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Easy French Bread

a loaf of french bread on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat silicone baking sheet.

 

Homemade French Bread made without a Mixer

Making this Easy French Bread will leave you feeling like a professional baker. The recipe couldn’t be easier to mix up. NO-MIXER needed for this one, and it uses simple pantry staple ingredients. The results rival any bakery French bread loaf out there. If you’re new to baking bread, this recipe is the perfect place to start. This recipe isn’t only good for French bread, it’s good for rolls, pizza dough, and more. 

There’s something about making your own bread that deepens your connection to humanity as a whole, Past and Present. The surge in bread making during the pandemic wasn’t a coincidence. It turns out that when things are topsy-turvy and we feel uncertain, we revert to the comfort of baking bread. Our souls are actually yearning to connect to something tangible and meaningful.

A hand holding a slice of french bread, you can see the rest of the loaf in the background.

Pandemic or not, you’ll love making this Easy French Bread for your friends and family. It’s a recipe you will turn to again and again. The recipe makes two loaves. You can eat one and share the other, or you can put the second one in the freezer to use on another day. This bread is perfect to eat alongside a big bowl of your favorite soup.

My Favorite Soup Recipes

Step-by-step photos for How to Make French Bread

A large step by step picture collage made of twenty pictures that show the exact steps for making NO MIXER needed Easy French Bread.loaf of french bread fresh out of the ovenFrequently Asked Questions About Making Homemade French Bread

What kind of yeast should I use when I make French bread?

You can use active dry yeast or rapid rise yeast with this recipe. Just remember that when you use active dry yeast, you need to let it sit in the water with a little sugar for 5-10 minutes so it can proof. 

How do you make nice slit marks on the top of French bread?

I use a small, really sharp knife. If you want them to look really professional, you can buy a special tool called a Baker’s Bread Lame. Sometimes it can be hard to get a good slit with a regular knife. 

a loaf of french bread. half of the loaf has been sliced and you can see the knife next to the loaf. The loaf is sitting on the baking sheet that is covered with the silpat, silicone matWhat pan is best for baking French bread?

I just use my regular cookie sheets. I put two loaves on one pan. Sometimes they touch a little after they rise and bake, but if the bread is just for my family, I don’t worry about it. I’m thinking of ordering some French bread pans, though. They help ensure a nice shape to your bread. 

Can I use this dough for pizza instead of French bread?

Yes. This dough is actually very similar to a pizza dough recipe and would make a great option for a pizza crust. If you use it for pizza, form it into dough balls after getting it mixed up (whatever size you prefer), and let it sit at room temperature that way for 30-40 minutes before rolling out into a pizza. You can also put it in a loose plastic bag in the fridge for 4-8 hours to bake later. When ready to bake the pizzas, bake them at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Can I use whole wheat flour with this Easy French Bread Recipe?

You can use up to half whole wheat flour in this recipe, but it will change the flavor. If you are looking for a very authentic French bread flavor, you are going to want to stick with regular all-purpose flour. 

Pinterest collage of a loaf of sliced french bread with the bread knife sitting next to it.

Baker’s Tools for Homemade French Bread

A loaf of French Bread on a silicone baking mat. The text Easy French Bread separates the photo and the ingredients list.

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5.0 from 9 reviews
Easy French Bread
 
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NO MIXER NEEDED for this Easy French Bread. Light and Fluffy, it's the perfect bread for dipping in soups or slicing and toasting up as garlic bread. You'll use this recipe again and again.
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Serves: 2 large loaves
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups warm water (temp of a baby's bath water)
  • 2 tbsp yeast (can use active dry yeast or instant yeast)
  • 2½ tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 5½-6 cups all-purpose flour
  • *Optional: 1 egg+1 tbsp water for an egg wash (This gives the bread a shiny finish as pictured...I don't do this unless I'm trying to impress someone; not worth wasting an egg if it's just for my family. 😉
Instructions
  1. In a large plastic mixing bowl combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to proof for 5-10 minutes or until yeast gets foamy and bubbly. If using instant yeast, you don't need to wait for it to proof.
  2. Next, add the salt and olive oil. Mix together with a fork, and then add 2½ cups of flour. Mix really well with a fork or whisk until there are no lumps of flour.
  3. Add 3 cups more of flour and stir it in with the fork. It will get very thick. Once you've stirred it as much as you can with the fork, use your hand to begin kneading the bread. You may need to occasionally sprinkle the dough with a small amount of flour to keep your hand from sticking to the dough. Try not to exceed adding more than ½ cup total as you sprinkle when needed.
  4. Knead by hand for about 5-6 minutes or until dough has a nice springy and smooth consistency.
  5. Next, form the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
  6. At this point, you can do one of two things. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes and knead it down. Then let it rise for 30 more minutes. Or you can knead it down every 10-15 minutes for an hour. Both methods yield great results. It is also okay if you let it rise the whole hour before kneading down, but the gluten will be broken down a little differently if you do it multiple times in the hour and the dough will have a less yeasty taste.
  7. Once you have reached a total rise time of an hour, you are ready to roll out the dough and form it into loaves.
  8. Divide the dough in half and roll one piece out into a 9x13-type shape. Follow the step-by-step pictures above to see how this is done. Once it is a 9x13, you roll it up and place it on a prepared baking sheet. (I use a silpat sprinkled with corn meal. You can use parchment paper or cooking spray as other options.) There are also these cool French Bread Pans.
  9. Once the loaf is on the baking sheet, take a sharp knife or a bread baker's lame and put slits on the top of the loaf. Repeat for second loaf.
  10. Next, cover the two loaves loosely with a hand towel or a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You don't want the plastic to stick to the bread as it rises. If it sticks, you risk the loaf deflating when you peel off the plastic wrap. Once covered, allow bread to rise for 30 minutes before baking.
  11. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you want to do an egg wash, you do that right before baking. To do the egg wash, whisk together an egg and 1 tbsp of water. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush it on the risen loaf.
  12. Bake bread for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees.
  13. **To give a nice crust to the outside of the bread, you can place a small pan of hot water in the bottom of your oven or a few ice cubes. I usually use ice cubes. It's a great trick for adding steam to the beginning of the baking process.

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A pinterest collage for easy french bread, three pictures arranged with a header dividing them with the title of the recipe.
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40 Comments

    • Maria

      Yes, definitely. You can use your mixer. Just follow the same instructions but whisk in the first two and a half cups of flour before putting your dough hook on. Then when you have added the the last three cups of flour in, let the dough hook knead it for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides while the hook is kneading it sprinkle a little flour in now and then. You can leave it in the mixer to rise and just turn the mixer on for a few seconds every 10-15 minutes for an hour. Then after an hour of letting it partly rise like that, take it out and follow the directions for rolling it out and prepping it. It will turn out great!

      reply to this comment

  6. Kelli Knerr

    Holy Bananas!

    This is super easy peasy and WAY cost effective! I’ve tried so many bread recipes and been dismally dissatisfied! This recipe, however, CHEF’S KISS! It’s light and floofy just like bread should be!

    reply to this comment

    • Maria

      Hi Kassie, I haven’t tried it myself, but if you try it, you will need to go straight into the fridge before letting it rise. try not to have it in the fridge longer then 6-8 hours, knead it and from it into the loaves as soon as you can and then let them rise before baking.

      reply to this comment

    • Maria

      I’m so glad you made the recipe Rachael, unfortunately it’s usually not a good idea to use self-rising flour with yeast breads, It can change the flavor and also over proof the bread which will cause it to collapse during cooking.

      reply to this comment

    • Desiree

      Holy Moly! This recipe made the fluffiest bread! I’ve never made bread before but this recipe made it fast and easy! I do have a question, how do I store this bread and how long do you think it stays good for?

      reply to this comment

      • Ann@Real Life Dinner

        Hi, Desiree. So glad you liked it! The bread will last up to 5-7 days stored in a ziplock bag on the counter. You can also freeze the bread. Wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

        reply to this comment

  11. Sara Jane Adamson

    My family and I love this bread! I have never been a great baker, but the ease of this recipe and the delicious result have boosted my confidence. I actually used this recipe 4 times over a two week period… it’s that good. I used it to make French bread, pizza dough, and cinnamon rolls; each with excellent results. For the cinnamon rolls I used the “Lunch Lady Cafeteria Cinnamon Rolls” frosting recipe, from this site, and they were mouthwateringly delicious. My family keeps asking when I’m going to make this “dough” again, so it’s quickly becoming my go-to recipe for more than just French Bread!

    reply to this comment

  13. Andrew

    Hello and thank you. I have baked bread for years but this has become my go to recipe. In fact it is actually quite simple to do and works every time! I have it memorized haha but would love to see your recipe for/talk to you about sour dough

    And again God bless you! Thank you so much for this consistent forgiving recipe

    reply to this comment

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