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.
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❤️ 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
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- quick rise yeast
- very warm water, divided warm water but not scalding hot
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- granulated white sugar, divided
- olive oil
- large egg white
Equipment
Instructions
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.
- 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's 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 the dough to the pan and separate it 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. The bread will be golden brown and cooked through.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve with butter or as is.
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.
Expert Tips
Expert Tip: Make sure that you use quick rise or "instant" yeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
It most likely means that you didn't knead the bread enough.
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
- I love to serve this pressure cooker bread with a comforting bowl of soup like this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
- My family also loves when I serve this instant pot bread recipe with a creamy pasta dish like this Instant Pot Taco Spaghetti recipe.
- We love to slice the loaf of this bread in half and top it with this Homemade Marinara Sauce and cheese and then toast it to make french bread pizza.
Similar recipes
- My Irish Brown Bread is a family recipe for authentic Irish quick bread. If you enjoy making homemade bread then this is the recipe for you.
- If you want to try something different instead of baking bread in the instant pot, then you might want to these Quick and Easy Rolls recipes a try. They are the perfect side dish for most meals.
- These Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are light, fluffy, soft, and super delicious. After your first bite of these homemade rolls will never want to eat store-bought rolls again.
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Eileen xo
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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Instant Pot French Bread
Equipment Needed:
- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
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
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.
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