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Homemade French Bread
Simple, quick, and easy homemade French bread recipe.
Kids can even make this bread. For real. It’s that easy. Making any bread from scratch can be a daunting task and it’s easy to be intimidated by the whole process. I am going to break it down and hopefully ease any worries. You may even become a master bread maker!
This Homemade Bakery French Bread can be done in a little more than one hour which means you can have hot, fresh bread straight out of the oven when the kids get home from school even if you don’t start baking until afternoon. You won’t need to run to the bakery for your french bread anymore when you can make better bread at home….in no time flat.
I taught a culinary class for kids in both Texas and Arizona and I’ve watched 7-year-olds tackle this homemade French bread recipe. I loved seeing the pictures those kids sent me showing the french bread masterpieces they made for their families.
As a child, I remember riding my bike home from school and opening the back door to the smells of homemade bread baking in the oven. My Mom always said that she could live on bread alone so bread was always essential in our home. There’s nothing more comforting than a hot piece of bread straight from the oven covered in churned butter and homemade strawberry jam.
Let’s get down to the basics so you can start baking.
How to make quick and easy homemade bakery french bread:
- Making sure the yeast proofs is essential. Using fresh yeast is important and mixing with warm water (not too hot, not too cold) will ensure success. Yeast loves sugar so add a pinch of sugar to the mixture. Let it work for about 10 minutes.
- Adding flour one cup at a time is important so you can see when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. That’s when you know it’s ready. Put flour down on the counter so the dough doesn’t stick. That isn’t fun. I love my Bosch mixer and can find a great deal on one below.
- Using rolling pin, roll out into a 9 x 12 rectangle. Roll up lengthwise and mold into french loaf. I love this marble rolling pin.
- The loaves don’t have to look perfect. I rolled these babies in 7 1/2 minutes flat before I sprinted to my little girl’s performance. Don’t forget to make 3-4 diagonal cuts with a sharp knife before placing on silpat or greased cookie sheet. These silicone baking sheets make it so easy to remove the bread from the baking sheet. Let rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden brown. Watch it carefully to turn a light golden brown color.
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Homemade Bakery French Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Yeast
- 1/2 cup Warm Water
- 2 cups Hot Water
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/3 cup Oil
- 6 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 Egg for brushing on bread
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve your yeast in ½ cup warm water. Make sure that your water is warm (not too cold, not too hot). Let proof for 10 minutes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour and mix together. Add the yeast mixture to a bowl.
- Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Watch for it to start pulling away from the bowl to know it's ready. Once all of the flour is added, let sit for 10 minutes.
- Separate your dough into 3 pieces. On a floured surface roll each piece into a 9x12 rectangle. Roll it up like a jelly roll. Shape into a french bread loaf and smooth out edges.
- Place the dough on a greased baking pan or a Silpat, seam side down. Using a knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch thick in bread. Brush with your beaten egg.
- Let dough rise uncovered for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
- Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Baking, my friends! I can’t wait to hear what you think about this quick and easy homemade french bread.
How do you freeze your extra loafs?
Hi Lisa! I freeze the extras by letting them cool completely then placing them in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Super easy and it freezes really well! A big reason why I love this recipe so much, it’s awesome to pull a loaf out of the freezer when I need it!
Love, love, love this recipe! So easy and always comes out great
Wow!!! That’s all I could say. My husband and children loved. Definitely a hit in our house. Thanks for sharing! ☺️
I would love to try this recipe but I have a few questions. I cannot get fresh yeast in my area. Which type of yeast would be the best ie. Active, Quick Rise or Instant. Also is the process still the same no matter which type of yeast I use.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Nancy! Sorry it’s taken so long for me to answer this. I feel so bad! Hopefully it’s worth the wait.
So I would recommend using dry instant yeast if you don’t have fresh yeast. It can be used the same, it probably just won’t take as long to proof. More like 5 minutes rather than 10. Hope that helps!
I used this recipe for my first attempt at making french bread and I’ve been making it once a week since. It was so easy to follow and turned out delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
What type of yeast do you use? Active dry, RapidRise instant fast acting , etc?
Hi Mot! I use the regular jarred fresh yeast that you keep refrigerated. If you don’t have any, I recommend using dry instant yeast. Thank you so much for trying my recipe! Let me know how it goes!
Have now made this five times. Absolutely delicious and so easy. Thank you
My family LOVES this bread! It’s surprisingly quick, easy and forgiving. It turns our great every time. This is definitely one of our favorite bread recipes. I always think I’m going to freeze one of the loaves, but we never end up with a leftover loaf!
Question – Would like to try this recipe. Not sure about the quantity of yeast. I do not have fresh yeast only 3 1/2 ounce packets. Can you tell me how these equate to the 2 Tbsp of yeast? Thank you.
The recipe calls for 2 tbsp of yeast, so open your yeast package and see if there is 2tbsp of yeast in your package. If not, then you’ll have to open another package of your yeast to make up the difference.
Hope this helps!
😊
Please,why the addition of hot water.thought it warm water we use for bread making, pls tell me the reasons for the hot water, thank you
This works and is SO good. Thanks for posting!
My go to for a great quick homemade bread!