Name: Amazing Homemade French Bread Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups warm water; 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast; 2 Tbsp. white sugar; 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 cups flour (all purpose or bread flour); melted butter (for brushing); 1 egg white; 2 Tbsp. water

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This amazing french bread recipe yields 2 loaves of soft and chewy bread. Perfect to serve with dinner or to use for sandwiches! This post contains an affiliate link.

If you're looking for a quick bread to serve with dinner, our garlic parmesan breadsticks only take 40 minutes! If you have a bit more time our amazing French bread recipe will definitely hit the spot.

Watch our step by step video!

I LOVE french bread. Any crusty bread, for that matter. This French bread recipe has been a staple in our home for about 10 years. It is easy to make, and easy to customize into rolls, mini loaves, or large loaves.

I originally shared this recipe in 2011 as a French bread roll recipe, but have found that I make loaves more often than rolls. I'll share directions for both. One recipe will make two loaves of bread, or 16 rolls. You can also make 1 loaf of bread and 8 mini loaves.

1 full loaf and 1 sliced loaf of french bread on cutting board

Tips for Baking Amazing French Bread

I'm not an expert at French baking, by any means, but I'll share what I have learned over the years and what has worked for us for making French bread and baguettes.

Shaping the Dough:

You can roll the dough into a loaf shape using your hands, or roll out into a rectangular shape using a rolling pin and roll it up (like you would cinnamon rolls), pinching the bottom seam and ends. The second method is how I shape homemade bread, but either method works just fine.

Pans to Use:

I purchased this loaf pan a couple of years ago, and like using it for baguettes and French bread. It helps the loaves keep their shape. Before I had this pan, I baked my loaves on greased baking sheets. How you bake your loaves is completely up to you. They will be delicious either way.

Scoring

I'm not that great at scoring my bread, but it helps prevent the bread from splitting or bursting during the baking process. It also helps create a more uniform shape. I use an Xacto knife and slash the bread, diagonally, 4 times across the top. (Watch my video to see how I do this). You can also get a bread lame to score your bread.

Egg White Wash:

Brushing your loaves with an egg white wash will give them a nice shine/gloss. It is also a great way to keep seeds and toppings from falling off of the top of the bread. Simply brush the loaves with a mixture of an egg white and 2 T. water. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds, etc. if you'd like. I also add an egg wash to my homemade parmesan bagels. It keeps the cheese from falling off during the baking process.

Steam:

Creating steam during the baking process will help create a chewy crust. You can toss a handful of ice cubes into the bottom of your oven when you place the loaves in the oven, or you can do what I do---place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. I use an 8x8 brownie pan and fill it about an inch with water. Then I preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the loaves with the pan of water still in the oven.

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