how to make french bread

Easy French bread recipe made with flour, water, yeast, and salt in a stand mixer or by hand. A soft, chewy inside and crispy crust make this the BEST bread recipe for sandwiches, toast, crostini, and croutons! This homemade bread for beginners can be proofed in the Instant Pot too!

French Bread Recipe

Water

Tbsp Active Dry Yeast (or 1 packet Rapid Rise Instant Yeast)

Sea Salt

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Cooking Spray or Olive Oil

If using ACTIVE DRY YEAST: Activate the YEAST by combining it with WARM WATER (100°-110°F) in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl). Give a quick stir and let this rest until yeast appears foamy on the surface (about 5 min).If using RAPID RISE INSTANT YEAST: No activation needed. Simply combine yeast with WARM WATER (120°F-130°F), give a quick stir, and move on to the next step.

Yeast and water temperature

Add ingredients: Add SALT and 3 cups FLOUR. You&#039;ll add remaining 1/3 cup FLOUR during mixing.

Add remaining ingredients

HAND KNEAD OPTION: Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon (or any stirring utensil) to form a shaggy dough. Transfer dough to a steady surface and hand-knead until a cohesive, elastic dough forms (3-5 minutes). Sprinkle the reserved flour in small amounts as needed to build structure and prevent the dough sticking to the table or your hands during this process.STAND MIXER OPTION: Secure dough hook with the mixing bowl. Use lowest speed to mix and knead ingredients into a cohesive, smooth, elastic dough forms (3-5 min). You may need to stop the mixer and scrape ingredients into the dough if they get separated. Sprinkle in reserved flour to prevent the dough sticking to the bowl sides, as needed during mixing.

Mix the dough (by hand or stand mixer)

Once mixed, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it a few times to remove air bubbles. Shape into a ball, tucking the dough under itself to form a seam.

PROOF DOUGH WITH INSTANT POT1st proof: Oil the stainless insert. Place dough inside, flip to coat it, and rest it seam side down. Cover pot with any glass lid or plate, select “yogurt” button and toggle the &quot;adjust&quot; button to the &quot;less&quot; setting. Don&#039;t worry about the number setting, just allow the dough to double in size (takes 30-60 min).2nd proof: Once dough size doubles, remove it, punch it down and pull in the sides to tighten it back up, oil the insert again, and repeat proofing process (about 30 min).PROOF DOUGH WITHOUT INSTANT POT1st proofing: Place dough in a large, oiled, mixing bowl, flip to coat it, and rest seam side down. Loosely cover with draped plastic wrap or a flour-coated towel. Allow to rise in a warm environment (minimum 75°F) until doubled (60-90 min).2nd proofing: Punch dough down to deflate the air. Form again into firm ball, return to oiled mixing bowl, cover, and rise another 30 minutes.

Proof the dough

Preheat oven to 450°.

Shape the dough: Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Tuck and shape dough into your preferred form, which will either be 1) a loaf pan or 2) free-form (round, loaf, or baguette).Note: The images in this recipe are a free-form loaf on a small baking sheet.

Place formed dough into 1) coated loaf pan or 2) coated baking sheet (for free-form).

Brush oil on the dough surface or spray mist some water and a light dusting of flour. (This is just a matter of preference for final presentation).

Final proofing: Score the dough 1/8” deep with a razor blade; cover loaf with a piece of plastic, wax paper, or a flour coated towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (15-30 min).

Shape dough into final form and final proofing

Bake at 450° for 25 minutes (for a loaf) or 20 minutes (for a baguette).The loaf or baguette will be browned on the surface and should have a hollow sound on the inside when tapped with your fingers.FOR A CRISPER CRUST: Turn the oven off and leave the bread in for 5 minutes (for a crispier surface), or remove bread immediately.

Transfer bread onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool (as much as humanly possible) before slicing.

Bake the French bread

Now you can make crusty, artisan-like HOMEMADE French Bread from scratch with barely any effort - no kneading, no complicated techniques or overnight rises! Just 5 minutes prep!

No Knead Homemade French Bread

active dry yeast

water

white sugar

all-purpose flour

salt

Make the dough: Stir the yeast, water and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

Cut the dough: Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 465°F. Place a rimmed cookie sheet on the lowest rack. Generously flour a work surface. Very carefully tip the dough on the worktop - try not to knock out any air. Cut the dough into three equal longish pieces (you can also do two for larger baguettes).

Shape the bread: Carefully place the dough in a French bread pan. (Check the notes if you don't have a French bread pan - I made this without a French bread pan many times and this recipe works like a charm!)

Bake: Fill the rimmed cookie sheet you placed in the oven earlier with water to create steam. Immediately put the bread on the middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes (25-30 if making two larger baguettes), or until crusty on top. Turn the bread upside down and finish baking on the upper-middle rack for about 5 more minutes, or until the bottom is browned and crusty, too.

Who doesn't love a good, chewy loaf of soft french bread?&nbsp; I can hardly resist a warm slice of bread, slathered in butter, or an entire loaf cut in half and smeared with a garlic butter spread then broiled to make the best garlic bread ever.&nbsp;&nbsp;Learn how to make french bread at home with this best ever, easy Homemade French Bread recipe!

Homemade French Bread

water (around 110 degrees F)

Tablespoons sugar

Tablespoon dry yeast

table salt

Tablespoons vegetable oil oil

large egg (beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water)

butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and let the yeast proof for 5 minutes until foamy (unless using instant yeast, in which case just skip this step and add it with everything in the next step).

Add the salt, oil, and 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture. Mix for 1-2 minutes, just until it starts to combine. Add in the remaining flour about half a cup at a time while the mixer is running on low speed, just until the dough forms into a ball that starts to come away from the sides of the bowl and is tacky to the touch. Continue to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until smooth, adding a little more flour if the dough starts to stick to the sides of the bowl again. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.  

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean counter that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and divide the dough into two equal sections. Working with one half of the dough at a time, pat it into a large rectangle, roughly 9x13-inches.  

Roll the dough up starting from the long edges into a tight cylinder, turning the ends under and pinching the edges together to seal. Place seam side down on a perforated French bread pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough to form the second loaf.

Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray and let them rise for another 30 minutes, until nearly doubled again in size.

Preheat the oven to 375°F while the loaves are rising. Just before putting the loaves in the oven, brush with egg wash, if using, and cut several gashes on an angle about 2-inches apart along the top of each loaf using a very sharp knife or baker&#39;s lame.

Transfer the loaves to the oven and toss 3-4 ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven floor and immediately close the oven door.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Brush loaves with melted butter after removing from the oven for a softer crust, if desired.

You can’t beat a classic, and this French Bread recipe is so easy that you won’t want to pick it up from the supermarket anymore. It only takes 4 ingredients - and one of those is water!

French Bread

(16 oz) lukewarm water

(0.25 oz) dry active yeast

(16 g) kosher salt

(600 g) bread flour

Bloom

Combine the yeast and the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let it sit for 15 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam. Stir in the salt.

Start adding the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue adding flour until you have a smooth dough. Switch to the dough hook once the dough starts to come together. (*You may need more or less than 5 cups of flour. The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but should still be slightly tacky.)

Knead

Lightly flour a work surface. Pour the dough onto the floured surface, and knead for a few minutes, until the dough is in a smooth ball.

Rise

Lightly grease a large bowl and add the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough over to coat the dough in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, 2-4 hours.

Shape

Lightly flour a work surface, and pour the dough out. Divide the dough into 2 separate pieces. Shape each piece into a long loaf, and transfer the loaves to a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Allow the loaves to rise for 5 minutes.

Score

Use a sharp knife to score the tops of the loaves. Brush the loaves with water, then place the baking sheet into a cold oven.

Heat

Fill an oven safe pan with water and bring to a boil. Place the pan on the bottom shelf of the oven, under the baking sheet with the loaves. Turn the oven on to 400ºF.

Bake

Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool the loaves completely on a rack.

Brush

OPTIONAL: For a softer crust, brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter when they come out of the oven.

Couldn't stop eating this after I made it.  Have tried other French Bread recipes but they didn't turn out well for me.  I did have to bake about 5-10 minutes longer than stated as the loaves didn't brown up as nicely as I would have like - did not affect the taste and I will make again.

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Top 4 how to make french bread recipes from across the web

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