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    Home » Recipes » Breads

    Instant Pot French Bread Recipe

    Published: Oct 28, 2022 · Modified: Oct 25, 2024 by Eileen Murphy Kelly

    Jump to Recipe

    This Instant Pot French Bread recipe is so easy and delicious! You'll love the crispy crust and soft, fluffy inside. It's the perfect bread for dipping in soup or enjoying with your favorite pasta recipe.

    French Bread that has been proofed in the Instant Pot/.

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    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Equipment
    • Instructions
    • How to store, reheat, and freeze
    • Expert Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Variations
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Similar recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

    • It's so easy to proof bread in the instant pot with perfect results every time.
    • Instant Pot bread makes for a light, fluffy texture that is full of flavor.
    • Enjoy bread made in the Instant Pot as a great side dish to serve with your favorite meals.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients with text overlay to make french bread in the instant pot.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • quick rise yeast
    • very warm water
    • all-purpose flour
    • salt
    • granulated white sugar, divided
    • olive oil
    • large egg white

    Equipment

    • 6 quart Instant Pot
    • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
    • Measuring Spoons and Cups
    • Pastry Brush

    Instructions

    This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

    Step by step instrucions to make homemade dough in the Instant pot.
    1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together yeast and ½ cup warm water. Mix well and allow it to sit for 5-10, or until bubbly.
    2. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, oil, and remaining water (2 cups). Once the yeast has bubbled, add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture.
    3. Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, continue to mix until the dough for about 5 minutes on medium speed. The dough will become more elastic and smooth. (do not wash the hook, you will need to knead again)
    4. While the dough is kneading, grease the Instant Pot's inner lid with some oil to prevent your dough from sticking.
    5. Preheat your oven to 425°F/218°C.
    6. Transfer the dough to the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to yogurt mode. Cover with the lid. At 10 minutes, transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl, and knead for another 5 minutes. Transfer back to the instant pot keeping it on yogurt mode. Continue this process a total of 3 times, for 40 minutes.
    7. On a cookie sheet or baking pan, lightly flour the pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and separate it into two equal portions.
    8. Form each piece of dough into a long loaf, like a French loaf, seam side down. Score the top with a knife. Brush with the egg white to allow your bread to brown.
    9. Place bread in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Without removing the bread from the oven, turn the oven temperature down to 375°F/191°C for an additional 20 minutes. The bread will be golden brown and cooked through.
    10. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
    11. Serve with butter or as is.
    Three photos of bread dough that was proofed in the instant pot on a baking pan.

    How to store, reheat, and freeze

    Storage: Store your French bread at room temperature, in a bread box, or on the counter, for 3-4 days.

    Reheating: Reheat your French bread in a 350°F/177°C oven for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.

    Freezing: Freeze your French bread in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. When you're ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then reheat it in the oven.

    A loaf of french bread sliced on a cutting board.

    Expert Tips

    Expert Tip: Make sure that you use quick rise or "instant" yeast.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What makes French bread different from regular bread?

    French bread is made with a different type of flour than regular bread. It also has a higher proportion of water to flour, which gives it a softer texture. French bread is also typically baked at a higher temperature than regular bread, which gives it a crispy crust.

    Why is my French bread so dense?

    It most likely means that you didn't knead the bread enough.

    How do I know if my French bread is done?

    You'll know your French bread is done if it's golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

    Variations

    Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways that you increase the flavor of this dish.

    • Add garlic to the dough for a savory twist.
    • Mix in some dried herbs, like rosemary or thyme.
    • If you want a softer crust on your bread when you remove it from the oven brush the top of it with oil or melted butter. The fat will soften up the crust.

    Serving Suggestions

    • Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • Instant Pot Taco Spaghetti
    • Homemade Marinara Sauce
    • Instant Pot Beef Bourgnioun

    Similar recipes

    • Irish Brown Bread
    • Quick and Easy Rolls Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

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    If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

    If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    📖 Recipe

    A loaf of french bread made in the instant pot on a cutting board.

    Instant Pot French Bread

    Instant Pot bread is easy and quick to make with proofing done in the pressure cooker done by using the yogurt mode. Then the bread is finished off by baking to perfection in the oven.
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    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: bread made in the instant pot, instant pot bread, instant pot french bread
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    cooling time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 20 slices
    Calories: 154kcal
    Author: Eileen Kelly

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

    Equipment Needed:

    • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
    • 6 quart Instant Pot
    • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
    • Measuring Spoons and Cups
    • Pastry Brush

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ Tablespoons quick rise yeast
    • 2 ½ cups very warm water, divided warm water but not scalding hot
    • 6 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated white sugar, divided
    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 large egg white

    Save the Recipe?

    Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox to view anytime. Plus the bonus of regular recipes to you for inspiration!

    Instructions

    • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together yeast and ½ cup warm water. Mix well and allow it to sit for 5-10, or until bubbly.
    • Mix together flour, sugar, salt, oil, and remaining water (2 cups). Once the yeast has bubbled, add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture.
    • Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, continue to mix until the dough for about 5 minutes on medium speed. The dough will become more elastic and smooth. (do not wash the hook, you will need to knead again)
    • While the dough is kneading, grease the Instant Pot inner lid with some oil to prevent your dough from sticking.
    • Preheat your oven to 425°F/218°C.
    • Transfer the dough to the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to yogurt mode. Cover with the lid. At 10 minutes, transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl, and knead for another 5 minutes. Transfer back to the instant pot keeping it on yogurt mode. Continue this process a total of 3 times, for 40 minutes.
    • On a cookie sheet or baking pan, lightly flour the pan. Transfer dough to the pan and separate into two equal portions.
    • Form each piece of dough into a long loaf, like a French loaf, seam side down. Score the top with a knife. Brush with the egg white to allow your bread to brown.
    • Place bread in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Without removing the bread from the oven, turn the oven temperature down to 375°F/191°C for an additional 20 minutes. Bread will be golden brown and cooked through.
    • Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
    • Serve with butter or as is.

    NOTES

    Cook time: 40 minutes (IP) + 30 minutes (oven) = 1 hour 10 minutes
    This recipe makes 2 loaves
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @Everyday_Eileen or tag #everydayeileen!

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