated/proofed/foamy/bubbly, add your salt and 2 cups of flour. Let the mixer do its thing on about medium speed. (Start out at a slower speed so the flour doesn’t flip out of the bowl when it starts to mix).
See the photo below what it will start to look like.
The dough should start to come together at this point, but it may still be sticking to the bowl. We want it to come away from the bowl, but still be slightly sticky (but not where it sticks in giant clumps to your fingers).
The photo below needs a little more flour.
This is the part that can freak people out! How much is too much flour? When do I know I have enough?
The bowl will almost be clean as the dough mixes when it has enough flour! Add 1/4 cup more flour if needed, and mix some more! Keep adding 1/4 cup more at a time, as needed. You should not ever need more than 3 cups total flour! (I usually only use 2 to 2 1/4 cups).
The photo below shows bread dough that is perfect! It is slightly sticky, and pulling away from the bowl, leaving it almost clean!
Let the dough mix on a higher speed for 3-4 minutes. This will knead it for you, saving you from having to do it! The dough should be soft and smooth when it is done mixing/kneading.
Let it REST!
Make a ball out of the dough.
Take 1/2 teaspoon of oil and rub it on the dough ball. Set it back in the bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Letting the dough rest can help the gluten in the flour relax and it makes the dough a bit easier to work with and you end up with a light and airy loaf of bread!
Rolling out The French Bread
After the dough has rested, lightly flour your counter. Take the dough and roll it out, making a 9×16-ish rectangle and about 1/4 inch thick! The measurement does not need to be accurate. The longer the rectangle is the longer and skinnier your loaf will be, the shorter the rectangle, the fatter and thicker your bread will be.
Roll the dough into a long roll (lengthwise). Tuck in the ends so they are rounded, and not showing the roll (or don’t if you don’t care).
Place the rolled dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, or greased baking sheet. Cover with the same clean kitchen towel and let raise for 45 minutes to an hour.
How do you know if it has raised enough? The bread dough should at least double in size if not more.
After the bread has doubled in size, cut slits in the top using a sharp knife (a little baking/cooking spray or oil on the knife helps it not stick) or kitchen shears. Make sure you cut shallow cuts in the bread, not too deep!
This is optional, and not necessary- it just makes the bread look like traditional french bread.
Baking the Homemade French Bread
In the oven it goes! It needs to be on the center rack so the loaf of bread bakes in the center of the oven. It will bake at 400 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown!
Rub the top of the hot, fresh loaf with butter, if desired!
Slice your bread and enjoy!
I love to use my Garlic Basil Parmesan Butter spread!
I store any leftover bread (this rarely occurs) in a zip top bag!
For some other easy yeast dough/carb lovers recipes, try my Easy Homemade Breadsticks, Easy Garlic Knots, Italian Cheese Bread and No FAIL Dinner Rolls!
This French Bread can be used for French Bread Pizza or Garlic Bread.
For some holiday breadsticks make my Bones Breadsticks for Halloween or Heart Shaped Breadsticks for Valentine’s Day.
If you liked this recipe please take the time to leave a comment and a star rating below! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
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Easy French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 to 3 cups flour *you will start by adding only 2 cups
- 1/2 tsp canola or olive oil *to be rubbed on dough for resting, after it is made
Instructions
- In a mixer, using the dough hook attachment, add your sugar and warm water to the mixing bowl.
- Add your yeast to the warm water and sugar. Give it a little stir and then let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This will give the yeast time to proof/activate and it will get foamy and bubbly. See the blog post above for photos.
- Add the salt and 2 cups of flour. Start the mixer on low speed and let the flour start to mix in. Adjust the speed to medium-high once the flour is mixed in well so the dough can start to mix and knead.
- The dough should start pulling away from the bowl. If it isn't pulling away, add 1/4 cup more flour to the dough and let it mix again. You will know it has enough flour added, when the dough pulls pretty cleanly away from the bowl. The dough should be sticky when touched but not stick to your fingers. See blog post above for photos. If you need to add more flour, do so adding only a little at a time. You should not exceed more than 3 cups total flour. I use usually 2 to 2 1/4 cups.
- Once the dough is pulling away from the bowl as it mixes, let it continue to mix for 3-4 minutes. This will knead the dough for you. You will know it is done mixing/kneading when the dough is soft and smooth.
- Roll the dough into a ball. Rub 1/2 tsp oil on it. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
- While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 400° and cover your baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease your baking sheet.Make sure your oven rack is in the center so the bread will cook in the middle of the oven.
- After the dough has rested, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9×16- ish rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. The measurement is not really important. Just note that the longer the rectangle is the longer and skinnier your loaf of bread will be. If the rectangle is shorter, than your bread loaf will be shorter and fatter/thicker!
- Roll the rectangle into a loaf, lengthwise. Tuck the ends in making them rounded.
- Cover the loaf with the same clean kitchen towel and let raise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size (or more).
- Once the dough has doubled in size (if not more), using a knife or kitchen shears, cut slits in the top of the bread. (TIP: Spray the knife or cooking shears with cooking oil so it cuts smooth). DO NOT cut all the way down- just a shallow slice is all you need to get that traditional french bread look. (This is totally optional).
- In to the oven it goes! Bake the bread for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Take the bread out of the oven when it is done. Brush the top with butter if desired. Slice and serve!Try my Garlic Basil Parmesan Butter Spread!
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Ok I do love this recipe. Super easy for beginners, but when it says preheat the oven to 400 but then cover the bread for 45 mins??
Hi Kim!! I’m so glad you love the recipe and that is was easy! As far as the preheat for your oven it was just easier to put it the way to make sure people heat their oven ahead of baking the bread, but of course you can wait to preheat it when its closer to being baked! Thanks for trying the recipe!❤️