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French Bread

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Easy French Bread recipe that you can make for dinner even when you are short on time!  I am known for my homemade french bread and give it out every year as Christmas gifts to friends and neighbors.  I’ve had so many people over the years ask for a tutorial on how to make french bread so I hope this post helps everyone out!
Easy French Bread Recipe

When I became a Jones 26 years ago, it quickly became clear that I needed to learn to bake french bread like my mother-in-law.  Her bread is the star of her kitchen and coveted by all who taste it.  During a visit about a year after being married, I absorbed as much of her technique as I could while she instructed me.  She sent me home with her recipe in my pocket and I was very anxious to make it for my husband.  Over the years, I feel I’ve mastered this bread and that recipe card is very worn and stained.

So imagine my surprise when a few years ago, in my kitchen in Minnesota, my mother-in-law looks at that same card and asks, “Where did you get this recipe?  This isn’t my french bread recipe.”  I would never accuse my wonderful mother-in-law of anything sinister but can anyone say…. sabotage?

This easy french bread recipe is just dang amazing and it is what I deliver to all our friends every year for Christmas.  I have made a few slight changes to the original recipe over the years I’ve been baking it because I wanted a chewier interior and a better crust.

Easy French Bread Recipe

The main question I get asked all the time about making homemade French bread is if the bread flour is important.  Um….YOU BETCHA!  That higher gluten content is what gives you a better crust as well as a chewier texture so just grab that bread flour next time instead and enjoy the end results.

Anyone who has a history of bread-making knows that experience is what will give you the perfect loaf of bread.  After making many batches, you learn what your dough should feel like and how to work with it, so keep at it and you will get better with each batch!  If you don’t have french bread pans, you can form them on cookie sheets, but the result isn’t quite the same.  Your loaves turn out a bit flat and without the air holes on the bottom, they don’t get as good of a crust.  There are many pans on the market that make a wider loaf that remind me more of an Italian loaf, so I suggest the thinner baguette size for a true french bread.

Looking for another amazing homemade bread recipe?  How about my recipe for the Best Homemade Wheat Bread!

Honey Wheat Bread Recipe

 

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Easy French Bread Recipe

Easy French Bread Recipe

  • Author: Carole
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 baguettes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French
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Description

Homemade french bread is the best!  Each baguette is crunchy on the outside with a soft, chewy texture on the inside.

Ingredients

3 C warm water
1 Tb sugar
2 Tb yeast
2 Tb canola oil
3 1/2 rounded tsp salt
7 -8 C bread flour (yes, it makes a difference)

Instructions

1.  Using your electric mixer with a dough hook, mix the water, sugar, yeast and 2 cups of flour into the bowl.  Allow to sit until yeast activates and begins to bubble.  Add oil and salt.
2.  Slowly mix in remaining flour.  You want the dough to just barely pull off the sides of your bowl once the flour in fully incorporated.  It should still be a soft dough.  Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3.  Remove dough hook and form dough into a ball inside the bowl.  Cover and allow to rise until double, about one hour.
4.  Gently turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide into four equal pieces.  Flatten each piece into a general triangular shape.  Starting on the small point, roll and seal your way across the triangle until you have a small log.  Roll the log on the counter to stretch your baguette to the proper length, keeping the thickness uniform across the loaf.
5.  Place dough into greased french bread pan, slit the top with a sharp knife and brush with an egg wash if desired.  Allow to rise about 15-20 minutes.
6.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  The bread is completely baked at this point and can be cooled on racks.  When it is time to serve,  I prefer to place the loaves on the oven racks and bake them for an additional 5-7 minutes.  This heats the bread and creates that great crust while keeping the interior soft and chewy.  In my opinion, this last step makes all the difference.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 baguette
  • Calories: 218
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Sodium: 437 mg
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 41 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 7 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: easy, authentic

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Carole

    I honestly don’t know how her recipe differs from what is written down on my card. I can’t complain though because that “wrong” recipe was the beginning of the road to the bread I make now!

    Reply

  3. Jeff and Cara

    Carole- one time I was talking with Jana and Heidi and we all found out that we all have different recipes from mom :-). All are very similar, but just not the same! We thought it was funny that we all had different recipes. Jeff has decided that the recipe changes every Christmas when she makes tons of loafs! They all taste delicious (when everyone but me makes them) so I can’t complain!!!!

    Reply

  4. Betsy Roesler

    Carole,

    I left your house last night after the swim team pot luck with a work of art….your French Bread! Thank you for sharing your blog and your wonderful recipes.

    Best wishes for a successful run to the school board. Your sign is in my front yard.

    Betsy Roesler

    Reply

    • Carole

      Hey Alli! If you don’t have a french bread pan, you can still make them on a baking sheet but you will need to add a bit more flour to the dough so it will be able to hold it’s shape better. The pans are a great price so if you think you will be making this recipe, I suggest getting a set. I use mine ALL the time!

      Reply

    • Carole

      Hello Marissa! You bet….just be ready to work those arm muscles a bit 🙂 Once the dough is mixed, it is really important to the texture of the bread that it gets kneaded well enough so the gluten strands can properly develop.

      Reply

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