Easy Homemade French Bread

Easy Homemade French Bread recipe that can be made in the comfort of your home! Great served warm with butter or use it to make garlic bread, French bread pizzas and even homemade croutons!

Course Breads & Baked Goods

Cuisine American, French

Keyword baking, bread, french bread

Prep Time 1 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings servings

Calories 161

Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

KitchenAid 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer - White

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
2¼ teaspoons rapid rise or fast acting yeast
2½ cups bread flour see notes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil for bowl
egg wash

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer add the warm water (110-115℉ or 43-46℃) and sprinkle in rapid rise yeast. Set that off to the side for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl combine the flour with kosher salt.
Once the yeast is foamy, gradually add in the flour mixture. Mix on low until just combined.
Switch over to a dough hook, and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and tacky and doesn't stick to the bowl. About 4 to 6 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add 1 to 3 teaspoons flour until no longer sticky.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil.
Remove the dough and shape it into a ball. Add it to the oiled bowl, using it to coat the inside of the bowl with oil. This keeps the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel before placing it in a warm area to rise, double in size or about 1 hour.
Use yoru hand to gently punch or press down the dough to release the air. Starting on one side of the bowl, use a spatula to roll the dough into a log shape. Transfer it to a silicone or parchment lined rimed baking sheet pan - seam side down. Gently stretch the dough into a loaf shape.
Brush the loaf an egg wash (optional) and make cuts into the top of the dough. I stick my knife into flour before scoring the top.
Slide the pan on to the middle rack of a cold oven.**
Turn on the oven, setting the temperature to 375℉ (or 190℃) YES! while the loaf is in the oven! Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Remove and let cool slightly before slicing.

Notes

*In a pinch, all-purpose flour can be used. However the crumb or texture of the bread will be different than if you used bread flour.

**Starting the bread in a cool oven allows it to rise while also baking.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition