You Will Love This Quick French Bread Recipe

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How To Make An Amazing Crusty Loaf In About One Hour

Once you discover how easy it is to make this gorgeous loaf of quick French bread, you may never want to buy one again! It bakes up beautifully golden and crusty on the outside, with a soft, chewy center that practically begs to be slathered with butter while it’s still warm.

This is the kind of dependable homemade bread recipe that makes you look like a baking genius without spending half the day in the kitchen. Serve it with soup, pasta, or a hearty family dinner—or simply gather everyone around and tear into it warm from the oven. I’m making it for my boys tomorrow, and I already know one loaf won’t last long!

I am so happy I found this recipe when I did! A while back, we had guests coming to dinner, and I had forgotten to stop for a ready-made crusty loaf on my way home. Rats! I did NOT want to run back into town, and I was determined to figure it out!

I found several recipes and went with the one that sounded easiest. Honestly, I was skeptical about the quality of bread I could make so quickly, but it is absolutely amazing!

Thank goodness I remembered reading somewhere about a way to make "Quick French Bread," "Sixty-Minute French Bread," or "French Bread In An Hour," or words to that effect.

I make all kinds of bread, but now I know this is the way whenever I need a fantastic loaf of perfectly tender, quick French bread with a gorgeous, crisp, golden-brown crust! Boom!

If you are a bread baker, you probably know that bread consists of flour, water, yeast, sugar, and salt. So how does this crazy quick bread happen? Simply put, we change the proportion of yeast and sugar to flour.

Normally, a standard loaf of bread needs to rise twice. It rises first in the bowl for about an hour and again in the loaf pan for about 45 minutes. A typical one-pound loaf of bread uses about 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (the contents of one packet), mixed with about 3 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

In this quick French bread recipe, we increase the amount of yeast to 4 1/2 teaspoons and the sugar to 3 teaspoons. The result is a faster rise, and we can quickly bake this yummy, yeasty bread. The loaf is skinnier and longer, and you bake it free-form on a sheet pan or in a baguette pan, which shortens the bake time. The loaves will be shorter and skinnier if you bake them in a baguette pan, making them bake even faster.

The other key difference in this 60-minute French bread is the screaming-hot 450-degree oven, a full 100 degrees hotter than baking a standard loaf of bread. Every change made to the recipe and the method increases the speed!

Oh, and that gorgeous, shiny, golden-brown crust? Brush an egg white wash on the loaf before baking, and you've just given this bread the ultimate beauty treatment!!

A Gorgeous Crusty Loaf Of Quick French Bread In One Hour

You really can, and let's get started! I did all the mixing in my KitchenAid stand mixer, and it was a breeze. Look, ma, no hands! Begin by putting one and one-half cups of bath-water-warm water in the bowl with the sugar, yeast, and salt. The ideal temperature range for yeast is 105 to 110 degrees. Yeast enjoys a nice warm (not hot) bath as much as we do. Put the bowl in a nice, warm place.

You may wonder if it matters whether you use instant yeast or regular yeast. The only difference is that instant yeast is processed into finer granules, so you can mix it right in with the flour, saving a step. If you use instant yeast, you can add the flour right away. If you use regular yeast, wait a few minutes after combining the water and yeast, watch for a few bubbles, and continue.

I wish I could tell you exactly how much flour to add, but many factors like temperature, humidity, and altitude influence that. Use the whisk attachment at first, adding the flour a bit at a time. Add the butter now. When the batter gets too heavy for the whisk, switch to the bread hook.

You will know you have added the right amount of flour when the dough politely starts cleaning the bowl and isn't sticky anymore. The dough is a pleasure to handle, soft and silky, smooth as a baby's cheek.

Now, shape the dough into a long loaf, about 15 inches long, and slash the top about four times with a serrated knife. This step keeps the crust from cracking. Place your quick French bread loaf on a greased baking sheet; I used my trusty old bakestone. If you use a baguette pan (be sure to grease the pan first), your loaves will be shorter, skinnier, and bake faster.

Preheat your oven now to 450 degrees. Cover the loaf with a tea towel, set it in a warm place, and let it rise for about twenty minutes, until it doubles in size.

Now for the magic that makes the loaf so lovely. Beat the white of one egg until frothy, then brush it over the entire surface of the loaf. Now pop that loaf in that blazing-hot oven for about 20 minutes, or until the loaf is shiny and golden brown. It should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom.

Increase the bake time if you want a darker, crisper crust, but watch carefully. And remember, if you make baguettes, they will bake faster! Begin checking at about 15 minutes!

Voila!! (That's French!) You have just broken the land speed record for baking the prettiest French bread in town!! Slather on the butter and enjoy it! Naturally, it also makes great French toast.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

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Yield: 16 slices

Quick French Bread

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

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A perfectly yeasty, crusty loaf of French bread table ready in about one hour.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water, about 105 to 115 degrees F
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 4 1/2 tsp dry yeast or 1 1/2 packets
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp soft butter
• 3 1/2- 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 egg white for wash

Instructions

1. Combine warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until the yeast dissolves. If using regular yeast, watch for a few minutes to make sure bubbles are forming. If using instant yeast, proceed now to step 2.
2. Use the whisk attachment to begin blending the flour in. Add the butter.
3. When the dough gets too heavy for the whisk, change to the dough hook.
4. Add flour gradually until the dough begins to pull away and clean the sides of the bowl.
5. Continue adding small amounts of flour until the dough is not sticky and you can handle it easily.
6. Grease a baking sheet or baguette pan and form loaves to fit.
7. Slash the crust 3-4 times to prevent the crust from cracking.
8. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
9. Cover loaf or loaves with a tea towel and let the dough rise for twenty minutes or until about double in size.
10. Beat an egg white until it's frothy and brush it generously over the entire surface of the loaf or loaves.
11. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust is a shiny, golden brown.
12. Cool slightly before slicing.

You can save a lot of money by baking your own bread, and many bread recipes are extremely easy to make. If you're just getting started, try these wonderful breads.

Easy Beer Bread - A quick and easy bread made with four ingredients, ready to eat in about an hour.

Dilly Bread- A batter bread you make with a bowl and a spoon. No mixer or kneading required. Light, tasty, and full of flavor.

No Knead Rustic Bread Loaf - Incredibly easy rustic bread loaf with a crisp crust and chewy middle. No mixer, no kneading, no kidding.

Easy Homemade Pizza Crust - (in the dill pickle pizza recipe) If you love thin-crust pizza, you will love this easy overnight dough recipe. You can keep it in the refrigerator for three or four days and bake it as needed. The recipe makes enough dough for three 14" pizzas.

Irish Soda Bread- A beautiful, moist bread that's slightly sweet. Traditional for St. Patrick's Day, perfect any time!

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Love, GB (Betty Streff)

Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.

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