Homemade French Bread
This classic baguette-style loaf has just four core ingredients, flour, water, yeast, and salt, yet the result is bakery-quality bread with a crackling exterior and a soft, chewy crumb inside. The magic isn't in complicated technique—it's in understanding proper hydration, an adequate rise, and steam during baking.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook - or large mixing bowl for hand kneading
- Bench scraper
- Baking stone or heavy baking sheet - retains and distributes heat evenly
- Bread lame or sharp serrated knife - for scoring
- Kitchen scale - highly recommended for accuracy
- Instant-read thermometer
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel
- Sheet pan or roasting pan - for steam
- Cooling rack
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour - 480g, plus extra for dusting
- 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast - 4.5g, or active dry yeast
- 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt - 9g
- 1.33 cups warm water - 315ml, about 105-110°F / 40-43°C
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar - 4g, helps activate the yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - 15ml, for greasing the bowl
For the Steam
- 1 cup boiling water - 240ml, for creating steam during baking
Instructions
- Combine warm water and sugar in a bowl, sprinkle yeast over top, and let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Whisk together bread flour and salt in the mixer bowl. Add yeast mixture and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, about 2-3 minutes.
- Knead with dough hook on medium speed for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky, and pass the windowpane test.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
- Punch down risen dough, divide into two equal pieces, and shape each into a 14-16 inch baguette by folding letter-style and rolling from center outward.
- Place shaped loaves seam-side down on parchment, cover loosely, and proof for 30-45 minutes while preheating oven to 450°F with baking stone and steam pan.
- Score each loaf with 3-4 diagonal slashes about 1/2 inch deep using a bread lame or sharp knife before baking.
- Slide loaves onto baking stone, add boiling water to steam pan, and bake for 10 minutes with steam. Remove water pan and continue baking 15-20 minutes until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding.
- Transfer loaves to a wire cooling rack and let cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing to allow interior to set properly.
Notes
- Use bread flour with 12-14% protein content for the best chewy texture and structure.
- Water temperature is critical—yeast dies above 120°F (49°C) and barely activates below 100°F (38°C).
- A slightly sticky dough is better than a dry one. Avoid adding too much flour during kneading.
- For enhanced flavor, you can do a slow first rise in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
- Scoring must be quick and decisive—hesitant cuts drag the dough rather than slicing cleanly.
- Steam during the first 10-15 minutes of baking keeps the crust flexible for proper oven spring.
- An internal temperature of 200-205°F (93-96°C) is the most reliable indicator of doneness.
- Store leftover bread in a paper bag or wrapped in a kitchen towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. Avoid plastic bags which soften the crust.
- To freeze, wrap cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Revive day-old bread by running it under cold water and baking at 375°F for 8-10 minutes.