This easy homemade French bread is perfectly soft with a deliciously chewy crust! Plus it will cost a fraction of what you pay for an already made loaf.
As you know by now, I love soups! And what goes perfectly with soup? Bread, of course! While I love my 100% Whole Wheat Bread, sometimes I just want to enjoy a good crusty bread instead.
This easy Homemade French bread is the perfect thing to make when I’m in that mood. Plus, there is just something satisfying about making things from dough, don’t you think?
I’ve eaten lots of French bread. But the first time I had this particular recipe was when my husband’s cousin served it at a dinner she hosted a couple of years ago. Everyone that was there that evening couldn’t get enough of it!
The thought of making my own French bread always seemed daunting to me, but this bread baking cousin insisted that it was really very easy. So, I bravely asked her for the recipe and determined to make it myself. And of course she was right, it really was surprisingly simple to make!
Try it yourself- you’ll love how easy it is to feel like Martha Stewart! 🙂
(I did want to note that your crust will be much prettier than what mine is in the picture. I was busy taking care of my two little ones while I made this and as a result, forgot all about the egg white wash. The bread was still good but it was missing that beautifully delicious, shiny crust that makes it extra amazing. So definitely learn from me and make sure you don’t forget to do that!)
Easy Homemade French Bread Recipe
Easy Homemade French Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 Tbsp. yeast
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 Tbsp. shortening
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 7 to 7 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten and mixed with 1 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Mix ½ c. water, yeast and sugar. Set aside.
- Add shortening and salt to 2 c. hot water; cool until lukewarm. Add yeast mixture then gradually add flour until soft dough.
- Knead until smooth, about 10 to 12 minutes. (I use my Bosch mixer to do this.)
- Place in greased bowl, cover with damp cloth, let rise until doubled.
- Divide in half. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.
- Shape loaves into narrow rolls, the length of the sheet. Slash top several times with sharp knife. (I do this about 4 different spots across the loaf.)
- Brush with egg white/water mixture.
- Let rise until double.
- Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, brushing with egg white/water mixture after 15 minutes of baking.
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Jill Terry
This recipe looks and sounds delicious. One question, by shortening do you mean Crisco or butter? Thank you.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Good question, Jill! I was referring to shortening, but I’m pretty sure you could use butter too. Anymore, I pretty much only use Crisco for greasing my pans when baking and in recipes replace it with butter instead. It’s been a bit since I’ve made this French Bread, so I can’t remember if I used butter the last time or not, but I really think it would work fine if you prefer that over Crisco.
Jill Terry
Thank you!?
Jolene
I had to come back and thank you for this recipe. I printed it thinking I would make it for dinner but never got it done. My 12 year old daughter took it upon herself to make it this morning and it is wonderful.???
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know, Jolene! ? And I’m loving that your 12 year old isn’t scared of making bread- and motivated enough to do it on her own. Glad you all enjoyed it so much!
Jeanetta
Sounds wonderful! My family could never eat this much bread. Do you have any tips for freezing? Should I freeze before or after baking?
ThriftyFrugalMom
I typically bake it and then freeze it. As long as you wrap it well, it should be fine. Sometimes I even cut the loaf in half or into slices so that it fits better in a freezer bag. You could also half the recipe. The only issue would be the egg white and that isn’t really that big of a deal since you technically don’t need to even do the egg wash if you don’t want too. Hope that helps!
justine
Does anyone have any suggestions for making homemade bread in high altitude ?!? I recently moved to Denver and need to get used to mile high baking!
ThriftyFrugalMom
I don’t know if anyone else will have recommendations for you or not, but I did a quick Google search and came across this info from Taste of Home that you might find helpful!
Ashley
I love all kinds of bread and French is probably one of my favorites! Your bread looks so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I’ve tried to make bread with a bread machine a couple of times and disliked it every time. I think I should give bread making another shot.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Oh do, Ashley! This recipe is so easy, I’m pretty sure you’ll love it. I’ve never used a bread machine- to me they seem like it would be harder, but then I have a Bosch mixer that does all the kneading for me so that definitely helps!