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Two loaves of baked homemade French Bread
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5 from 2 votes

Homemade French Bread

Homemade French Bread is so buttery, soft, and delicious. This French bread recipe is so easy to make, you will be eating fresh, homemade bread in no time at all. And an even bigger bonus your house will smell scrumptious.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Rise Time2 hours
Total Time3 hours 10 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Servings: 20
Calories: 154kcal
Author: Tristin @ Home Cooked Harvest

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
  • 2 1/4 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  If using active dry yeast, let the yeast mixture sit for 3-5 minutes.  With instant yeast, you can just move into the next step, no need to let the mixture sit.
  • Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment.
  • Add in the oil, salt, and three cups of flour.  Gently combine together on a low speed.  Once mixed, start adding in the rest of the flour gradually. The dough should form a ball that is not sticking to the bowl at all.  If it is still sticking you will need to add 1/4 cup of flour in at a time until it's not sticky.  
  • Once dough has formed into a nice, soft ball, transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or greased plastic wrap.  Allow the bowl to sit out on the counter for about an hour until doubled in size. 
  • On a lightly greased surface, turn out the dough and shape into a disc.  Divide the disc in half.  Form each half into a rectangular, loaf shape that is about 4x12.  Tucking in the ends or sides as necessary to make a nice shape.  
  • Using a very sharp knife, make 4-5 gashes in the top of the dough.  Try to make them quickly to get the best cuts and so that you don't compress the dough too much.
  • Place each loaf onto two separate baking sheets that have been covered with parchment paper. 
  • Cover the loaves with a thin towel and let sit on the counter for about an hour until about double in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Move an oven rack to the center of the oven.  Once preheated add in one of the loaves to the oven.  If you want you can add 3 ice cubes to the bottom of the oven or put them in an oven proof dish on the bottom rack of the oven.  This helps give a little crispness to the crust.
  • Bake each loaf separately for 25-30 minutes.  After removing each loaf from the oven, spread with melted butter using a basting brush.  This is optional but it will make the loaf a golden brown.  

Notes

  • Be sure to start with the lowest amount of flour.  If the dough still seems sticky, add in the flour about a 1/4 of a cup at a time.
  • Make sure that you are using WARM water when proofing the yeast and that it is not too hot.
  • Bread will last at room temperature for about 2 days and a week in the refrigerator.
 
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 2mg