Our families favorite Homemade French Bread recipe! It’s so easy, soft and fluffy! I’ve even shared this bread recipe with other’s! French bread freezes well and can be served as an appetizer, side, breakfast bread and so many other ways!
Our family loves bread! This and our Whole Wheat Bread are my staple bread recipes! I mostly rotate among those two, but will occasionally make my feather-lite Hamburger Buns too!
Homemade French Bread
French bread is a staple, especially when it’s this easy! From breakfast bread to homemade croutons, it’s no wonder it’s one of my favorite white bread recipes! However, my ultimate favorite way to eat this is with scrambled eggs. I toast thickly cut slices then slather it with mayo and top it with scrambled eggs. What’s so special, you may ask? Wait until this bread smells up your house when toasting, it’ll be far better then any bakery aroma!
My friend added this bread recipe to her collection of recipes, as well. She liked making breakfast sandwiches with Kielbasa and deli-style cheeses, which was so delicious! There is so many ways to bring this into use, not to mention how well this freezes! From french toast, to a side of pasta, or a classic butter and jam slice, this bread is sure to come into good use!
How To Make French Bread:
French Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for French Bread:
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 6 Tbsp oil
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
How to make French Bread:
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Add the remaining ingredeints and knead 5 minutes.
- Allow dough to rise until doubled.
- Divide into 4 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small rectangle (11"x5"). Roll jelly-roll style and place onto a lined cookie sheet, 3-inches apart. (All four loaves will fit one 18x13 sheet pan if placed horizontally.) Let rise until doubled.
- Bake in a pre-heated 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes on the bottom rack* of the oven.
Notes
- Bottom Rack* bake bread on the lower half of the oven for even browning.
- No egg wash is required. This bread browns nicely without any additional glazes. If you wish, brush milk over the tops.
- Freezer Instructions- cool loaves completely then slice or freeze whole inside freezer bags.
Nutrition per serving
Q&A
What is French Bread?
French bread is a long shaped loaf of bread, usually slashed and sometimes crusty. It’s very similar to Italian bread and is typically made from enriched white flour, known as bread flour.
What does French Bread go with?
How do you make French Bread Crusty?
It is said, commercial French bread is made in a water spraying oven, specifically designed to mist the loaves during the baking time. To stimulate this bakers oven, bake on a baking stone with hot water in the oven and spray the bread every 3-4 minutes, when baking.
How to properly store and freeze bread:
Storing room temperature: To keep bread at it’s freshness peak store in a bag for 1-2 days. Anything more should be frozen to retain the freshness. I like to cool my freshly baked bread, slice and freeze immediately. I’ve noticed when doing this the same day I bake it, the loaves taste just as fresh, once defrosted. If you wait for the bread to get stale on the counter top it won’t regain that fresh flavor again.
Freezing French Bread: French Bread freezes very well. Freeze after the loaves have cooled completely.
What recipes can I use French Bread in?
This homemade bread can be used so many different ways. Here is a list of recipes you can use French Bread in:
- Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches (Canapés)
- Bread Pizza
- French Toast
- Easy Tuna Melts
- Leftover Turkey Melts
- Chicken Salad Subs for a crowd
Whats the difference between French Bread and Italian Bread?
Both are very alike! In fact this bread recipe was adopted from my Italian Bread Loaves recipe. French Bread is made into much thinner baguettes than Italian Bread. Both consist of very similar ingredients! Walmart’s French and Italian baguettes are almost identical in taste just different in size. So, size would be the main difference.
Tips For French Bread:
- Spray with water when baking for an extra crusty baguette!
- Freezes well!
- Make Homemade Croutons!
- Serve as tea sandwiches with your favorite deli meat and cheese!
