Easiest French Bread in 90 Minutes or Less

Homemade bread in 90 minutes or less? That doesn’t seem possible but it is! This is the easiest bread to make, one rise and you’re ready to bake. No punching down the dough and waiting for a second rise. You can make this a couple of hours before dinner no problem and it makes a pretty large loaf so it goes a long way! Enough raving, here’s the Easiest French Bread in 90 Minutes.

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Here’s what you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 4-5 cups flour (this amount may vary it usually takes 5 cups for me, regular unbleached flour)

I keep my yeast in the freezer because I buy the big package, it would go bad very quickly if I just left it in a cupboard. It’s not the quick-rising, it’s just active dry yeast. I know that can be confusing if you aren’t familiar with yeast. You could use 2 of the small packets of yeast for this recipe if you didn’t have the jar, just make sure it’s not the rapid rise.

How to make the easiest french bread in 90 minutes or less

In a large glass bowl mix the warm water (I heat the water for 60 seconds in the microwave), yeast, honey, and salt. Mix it up and let it sit for 10 minutes. You want a foamy laver to form on the top, that’s how you know the yeast is working. I tried to get a good picture so you can see the layer of foam on top.

Now start adding flour, I put 4 cups in and have the 5th cup ready to go, mix the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl. After 4 cups my dough is usually still sticky so I keep adding the 5th cup until it’s no longer sticking to anything. It will take some kneading to mix in all the flour and get to a point where you can form it into a loaf shape. I use parchment paper on a sheet pan. Did you know you can reuse parchment paper? I just turn it over and use it another time so I get 2 uses out of it. You can skip the parchment save money and the environment if you use silicone reusable baking mats.

Cover the loaf with a clean dish towel and put it in a warm spot. I turn my oven on to 400°, which is the temperature the bread will bake at. I set the pan on top of the preheating oven because my house is cold.

Rising and Baking

I let my bread rise for 30 minutes, it’s at least doubled or tripled in size. Cut 3 slits across the top and bake in a 400° oven for 18-20 minutes depending on your oven. This is where you could add seasonings if you wanted, to make it savory or sweet however I usually just make mine plain. My bread needs another 5 minutes most of the time to get it brown.

It comes out brown and smells delicious. I let mine cool on a wire rack. I also make another bread that you bake in a dutch oven. It’s a Simple 3 Ingredient No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread. This makes a round boule and has a crunchier crust, so delicious. Either one of these would go with my Crock Pot Split Pea Soup using Leftover Ham.

It is a big loaf and can feed a lot of people. Slice it and make garlic toast or it’s so delicious just with butter on top. Whatever you want to do with it.

Easy French Bread
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
4-5 cups All purpose unbleached flour

1. Mix warm water, honey, salt and yeast in a large glass bowl. Let it sit about 10 minutes, it will have a foamy layer. 
2. Add flour and mix until the dough no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl, shape it into a loaf, put on a sheet pan with parchment
3 Preheat oven to 400°
4.Put the loaf on top of the stove as it preheats, cover with a clean dishtowel. Let it rise for 30 minutes.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes at 400°

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