I distinctly remember my mom sending my Dad to the local grocery store on Spaghetti night to purchase a loaf of freshly baked french bread from the bakery. Although I look back at those dinners fondly, I’m so happy that I can easily bake my own loaves instead of sending my husband out for last minute dinner additions. Give this easy french bread a try and you’ll never go back!
Homemade French Bread
Course: Dinner, BrunchCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: EasyServings
2
loavesPrep time
20
minutesCooking time
30
minutesTotal time
2
hoursIngredients
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp oil
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 egg (for egg wash)
Here's how you do it
- Combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Water temp should be between 100-110 degrees. Wait 10 minutes for yeast mixture to bloom.
- Add yeast mixture to a bowl with oil, flour, and salt. Combine & knead for 10 minutes. Dough should easily come together and shouldnt be sticky.
- Oil your bowl and allow dough to rise covered for 1 hour.
- After an hour, dough should be roughly doubled in size. Separate into two equal sized pieces. Set one piece aside. Shape your dough into a loaf by patting down into a rectangle shape and rolling, tucking the ends in every so often to create clean ends. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with second dough ball.
- Create 3 long score marks along your loaves with a sharp knife to allow proper expanding. Cover loaves with a damp towel and rise another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375*. Gently brush your loaves with egg wash. Place a dish of water on the bottom rack of your oven, and your baking sheet on the rack above it. This water will give the outside of your loaves the perfect crust.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and the internal temperature of the loaves should be around 200*
- Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
- I've found that using a textured baking sheet creates a more even bake
- Depending on your sea level and oven, you may need to vary your bake time. Anywhere from 25 minutes to 40 minutes is normal. keep an eye on your loaves until you perfect it.
I have a small stand mixer, what is the best strategy for making a smaller batch. Or, can the mixer part be done by hand without sacrificing that perfect texture?
You could totally divide the recipe in half and make only one loaf, but kneading it by hand will work just as well! Just make sure you set a timer and actually knead it for 10 minutes-it can feel a lot longer, so the timer is really important.
First time baking bread annd I’m about to put my 2 loaves in the oven. I’m super excited!
Could this recipe be made into individual sandwich rolls?
Ohhhh I’ve never tried but I dont see why not! You’d probably just have to alter the bake time but do the rest the same. Let me know how it turns out!
My new go to recipe. I have made it three times now. I am making it again to do homemade subs.
I love that idea!!
Hi. I have a large Pullman loaf pan. Can I use this recipe in the Pullman?
Hmmm, I’m not sure a pullman loaf pan would be a good choice for this one. It’s not a soft sandwich-type bread that you’d typically see in a pullman. Try my Sandwich Bread recipe in it! Sandwich Bread
Quick question, do I have to do an egg wash? My kids are allergic to eggs. Can I substitute it with brushing it with butter?
You can do any kind of wash! Egg or milk are the most common, but butter will work as well as oil.
I have another question, can I make this bread with whole wheat flour?