One Hour French Bread
This delicious yeasty French bread recipe has only one 20-minute rise before going into a screaming hot oven for another 20 minutes. At the end you have golden crusty goodness just waiting to be slathered in butter or dipped in oil and balsamic! One hour, I promise!!
Originally posted February 23, 2017
Eric got home from work today and came into the kitchen (where else would I be) to say hello. After we hugged, I was stirring something on the stove when I heard him counting under his breath. 1…2…3…4…and on 5, he shut the fifth cupboard door that I had left open while making dinner. (He even dinged as a reinforcing tactic.)
I took this photo over a year ago. You would think I would learn (because I smack my head all the time) but usually when I’m cooking I’m in a hurry. My brain subconsciously thinks to itself, “you don’t have time to shut that drawer right now. You gotta get this cumin in the taco meat STAT.” Or whatever it is I need to do next.
It’s gotten to the point that whenever I bend over in my kitchen to put something away, I try to remember to come up slowly and check around for rogue cupboards. We got a new fridge a few months ago and it starts beeping at me when I leave it open. This happens approximately 12,000 times a day.
After he counted the open cupboards, Eric probably turned around and started counting children. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7. I have 7 children under the age of 7 in my house right now. (Ages 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, and 3 months. I think.) My best friend and her husband are on a trip to Sweden (!!) and I volunteered to take her 4 kids for a week. No one is dead yet, thank you very much. Pray for me, my friends. Pray no one dies, and that if they do, that it wasn’t by my hand.
How to make French Bread (in one hour!)
So who’s got 3+ hours to make French bread for dinner tonight? Not this girl. (Hello, just start counting the kids in my house.) But I think I could handle 1 hour bread. This stuff is SO good. I’m not sure that I’ll ever go back to my trusty double rise French bread. I mean, that recipe is delicious, but so is this one, and ONE HOUR!
This French bread recipe has got the most gorgeous crust, and yes, part of that is because of the baguette pan that I used. (It’s not the one I linked too, that’s just a similar one.) Eric’s grandma (Nana) gifted me her old baguette pan and I get excited every time I use it. I love the crispy crust it makes all over the bottom. But you can totally shape the loaf on a regular old baking sheet, no fancy pans required. It will still be delicious bread in the end. Soft and tender in the middle, crispy crust on the outside. Yes please! Pass the butter.
By the way, you should totally take an extra 5 minutes and make this Restaurant-Style Olive Oil and Balsamic Bread Dip. HEAVENLY! If you make any of my recipes, be sure to share them on Instagram using the hashtag #TheFoodCharlatan so I can see it! I love that.
Other bread recipes to try!
One Hour Yeast Rolls (Reesy Rolls) << this was a classic for Eric growing up. You can tell by this photo I posted these a long time ago!
Aunt Shirley’s Famous Dinner Rolls
Garlic and Rosemary Skillet Bread << Alllll the garlic
One Hour Dinner Rolls from Yellow Bliss Road
Classic Crusty Herbed Dinner Loaf from Sugar Dish Me
Easy No Knead Yeast Rolls from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
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One Hour French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast*
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 egg white, optional (for brushing)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Do it now so that your oven is nice and hot when you put the bread in.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and salt. You want the water to be like a nice warm bath water. Feel it with your wrist.
- Set your bowl on the preheating oven and wait a couple minutes. If you see bubbles from the yeast reacting, move forward. If not, you may have killed your yeast with too hot water. Dump it and start over!
- Add the softened butter and 1 cup of flour, and stir together with a wooden spoon.
- Use the dough hook (or continue with the wooden spoon) to stir in the rest of the flour. Start with 3 cups total in the recipe (including the cup you added in step 4). Then add the last cup 1/4 cup at a time to see how much you need. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl but still sticky. (see photos) I usually add most of the fourth cup.
- Knead for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Prepare a baking sheet or baguette pan** with nonstick spray.
- At this point you can either shape the dough into one large loaf that is about 12-14 inches, or you can make 2 smaller loaves. (I made two smaller loaves to fit in my baguette pan.)
- Use a sharp serrated knife to make 3-4 half-inch slits on top.
- Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
- When the loaf or loaves have roughly doubled in size, remove the towel.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk up 1 egg white. Make it nice and frothy. Use a pastry brush to coat the tops and sides of the bread. You can use all or most of the egg white.
- Transfer the bread to the oven.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. You will know it is done when the top is shiny and golden, and the bottom of the loaf is browned. The longer you leave it in, the crispier your crust will be.
- Let cool for a bit and then devour hot with butter!
Notes
Nutrition
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I trued making this bread 3 times! It always turns out the same…not sure what I’m doing wrong. I follow the recipe exactly….The results are a dense, very crumbly bread. It’s like the texture of a biscuit..the loaf just falls apart…what am I doing wrong??
Oh.My.Gosh!! The One hour bread recipe is amazing!!! We have been trying different recipes and having so-so luck. I told my family, “She promises perfection in one hour!” They gave me a sideways look and rolled their eyes. Well let me tell you…in exactly one hour we had the most beautiful and best tasting loaves that quickly disappeared along with a whole lot of butter!! You made believers out of us!! Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe!!
Oh, the sideways look, I’m well familiar with THAT one Kris, haha!!! So glad it worked out and the whole family loves it! Thanks for taking the time to review!
This is amazingly easy…I made two large loafs back to back as I wanted to test the recipe…I am so glad I did. The first loaf was gone almost as soon as it was out of the oven.
Hello.. Is it possible to substitute with instant yeast??. The recipe sounds amazing..
Hi Rinchen! I haven’t tried this with instant yeast but I think it would work fine. Your rise times might be shorter, keep an eye on it!
I’ve been baking all our bread during the pandemic. Usually whole wheat or seedy . This was my first French loaf. Followed recipe exactly.. easy and delicious!! I made it into one loaf.. one hour start to finish. You must try this warm from the oven
Tried this recipe last weekend. Made two loaves and used baguette pans. The bread had great flavor and a crunchy crust, just the way I like it. This will definitely be a go-to recipe as I love good, crusty bread.
I made a 100% spelt wheat bread using your recipe (halved, for a smaller loaf), and it turned out so well! Thank you!
Wow that’s so cool Andi! I never would have thought to try spelt! So glad it worked out. Thanks for reviewing!
only 1 hour , bread turned out perfect very good recipe.
Thank you Herman, I’m so glad you liked it!
This is a great recipe. It was the My first French loaf and it worked exactly ass described.
So happy to hear this Karen! Thank you so much for reviewing!
My friend gave me this recipe after I asked for a bread recipe that I wouldn’t manage to bungle. Sweet breads, quick breads, and flat breads? No problem. But regular bread has evaded me for YEARS whenever I’ve tried to make any. This recipe is the first that’s come out perfect, which is saying something! I think the photos of various steps really helped.
I’m so happy to hear the photos were helpful Nelson! And so glad you’ve found a recipe that works for you, that’s the best feeling! Thanks so much for reviewing :)
Question on step 3 – put the yeast mixture ON or IN the preheating oven? We have wall ovens so unsure what to do …
Thank you!
Hi Maureen! This is a really good point, thanks for asking! I put mine ON top of the oven while it’s preheating. If you have a wall oven then I would turn the oven on to 350 for about 1 minute, then turn the oven off. It should be warm not hot. The yeast mixture just needs to sit in a warm environment for a few minutes. Hope this helps!
This bread is FANTASTIC! My whole family raved. I did substitute bread flour for half of it because I made one large loaf and thought it would give it more structure. Since I made this during self-quarantine and eggs are in short supply, I skipped the egg wash, but brushed it with soft butter when it came out of the oven. I served it with homemade soup and leftovers were PERFECT sandwich bread!
So glad the recipe was a success! Thanks for the review Stephanie!
Something is off with this recipe (or off with me).
Every time I make it, I have to use closer to 6 cups of flour just to be able to handle it, and the instructions aren’t very clear whether you knead 6-7 minutes by hand or in the mixer, and if in the mixer, at what speed.
I was also taught to *never* add the salt with the water, sugar, and yeast, because it kills the yeast.
The bread always comes out sufficiently tasty, but I feel like I have to significantly alter the recipe to get it to work for me.
Hi CH! The flour level for bread is dependent on so many things that it’s not possible to give an exact amount, which is why flour amounts are given in ranges. You can knead the dough in the mixer or by hand for 6-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Salt does not kill yeast, but can slow down it’s growth. Add it in later if you like! Hope this helps!
Well then, I guess we’ll have fresh bread daily! Not at all yeasty or doughy.
This was so easy and worked out very well. I will definitely make it again with some tweaks.
Oh. My. Heaven. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe! I make it nearly every night! I had been searching for a good bread recipe for years, and this is it!
Oh man, come make this for me every night!! Haha! Clearly I’m not making this bread often enough. So glad you are enjoying it Sara! Thanks for reviewing!
I loved this one. Bread is one of my favorite things to make. This was a great recipe to take my stand mixer out for it’s very first bread run. :)
It’s one of my favorite things to make too Caitlin! It’s just so satisfying. Congrats on the new mixer! Very exciting!! I’m glad you like the French bread :)
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! I generally suck at baking, especially with the complications of not being able to use any dairy (milk) products, but the first time I made this bread it turned out fine and my family loved it. The taste and texture actually remind me of Jimmy John’s sandwich bread, which I love…. Even with olive oil substituted for the melted butter it tastes delicious. Thank you!
That is awesome Sage! What a success story! I’ll take a loaf of Jimmy John’s sandwich bread any day ;) Good idea to use olive oil. Thanks for the tips and review Sage!!
hi would i be able to use my bread machine to make this recipe and let it do the kneing for me and then shape in the pan
Yes absolutely! I always knead this in my kitchenaid.
I can’t wait to try this. Will give you my feed back when the taste test is complete.
Please do report back! I hope you love it Debbie! I love this recipe!
Thank you thank you thank you! I have struggled with french bread forever! I’m going to try this! I did notice though that it’s a bit “denser” looking than most french bread? Is that due to the shorter rise time?
hmmmm I wouldn’t say this recipe is any more dense than your average French bread. I think it’s very light! Let me know how it goes and what you think when you make it Brian!
I recently got a french loaf pan so was anxious to try making it for the first time. This recipe was amazing! I’ve made bread before but never such a quick recipe. And I’ll tell you, this recipe felt like the amazing bread you get at good restaurants for dipping. It had awesome flavor! This will definitely be my go to french bread recipe from now on. Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved the bread Patricia! It’s a keeper! :)
Made this today and I won’t be repeating that mistake. I’ve wondered about these 1 hour breads and now understand that using what amounts to at least 3x the amount of yeast is just the wrong way to look at it. It results in the yeast only having time to produce carbon dioxide to stretch the gluten making the dough double in size very quickly. However, as any bread baker knows, the slower the rise the better the flavour. No surprise then that the loaf is tasteless, oddly textured and vaguely unpleasant. It also left me and my daughter with quite painful tummies for an evening and night – just way way too much yeast.
In future I will either take the time to make a proper loaf of bread or go to my standby Irish Soda Bread. Far tastier, quicker and with a vastly superior texture and crust.
Interesting review Barbara! I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I just made this again yesterday and was commenting to my husband about how happy I am with the recipe. Crunchy outside, tender soft interior, with great buttery flavor. I don’t think it is at all overly yeasty. I have many other recipes that use a similar level of yeast, such as these one hour dinner rolls
https://thefoodcharlatan.com/2012/10/29/reesy-rolls-one-hour-yeast-rolls/
and these One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
https://thefoodcharlatan.com/2013/02/08/one-hour-cinnamon-rolls/
It looks like you are from the UK? I’m wondering if we are using different kinds of yeast?? This is such a common recipe, you can find similar recipes all over the place. This is the brand of active dry yeast that I use: http://amzn.to/2y3BSTp
I hope this is helpful, and again I’m so sorry you had a bad experience!
I did not intend to imply that your recipe was at fault, and I apologise if that’s what came across. It was more an observation on the idea of one hour bread that is, as you rightly say, very common these days especially on Pinterest.
As I said, I’ve long been curious and used your recipe as one of the best written and clearest I found. I think it’s about expectation and experience of more traditional recipes that leads me to my personal conclusion. One hour bread is not for me. You are right, it does not taste overly yeasty. In fact, I would say it has no yeast flavour whatsoever, because the yeast does not get time to develop properly. All it can do is provide a visual approximation of the ‘double in size’ rule of traditional methods. The same chemistry is not actually taking place.
You’re also correct, I’m in the U.K. But I’m fairly sure active dried yeast is the same here as with you. Although I have discovered other differences in products between the two countries! There is a story about chilli powder that I won’t include!
In the end, it’s about choice, I’d rather make a soda bread if I don’t have time for a full dough development, it just suits me better, taste, texture and time wise, than a one hour yeasted option.
Used it like 5 times now in the last few months. I am still working on perfecting because I don’t have a standing mixer and hand kneading is a little more difficult but we love the bread because I never remember to make dough a day before I am going to need it.
That’s awesome, I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe! You are so dedicated to make this so many times without a mixer. It’s totally worth it, of course!! Thanks for commenting, I love hearing from you!
This is a great recipe! My family loved it and the first loaf was devoured. Any tips on shaping the bread? I also used a baguette pan so probably could have made three loaves instead of two. Thanks for any tips!
Hey Trish! I always just mold the dough into the shape that I want. My mother in law likes to roll them out into a rectangle and then roll them up, tapering the ends. I’m glad you liked the bread!
The bread is great. You sound like you work really art. Eric sounds like a little bit of a douchebag. I hate to say it, but maybe if he wants to keep all the cupboard doors closed he should be the one cooking. And the counting under his breath–that’s just petty.
hard! I said that you seemed to work hard. Not art. Damn autocorrect. Not that what you cook isn’t art…it is.
Hey there! I must have not written the story very well if that’s how Eric comes off in this post. My husband is neither petty nor a d-bag. It’s a joke between us and we laughed about it, which is why I wrote the story down. Someday when we’re old we will look back on this post and laugh about how Eric was always trying to save me from bruising my head. I hope you enjoy the bread recipe!
i’m with thomas – usually bread recipes just get me. i’ve been able to do biscuits, pizza dough, naan, and pita breads, but ‘regular’ bread? forget it. not even hamburger buns.
but i took a chance on this bread and it totally worked! i have to say i honestly was shocked. i might even make it again tonight. for just the two of us i cut down the recipe to make one loaf –
3/4c warm water
pinch of sugar
1T yeast
1t salt
1T butter, softened
2 c flour
i kneaded it by hand for seven minutes. i used the egg white wash too, and the timing and temp were spot on. thank you thank you! (we had it with a NYT sausage ragu recipe over penne & a salad.)
I made this bread for the first time today. Usually when I make new bread recipes I fail miserably the first time and have to try try again. But this one was good and easy!! I was I’ll for sure be making it again.
I’m so glad it worked out the first time Thomas! I hate it when I have bread failures (happens all the time!) Thanks for the review!
Haha! It’s the complete opposite with me – I’m shutting doors before I’m done with them. So yeah, our cabinet doors will probably run down before their time. ;P This bread in one hour? YESS! Pass the butter!! Definitely going to try next time I’m looking for a quick(er) bread recipe (which, come to think of it, any time I’m looking for a bread recipe it’s usually a quick one…).
Oh yay, I’ve got everything to make this. This is happening tomorrow.
Tell me how it goes Mis!
So like 2 years later and I’m finally putting it in the oven! I also have your favorite French bread recipe rising at the same time. Thought we could try both to see how they compare. Plus, who doesnt need at least for loaves of bread!
I mean right?? Especially since bread freezes so beautifully! Tell me how they both turn out!!
omg…seven kids…nope! may you all survive this week in tact ;) <3
i think i'm actually the opposite of you – i close doors too much! as in, open a cabinet, get out something i need…then realize i also needed two other things from the same cabinet. return to cabinet, remember to grab only one of the two things, rinse repeat…
but listen, i think next time eric comes in and is counting the doors and looks to you, i want you to go white in the face. eyes wide, mouth slightly agape…and look at him and say "poltergeist!"
ps, i totally forgot to buy bread to make garlic bread for one of our meals this week (and i'm stubborn and go to the store only once a week, not one trip more, not for even one little thing!) so i'm totally gonna try this! excellent timing :)
This looks so good – your making me hungry :) x
Izzy |http://www.pinchofdelight.com
Hang in there girl you got this!! Just like this bread!! I have been trying to get my french bread to look this good for YEARS!!! I just can’t get that crispy golden crust. Beautiful!
I love the cabinet door story. Just curious, do you also neglect to put lids back on jars tightly? I dated a guy once and on the second or third date, he looked at me and said, “I’ll bet you never put a lid back on tight.” I thought he was nuts until I caught myself doing exactly that. Bread in one hour – way too dangerous. But it looks soooo good.
I could live off french bread and butter. So glad I will be able to make it in an hour now. Wait, that actually might be dangerous! Thanks for the recipe, Karen.
Dangerous is right, Shanna!! This is scary information to have!
You and I could totally be related… oh wait. Adam does the same thing to me. Or I do the same thing to him? Hahaha! We were actually just talking about this the other day and I was trying to explain to him how I might need to get something out again, or put something back. And he was like yeah, so then you open it. Hmph. Some people just don’t understand super important things like leaving cabinet doors open.
It’s so funny that you two are both leave-cupboard-doors-open people – I’m almost fanatical about closing them. Maybe that’s why, haha! I’ve hit my head way to many times, I’m a danger to myself :)
I think I could live on bread and butter alone, this looks so good- that crust!
Haha I just had this conversation for the millionth time last night. Only difference is that it’s Paul that leaves everything open! It makes me insane!
Laura, YES! I constantly am thinking, oh I will need another spice out of that cabinet in less than a minute, why bother shutting? 5 cupboards later…
And mom, we all know you could live on bread and butter alone. When I was a kid I used to think you were so gross for the amount of butter you put on your bread. Now I put on more. Full circle, mom. Full circle.
Hi Karen. First, let me say that I really enjoy the recipes you’ve posted. I’m glad I stumbled on to your site. Second, that’s really funny about Eric counting the open cabinets and drawers. My hubby used to do the same thing because I never closed the cabinets and drawers – until I knocked myself silly once. Then I got smart, I guess, and learned to close anything I opened. But then the joys of our lives came. It didn’t take long before the cabinets and drawers were once again left open and my husband dusted off his counting finger and started counting again. Ha ha. All that aside, I can’t wait to try this French Bread recipe. One hour – can’t beat that! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bev, I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes! I love how you call them “the joys of our lives”, that’s cute, haha. We have even LESS brain power to remember to shut drawers when there are littles all over the place. Nothing gives me more guilt than when one of them smacks their forehead on an empty drawer though. Ooooops!
I add a handful of asiago cheese to the mix, plus I sprinkle more on top. It’s amazing that it only takes an hour. I love that I can make it sort of spur of the moment.
Ooh, that’s genius Linde!! I never thought to add cheese to this!! You could go crazy but Asiago sounds amazing. Thanks for the tip!
Nearly a year later and this is still on the top of my “make it often” list. I’ve been known to split the dough in 1/2 to make 2 smaller baguettes and share one of the loaves. Part of my “good neighbor” policy! (They Really Really like me!!). Add garlic powder sometimes, chopped rosemary sometimes, chopped sun dried tomatoes sometimes. This recipe is just so durned flexible!!