Experience the magic of homemade bread in just one hour with this game-changing French Bread recipe. It is so easy that it always comes out perfect, even if it is your first time making yeast bread.
It makes two large loaves for about $2.87. Each loaf serves eight people each and will cost around 18¢ per serving!
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What You’ll Love About This French Bread Recipe
- Versatility: This is a great recipe because the bread can be enjoyed plain, used to make Garlic Bread, served as a side dish to most entrees, dipped in olive oil, made into sandwiches, or toasted for French toast.
- Quick Rise Times: Both rises only take 15 minutes, making this a relatively fast recipe for homemade fresh bread. This will quickly become your go-to bread recipe. Your family and friends will ask you to make this chewy French bread again and again.
- Simple Ingredients: The recipe uses basic pantry staples, making it accessible for most home bakers. You may find that you have most of these basic ingredients on hand.
- Easy To Work With: Forming the dough into two long loaves is simple and doesn’t require intricate techniques or a bread machine.
1-Hour French Bread Ingredients & Estimated Cost:
- 2 cups warm water – $0.00
- 2 Tablespoons instant yeast – $0.96
- 2 Tablespoons sugar – $0.06
- 2 teaspoons salt – $0.02
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil – $0.09
- 5 ½ – 6 cups flour – $1.62
- 1 egg white – $0.12
The cost of the recipe is calculated based on the amounts needed. To learn more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained. The pricing for this recipe was updated in February 2024.
How To Make 1 Hour Bread
***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Whisk warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Let it froth for 5-10 minutes before mixing it in the salt, oil, and flour.
- Knead in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and the bread dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Cover and rise for 15 minutes in a warm place.
- The dough will be puffy but not quite doubled in size.
- Divide dough into two loaves on a baking sheet, cut diagonal slits across the top of the dough, and let the dough rise again before baking for 30 minutes.
- Brush with egg wash mixture to get an extra crispy crust, and bake for five more minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Easy French Bread Recipe Variations:
Use this bread as the base for these recipes:
- BBQ Chicken Braid
- French bread pizza
- French-Bread Stuffing
- French Toast
- Garlic bread
- Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes
How Long Does French Bread Last:
- Serve: Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic or placed in a Ziploc bag and kept at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Store: Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and store it for up to 5 days. (I like slicing the bread for pizza or garlic bread when it’s cold and slightly stiff. It’s easier to cut this way.)
- Freeze: Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then in foil before putting it in the freezer. It will keep for up to three months before getting freezer burn.
Quick French Bread Recipe FAQs
Why is it called French bread?
French bread, a long, crusty loaf known in France as a baguette, which means “a stick, ” is the top choice in French bakeries.
NOTE:
- This recipe is an Americanized version of French bread. You know, the big, squishy French Bread loaves you find at the grocery store. This bread is nothing like a crusty baguette.
How do you make French bread crusty again?
You can try to put water on the loaf of bread and then wrap it in foil before putting it in a cold oven. Next, heat the oven to 300 degrees and heat the bread for 10-12 minutes. Then, unwrap the bread and cook it for 4-5 minutes. That’s it! You should now be able to enjoy that fantastic crusty bread once again!
Can I skip the egg wash?
Yes, you can skip this step. The egg wash helps the crust get a little extra crispy, but it is still delicious without this step.
Can you freeze French bread?
Yes! This is one of our favorite things about this recipe. The bread will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
How to reheat French Bread?
When ready to use, remove it from the freezer and set it on the counter to defrost. Then, when ready, warm it in 30-second intervals in the microwave.
Get Kids Involved With Making One Hour French Bread
Ages 2-3: Let your tiny sous-chef add the ingredients and mix them in the stand mixer for some messy, doughy fun! They’ll love watching the ingredients form into a soft dough ball.
Ages 4-5: Time to unleash their inner scientist! They can help measure the water and yeast (with grown-up supervision) and add the dry ingredients to the mixer.
Ages 6-8: Level up their skills! They can help measure, combine, and knead all the ingredients. Let them set the timer for the dough to rise (a great exercise in patience!) and, with proper knife safety guidance, teach them to score the dough before the second rise.
Ages 9-11: Prepare to be impressed! With your gentle guidance, they can follow a recipe from start to finish. Encourage them to read the recipe twice beforehand for a sense of accomplishment.
Ages 12+: Step back and watch your little chef work their magic! Let them handle the entire recipe, from gathering ingredients to baking delicious golden loaves. You can do the happy dance in the corner knowing you’ve raised a master baker!
Remember, baking is about creating memories together, so have fun, make a mess, and enjoy the delicious reward!
Homemade French Bread Budget Tips
This French Bread freezes well, so we love freezing one of the loaves to always have one on hand. We also love using the leftover bread to make other recipes, such as croutons, breadcrumbs, French toast, etc. Making homemade bread rather than buying it at the grocery store trims some of the grocery budget.
More From Easy Budget Recipes
1-Hour French Bread Recipe
Recipe Cost 2.87 Serving Cost 0.18Equipment
- stand mixer
- standard-size baking sheet
- parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water 90-100 degrees
- 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 ½ – 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg white mixed with 1 Tablespoon water optional
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- First, add the water, yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Whisk the mixture together and let it sit for 3 minutes, or until it’s bubbly and frothy.
- Next, add in the oil, salt, and 5 ½ cups of flour.
- Attach a dough hook and mix on low until the dough comes together.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and knead. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn’t, add more flour, 2 Tablespoons at a time, until it does.
- Then, knead the dough for 2 minutes on medium-high.
- Remove the dough hook and cover the work bowl with a warm damp towel. Let the dough rise for 15 minutes.
- Remove the towel and punch the dough down.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each piece into a long, thick dough that measures 16-17 inches long.
- Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, and cut 5-6 slits diagonally on each loaf.
- Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 375 degrees.
- Let the dough rise for a second time while the oven preheats.
- As soon as the oven is done preheating, pop the pan into the oven (don’t let the dough sit out too long because it will over-proof). Bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Then, remove the bread from the oven and brush the loaves with 1 egg white mixed with 1 Tablespoon of water.
- Bake for another 3-5 minutes.
- Move the pan to a wire rack and cool the bread for 5 minutes before slicing and serving!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We recently updated the pictures to this post. Here are the originals from September 2019.
Jane says
Is there any way to make this bread with baking powder or baking soda – instead of with yeast?
The comments (nearly) all sound so wonderful that I really want to make this, but I am allergic to yeast.
Sigh.
And I know I would be greatly tempted if I made it for my husband only.
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Jane, I have made this bread hundreds of times but have never tried it without the yeast. Having said that, I imagine that it will work to substitute the yeast for 1 Tablespoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Please let me know how it goes. I’d love to know!
Sheri says
I have made this bread weekly for past few years! It’s fool proof. I decided to leave a comment for others wondering. It’s easy and SO delicious. Make it for my whole family now. Follow the recipe and it will work every time!
Jess Jankowski says
Sheri, thank you so much for your comment. We really appreciate it!
Missy says
When doubling the recipe the ingredient list doubles but the instructions still say 5 1/2. I am assuming that is supposed to double two but as I was mixing, my dough got very dry and pulled away from the side sides of my mixer, so I let it go let’s see how it turns out.
Jess Jankowski says
You would follow the instructions for the steps but not the amounts. How did it turn out? When I double this, I typically do it in two separate batches as it gets difficult to do a double batch in my KitchenAid.
D art says
This was so easy and fast. It tasted delicious and was impressive to my in laws. We ate half a loaf and then used the other 1.5 loaves to make your French bread stuffing for Thanksgiving. Perfect. Thank you!
Diane Janice Grey-Letendre says
Absolutely love this recipe and turned out awesome husband loved it
Jess Jankowski says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for using my French bread recipe!
Amanda says
This is the best Easy French Bread Recipe I’ve found online. Thank you!
Ines says
I’d like to give a necessary update for the metric measurement as I am a scale user but made this recipe several times with cups. Do not use the ones provided here the flour is way off
Measurements
500g water
7g instant yeast (can be doubled as I used half the amount)
17-20g sugar
30g oil
620g flour
5g salt
I also use a dusting of flour on my counter and don’t use the egg wash. If you want to add herbs in your bread around 15g should be more than enough.
BakerQueen says
THANK YOU for this recipe! I wanted a compromise between the floofy French bread from the supermarket and the scrunchy baguettes from a bakery, and this was PERFECT. I didn’t feel like dragging out the stand mixer, so I made a half recipe (one loaf). Been making bread at home and in bakeries for ages! (too many years to admit to) I know how to knead quickly and thoroughly and how the dough should feel. I let it rise for 15 minutes on the pan, made the slits and baked the loaf on a metal pan in a 375 degree oven about 25 minutes. Skipped the egg wash, but I may do it next time. The crumb was close and soft, and the crust was lovely and slightly golden. I LOVE IT!
Jess Jankowski says
THANK YOU for your review! I am so happy you love this French bread as much as I do! I made the dough tonight to make bread bowls for our soup! It is my favorite recipe that I use again and again.
Ines says
This bread has replaced our store bought bread. As a French person I can’t call this a baguette, the texture in and out is just too different, but it remains an excellent bread, great for breakfast and sandwiches.
I’ve been making it with olive oil and herbes de provences (provençal herbs?) and it tastes like a light focaccia this way. Just less bubbly.
I will forever save this recipe to have fresh delicious bread at home that stores extremely well. Thank you ❤️
Jess Jankowski says
This is our favorite review. Thank you so much for commenting!
Sarah Clock says
Made this tonight with some Tuscan soup. Added garlic salt instead of regular and added a tsp of rosemary to dough. When I did the egg wash, I sprinkled more garlic salt and rosemary. So tender and delicious. Thanks!
Jess Jankowski says
Love the additions! Thank you for your review!
Stephenie Miller says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! My family loves it! I can’t believe how great it is with only an hour to make.
Jess Jankowski says
Woohoo! So happy you love it!
Sally says
This wonderful recipe has become a favorite in my kitchen. The first time I made it I was skeptical as to it being an hour from start to finish. It was a lovely surprise to find that it’s true! Two beautiful loaves of bread as the reward for ONE hour of a little work. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Jess Jankowski says
Isn’t it amazing?! And your kitchen smelling amazing is an awesome bonus! Thank you for your review!
Tami says
First attempt at French bread…this turned out awesome. My family loved it. I’m new to bread making and usually have to try several recipes before I find “the one.” This is it!
Jess Jankowski says
Woo hoo Tami! That is so awesome…thank you so much for letting us know!
Stephanie says
Hi! Can you substitute bread flour for AP flour?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi, we have not tested this recipe with bread flour. However, you should be able to substititue it but it may alter the overall taste and result in a dryer bread so you may need to adjust the water.
Jen says
I tried this using gluten free bread, it came out really really dense and seemed like it needed more liquid. I ended up adding a bit, but I am not sure how it will turn out. Have you tried this recipe gluten free?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Jen, we have not tried making this recipe gluten-free. If you try again, let us know what you do.
Susan Marcille Corpman says
very good recipe. I would make it again.
Cindy says
Made this for the first time last week when I needed French bread in a hurry. Making again and this time made four minis. So perfect both times! Thanks!
Jess Jankowski says
Love the idea to make four minis!
Kamila says
I used fresh ingredients and measured them out by grams. I even checked the water temperature with a thermometer since I was cooking with my daughter and wanted to make it more fun for her. Once the dough was mixed, it was so incredibly dry there was no way it resembled yeast-like dough at all. I added more oil and water, but couldn’t salvage it. They came out dense and inedible.
Jess Jankowski says
So sorry to hear that. It does sound like there was too much flour. We would recommend trying again and measuring in cups instead.
Ines says
Hi Kamila, try using those measurements
Measurements
500g water
7g instant yeast (can be doubled as I used half the amount)
17-20g sugar
30g oil
620g flour
5g salt
Beth Bird says
This bread recipe is so good and easy. I have made it about 6 times or more now. I like to use 2.5 tsp salt. I’ve used up to half whole wheat flour. The family prefers white flour only for this recipe. It’s wonderful to have a recipe for bread that I can make so quick if we realize we don’t have bread for lunches in the morning. It has been wonderful here with prep and the aftermath of hurricane Ian when the stores have been low on bread.
Jess Jankowski says
Thank you so much for your review Beth! We are so glad it has been helpful for you during your time of need.
Judy Bougis says
The bread is great but I just wished it would rise more instead of “rising” sideways.