Crusty Sourdough French Bread

A crisp crust and a soft chewy crumb make these the best Sourdough French Bread loaves you will ever make! The best part is, they are made in one day and you don't need any fancy equipment!

We all know that sourdough bread in a Dutch oven is delicious and so is a same day sourdough loaf, but French bread is perfect made with sourdough! It produces a crispy crust and it is so easy to make! This bread is great to serve as a sandwich loaf or hoagie loaf!

While traditionally French bread is made with commercial yeast, I love using my sourdough starter for everything, as I assume you do too!

This is my new favorite bread and I love making it all week long! My daughter asks me to make this bread at least once a week, sometimes twice a week!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's easy to make! Unlike a lot of sourdough bread, this bread is mixed and then baked. You don't have to wait days for it to be ready.
• It's delicious! You won't believe how soft and flavorful the crumb of this French bread is. The honey and olive oil add a lot of flavor, plus the tang from the sourdough is so good!
• You don't need any special equipment! Yes, we are using a stand mixer here, but honestly if you don't have one, mix this by hand! You don't need those special baguette trays or anything like that.

Ingredients to Gather

• Flour. All purpose flour or bread flour will both work in this recipe. I used all purpose flour to keep things simple.
• Water. Make sure your water is lukewarm. Too cold and it will make the dough rise slower, too warm and you might kill the wild yeast in the active starter.
• Active sourdough starter. Before you decide to bake this sourdough French bread, make sure your starter is active and bubbly. You should have fed it at least 6 hours before you are going to bake with it. If you are new to sourdough, you can make your own sourdough starter really easy!
• Olive oil. Olive oil helps keep the crumb of the loaves very soft. Use an extra virgin olive oil for best results.

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Sourdough French Bread

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add all the ingredients. Turn the mixer on medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be wet, do not add more flour. You can do the windowpane test to see if the gluten has built up properly. To do this, take a piece of the dough and hold it up to the light while you are spreading it. If you can see the light through it, it is ready to rise!

Cover and let the dough rise for 6-8 hours or until doubled in size.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into two pieces.

Working with one dough at a time, roll the dough into a 6x12 inch dough. You can do this with a rolling pin or by spreading the dough with your fingers.

Starting with the portion closest to you, roll the dough away from you so it forms a log. Repeat this process for the second piece of dough. Place both loaves onto the baking sheet seam side down. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. With a sharp knife or a bread lame, make slashes into the loaves. Spray the tops of the loaves with water or brush some water on top of the loaves. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown. Allow the bread to cool before serving so the crumb can set.

Tips and Tricks

• The easiest way to shape these French bread baguettes is to cut the dough into two pieces and then spread each section out. Then roll the flattened dough away from you, like you would a sourdough discard cinnamon roll. This will make sure that the bread is shaped perfectly.
• Make sure that your starter is active an bubbly. If you are new to sourdough, check out my how to maintain a sourdough starter for the best results in all of your baking.
• When scoring the dough, cut a deep slash into the loaves. You can do one long one, or you can slash 4-5 shorter slashes. This make sure that the bread has someplace to expand.
• Spraying the loaves with water gives the loaves that crisp crust. You can also brush the tops with water or an egg wash mixture.

Variations

• Make the bread longer or shorter. For more of a sandwich bread, you can cut the dough into four or six pieces and shape them into hoagie rolls. You can also shape them into one really long loaf for a thin, baguette style loaf.
• Add seeds! Once you spray the top of the loaves, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the loaves.
• Change the flour. Use a 50/50 split of all purpose flour and a whole wheat flour for a nutty flavor.
• Change the sugar! I like adding honey to my baked goods, but if you don't like honey or you are vegan, use maple syrup, agave syrup, or a sprinkle of white sugar.

Sample Baking Schedule

Making the Dough Ahead of Time

You can make this dough, let it rise, and then place it in the refrigerator. This will also add to the fermenting of the grains.

To do this, mix all the ingredients together. Let the dough rise for 6-8 hours or until it doubles in size. Once the dough doubles in size, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

When you are ready to shape the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then shape and bake the loaves.

Storage Info

Sourdough French bread is best enjoyed fresh, so if you plan to consume it within a day or two, store it at room temperature. Place the loaf in a paper bag or wrap it loosely in a clean kitchen towel to protect the crust while allowing air circulation, which helps prevent moisture buildup and the bread from going bad and molding.

This bread is perfect to freeze too! Place the loaf of bread in a bag or cut it into pieces and place the pieces in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost the bread, simply take the bag out of the freezer and let the bread defrost on the counter at room temperature.

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