With a crisp golden crust and soft, fluffy inside, this French Bread recipe makes the most perfect loaf of bread. Serve with your favorite soup, stews, chilis, spaghetti, and more.
Easy French Bread Recipe
This French bread recipe is so lovely. It’s simple to make, with just a handful of pantry staples, and it has that classic crispy outer shell and soft fluffy center. If you’ve never made homemade bread before, this recipe is a great place to start!
I love serving this as a side to spaghetti as it’s just so perfect at soaking up every bit of sauce. But you can also use it to make Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwich or Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese with Dill Pickles, among other sandwiches.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For French Bread
Here are a few reasons why this is one of my favorite homemade bread recipes.
- Perfect texture. This French bread recipe produces loaves of bread that have a perfectly golden crust and moist, chewy inside.
- Made with pantry staples. You’ll just need basic ingredients like yeast, flour, and sugar to make this recipe.
- Easy process. Making French bread is actually quite simple and for this recipe, you don’t even need a dough hook. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise (twice).
What You’ll Need
This bread recipe is made with just a handful of pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Yeast – Allows the dough to rise.
- Water – Warm, not hot or cold, to activate the yeast.
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Egg – You’ll need just the egg white for this recipe.
- Cornmeal – The secret to incredible texture in this French bread recipe.
How To Make French Bread
This recipe for French bread comes together in a few basic steps. Be sure to plan extra time for the dough to rise! Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep the yeast. Combine the yeast, white sugar, and warm water. Let sit until foamy.
- Make the dough. Combine the salt and lukewarm water then beat in two cups of flour. Add the yeast mixture and an additional 4-4.5 cups of flour. Let rest on a floured surface.
- Knead. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 7-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, working in the remaining flour.
- Let rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Let rise until it doubles in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.
- Shape the dough. Punch the dough down, divide into two portions, then cover and rest for 10 minutes. Roll each portion into a 15×12″ rectangle. Roll tightly from the long end and seal well. Taper the ends.
- Let rise again. Place on a greased and cornstarch sprinkled baking sheet. Slash the tops 1/4 inch deep every 2 1/2 inches. Beat the egg white with water and brush over the loaves. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise about 1 1/2 hours.
- Bake. Bake for 20 minutes then baste with the egg whites. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few important things to keep in mind when making homemade French bread.
- Why is my French bread so dense? If your French bread is dense, you likely did not knead it long enough. If kneading by hand, aim for 7-10 minutes until the dough is fully elastic.
- If the loaves are starting to brown too much, cover loosely with foil. You want the tops to be golden brown, not burnt!
- Don’t score too deeply. When scoring the tops of the loaves, you only want to cut about 1/4 inch deep.
- How do I get the crispy crust? If your crust isn’t as golden or crispy as you’d like, there are a few options. You can try misting the inside the of the oven or tossing in a few ice cubes to create steam or you can move the oven rack up a bit higher (but be careful of burning).
Serving Suggestions
There are so many wonderful ways to serve French bread. It makes an excellent side dish for soaking up any leftover broth or sauce, so it’s perfect for soups, stews, chili, pasta, and more. A few of my favorite dishes to serve this bread with include slow cooker pot roast, creamy sausage pasta, potato leek soup, Cajun shrimp pasta, and baked ziti.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Store leftover French bread in ziploc bags or wrapped in plastic on the counter for 2-3 days.
- Freeze. French bread also freezes well. Let cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
More Bread Recipes
- Amish White Bread Recipe (4-ingredients)
- Homemade White Bread Recipe
- Crockpot Bread
- Outback Steakhouse Bread
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
French Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 ounce pkg active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup water warm
- 1 tsp granulated white sugar
- 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 cups water warm
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
Instructions
- Combine 2 packages of active dry yeast and 1 tsp of granulated white sugar in ½ cup of warm water. Set aside until foamy.
- In a separate large bowl combine 1 tbsp salt and 2 cups of lukewarm water, beat in 2 cups of the all-purpose flour.
- Blend in the yeast mixture and stir in 4-4 ½ cups of flour (enough to make a soft dough).
- Turn out on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, (about7-10 min) work in the remaining cup of flour.
- Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once.
- Cover and let the dough rise until about double the amount (approximately 1-1 ½ hours).
- Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface
- Divide the dough into two portions.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Roll each portion, forming a 15 x 12” rectangle. Roll tightly beginning at the long end and sealing well. Taper the ends.
- Place each loaf, seam side down on a greased and cornstarch sprinkled baking sheet.
- With a very sharp knife slash the tops every 2 ½ inches and about ¼ inch deep.
- Beat one egg white until just foamy and mix in 1 tbsp water.
- Brush the egg white mixture onto the tops and sides of the loaves
- Cover with a damp cloth, making sure to not touch the loaves. (Drape the cloth over inverted glasses). Let rise until double, about 1 ½ hour. Preheat oven to 375° as the bread reaches the end of the proofing time.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until light brown.
- Baste the loaves again with the egg white mixture and then bake for another 20 minutes. If the loaves are starting to brown too much, cover loosely with foil
- Remove from the oven and let cool on wire rack.
Last Step:
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