There is nothing that say’s welcome home like the smell of freshly baked bread! My Whole Wheat French Bread is a no-knead recipe and still produces a light fluffy loaf of bread!
It doesn’t matter how many times I explain to my boys that whole wheat bread is better for them than white bread they still stick loaves of white bread in the cart every time they go shopping with me. They tell me about all of their friends who have cool moms who buy white bread, as if I care! I’m not going to lie I like white bread too, and I buy it ALL the time so don’t feel bad for my boys, they aren’t deprived. However, I like wheat bread equally as well and prefer it because it is so much healthier. Okay…off my soapbox.
If you are looking for a delicious way to get a little more whole grains in your/your children’s diet Whole Wheat French Bread is a fantastic place to start. This recipe doesn’t require any kneading, if it did I likely wouldn’t make it. Each loaf is super soft and light! Just think about grabbing a warm slice of bread and slathering it in butter! It doesn’t get any better than that!
Step by step instructions for making French bread made with whole wheat.
Begin by adding warm water to a bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over water. Let sit until bubbly. Usually about 15 minutes.
Add dry ingredients and oil.
Let it mix in stand mixer until combined. Check consistency to ensure a soft dough that’s just past the “not sticky” stage. Add a little more flour if the dough is still sticky.
Let the mixer “knead” the dough on low speed for 5 minutes.
Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 10 minutes.
Punch dough down. You can use this as a stress reliever if you want!
Cover dough again and repeat that process 2 more times for a total of 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes of repeating that process remove dough from bowl and set on a floured countertop.
Divide dough in half and shape into long loaves. Slice the tops of each loaf in a diagonal cut.
Place loaves on baking sheet. Brush tops of loaves with beaten egg.
Bake.
Slice bread, slather with butter, and enjoy!
What to serve with French Bread?
Whole Wheat French Bread is fantastic eaten by itself but it’s also awesome served with these easy soup recipes and easy Italian recipes
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Tortellini
- Slow Cooker Cube Steak in Mushroom Sauce
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Ravioli Casserole
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Breakfast Pizza
Whole Wheat French Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 TBSP yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 cup whole wheat flour add more as needed
Instructions
- Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for about 10 minutes until bubbly and activated.
- Add remaining ingrdients. Using a dough hook mix until combined. Check consistency of dough. Dough should be soft but not sticky. If it is too sticky add additional flour one Tablespoon at a time until consistency is soft.
- Continue mixing dough on low speed for 5 mintues.
- Cover bowl with towel and allow to sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Punch dough down. Cover and repeat process tow more times for a total of 30 minutes of rising.
- After the third time divide the dough in half. Shape in two long loaves on a floured surface. Place loaves on a greased baking sheet.
- Cut diagonal slices in the tops of each loaf. Whisk egg whie. Brush with egg mixture.
- Cover and let rise about 15-20 minutes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Let sit in bread pans for a couple minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool.
Nutrition
This bread looks gorgeous! I want some!
It’s almost impossible to walk past a warm slice of this bread and not gobble it up!
Luckily my boys prefer wheat so it’s not usually a fight! Me on the other hand, there are certain sandwiches that just HAVE to be made on white or sour dough (grilled cheese). This french bread looks great though! I bet it would make a great french bread pizza!
How nice that your boys naturally love whole wheat! It would make a fantastic French bread pizza!
My goodness. This bread just sounds DIVINE. And it’s been entirely too long since I made some at home, so I’m gonna fix that this weekend… Thanks!
Homemade bread is always a good idea! Hope you enjoy it!
This bread looks so good. I can only imagine how amazing it smells while baking!
Oh, the smell is one of my favorite parts!
This bread looks amazing. I can’t wait to try your recipe! I’m amazed at how easy and quick it is.
Thanks! It really is pretty fast to make a few loaves of this French bread! There is nothing like the smell of it as it bakes!
French bread is the perfect additional to any meal of ours! How delicious!
Agreed! French bread is just right with pretty much any dinner!
Absolutely beautiful dough, rises very well. Bread is light and fluffy. I will definitely be making this again and again.
Yay! I’m glad it worked so well for you! It’s one of my quick and easy go to breads!
Muy bueno saberlo pero en españo. Fgracias
Quick question….. after forming it into a log and letting it rise for a 2nd time it didn’t hold its shape and flattened out on the sheet pan. What could I do differently to help solve that problem???
Thanks
Hi Erica! My bread flattens out when it’s rising the second time too. French bread is usually a little wider and not so tall so it doesn’t bother me at all. If you wanted it taller maybe you could set the loaves right next to each other on the pan so they would “bump” into each other when they are rising which would prevent them from spreading too much on that side anyway. Or you could always bake it in a bread pan and just make a loaf out of it, although you would have to increase the bake time because it would be thicker. Have a graet day!
I am actively making this bread right now! Serving tonight with chicken alfredo for my husband and in-laws. Hope to impress! =)
That sounds amazing! We love this bread right out of the oven with lots of butter!
Looking forward to making this. What temperature should the warm water be?
Hi Judy! I don’t actually test the temperature of my water. I run it over the inside of my wrist and if it’s just warm enough to be pretty warm but not too hot it’s just right! It’s not very scientific but that’s how I do it. Hopefully that helps!
The sugar makes it way too sweet for bread in my opinion. Not for anyone who doesn’t normally eat a lot of sugar in their daily lives vos your palate WILL notice it.
I’m sure you could reduce the amount of honey you add if you’d like. I’ve never tried reducing it though, so I can’t promise results.
You mention brush with egg mixture in the instructions but no mention of this in the ingredients. Is egg mixture one egg white with pinch of salt? Thanks
Sorry about that. I whisk one egg white, then brush the tops of the French bread with the egg white mixture! Enjoy!
I added nutritional yeast and flax seeds to make it more healthier
Great idea! Anytime you can make it healthier thats a win!
Are all the ingredients supposed to be doubled, as show in the recipe above? Everything is listed twice except the flour. Doesn’t seem right!
Oh my goodness! No, they aren’t supposed to be doubled. I’m not sure what going on with my recipe plug in. I’ll check on it and hopefully get it fixed soon! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Amy I am planning on making bread this upcoming weekend, just one quick question, is it possible to use instant yeast in this recipe?
Yes! YOu can use instant yeast! It should work just fine! Enjoy!
Hi, if I don’t have a stand-mixer will a hand-mixer work?
Yes! If you have a hand mixer you could use that as long as it’s pretty heavy duty. You could also mix it by hand if you are ambitious! 🙂
I’m making this bread for the 4th time right now! Loving the results. I’m still a beginner bread baker, so I’m learning alot by trial and error – – like don’t over proof your dough or it will collapse in the oven! Still delicious though. I usually half the recipe. Last time I made this, we used the loaf to make a party sub, and it worked beautifully. Thank you!
I love that you are starting to bake bread! There is nothing quite like homemade bread! How fun you get to enjoy it!
This was the easiest French bread I ever made, and it is delicious! I’ll definitely keep this recipe.
Yay! French bread is delicious served with so many meals! Making with whole wheat is even better! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!