Beginner French Bread

A loaf of French bread on a wood cutting board, with sliced French bread and butter.

This Easy French Bread recipe is such a breeze to make, it's the perfect recipe for a beginner bread baker, but experienced bakers will love it too. This bread bakes up golden on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. You'll be surprised at how simple it is, but tastes like it's fresh from the bakery.

4.58 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Resting Time: 30

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: slices (2 loaves)

Ingredients

341 g warm water (110°F) (1½ cups)
10 g instant yeast (1 tablespoon) see notes if using active dry yeast
10 g fine sea salt (2 teaspoons)
30 g sugar (2 tablespoons)
30 g olive oil (2 tablespoons)
510 g bread flour (4⅓ cups)
28 g melted salted butter optional (2 tablespoons)

Instructions

Make the dough:
Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer. Add the water, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil and half of the bread flour to the mixer bowl. (see notes if using active dry yeast) Mix until smooth, and then gradually add the remaining flour. You may or may not need to add the entire amount. Let dough rest, uncovered for 15 minutes.
Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Dough should clean the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball.
First rise:
Transfer the dough into a large, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
Prepare your baking pan:
If using a baking sheet, line with parchment paper. If using a French loaf pan, spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Shape the loaves:
Punch down the risen dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface. Take the dough ball, and with your fingers, flatten it out into a rectangle, about 8 inches by 15 inches. Roll the dough up lengthwise, pushing any air bubbles. Pinch the seam to seal the loaf. Put the loaf seam side down on your prepared pan.
Second rise:
Cover the loaf with the kitchen towel and let rise again until increased in size by about 50%. The second and final rise should be about half of the first rise time. Once the loaf is shaped, preheat the oven to 375°F so that it is ready when the loaf has risen.
Before baking, use a sharp knife, or bread lame to cut three score marks, diagonally across the top of the loaf. This helps the bread to rise and expand in the oven as it bakes.
Whisk together one egg and 1 Tablespoon of water. Brush it over the surface of the loaf for a golden, shiny crust.
Bake:
Place the loaf in the oven on the center rack. (See notes for steam option.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. The interior of the loaf should reach 200°F. When tapping on the bread, it should have a hollow sound.
Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack. The bread will continue to bake on the inside as it cools. Slice when cooled and enjoy!

Video

Notes

If using Active Dry Yeast, instead of Instant Yeast, add it to the warm water with the sugar and wait 10-15 minutes. The yeast should start to form small bubbles (also called "bloom"). If it has not bubbled after 15 minutes, the yeast is most likely not good anymore and should be replaced with new yeast. If the mixture does bubble, go ahead and add the remainder of the ingredients and continue with the recipe as instructed.
For Sourdough option, replace the instant yeast with 200g ripe starter. Decrease the flour by 100g and decrease the water by 100g. Mix as instructed in the recipe. Rise times will be at least 2-3 times as long as it would be if using instant yeast.
Using Whole Wheat Flour: Try making this loaf a bit healthier by replacing some of the white bread flour with whole wheat flour. Keep in mind, the more whole wheat flour you add, the denser the final loaf will be (but it's also very delicious!).
Baking with steam: To add a crispier outer crust to this bread, preheat the oven to 375°F and place a metal or cast-iron pan on the bottom rack. Pour hot water into the pan, enough to fill it 2-inches deep. Close oven door and allow it to steam the oven for 15 minutes before baking the bread. Leave the steam pan in the oven for the first 15 minutes of the bake and then carefully remove. I would suggest placing a kitchen towel over the oven glass door when you add and remove the water to prevent it from splashing on the oven door (which can shatter it).
Make bread bowls by dividing the dough into 4 equal pieces. Round them out into smooth round dough balls. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or sprayed with nonstick spray. Follow recipe steps 6-10. To serve, cut off tops and hollow out the middle, making a bowl shape. Fill with your favorite soup. See my post for making pumpkin shaped bread bowls!

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