Easy French Bread

This is the simplest possible French bread recipe: water, bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast. Five ingredients, no fancy techniques, no overnight starters. The bread machine handles the kneading, rising, and baking, which means a fresh loaf can be on the counter in just over an hour with about 30 seconds of actual work.

Let’s be honest. This won’t taste like a baguette from a Parisian boulangerie. Bread machine French bread bakes in a tin, not on a hot stone, so the crust stays soft instead of cracking and the crumb is more sandwich-bread than artisan. But for everyday eating (toast, sandwiches, soup-sopping) it’s reliable, fresh, and far better than anything from the grocery store bread aisle.

Use bread flour, not all-purpose. The higher protein content gives the loaf the structure it needs to rise tall and chewy.

Kitchen Tips

• Add ingredients in your machine’s recommended order, usually liquids first, dry next, yeast on top.
• Check the dough after 5 minutes of kneading. If it’s too sticky, add 1 tablespoon flour. Too dry, 1 tablespoon water.
• Use the French bread cycle if your machine has one. Otherwise the basic white setting works.
• Cool fully on a rack before slicing. Hot bread crumbles instead of slicing cleanly.

Variations

• Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before the final rise.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a softer, richer crumb closer to ciabatta.
• Stir in 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs or 2 minced garlic cloves for a savory twist.