Bread Machine French Bread - Easy Baguette Recipe - Bread Dad (2024)

This bread machine French bread recipe is very easy to make. It only uses a few simple ingredients such as flour, water, salt and yeast. Moreover, my French bread tastes great and you can easily mold it into a beautiful baguette shape.

Your family will be amazed by your baking skills… while you smirk because you made it with the help of a bread machine! This bread recipe can also be a fun family project, especially if you have small children. Have them shape your bread for you. You can always reshape the dough if they create a food monstrosity!

Delicious Bread Machine French Bread (Baguette)

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Helpful Tips

This is a pretty simple recipe because I made it for beginners. Many online French bread recipes call for a number of different “rising” periods, complex rolling & shaping of the bread, adding steam inside the oven, etc. However, my French bread recipe does not include these steps because I believe that bread machine recipes should not be too complicated. Let professional bakers make the fancy, over complicated and expensive baguettes while you make some easy, delicious and very inexpensive homemade French bread & baguettes for your family.

Tender Inside of Bread Machine French Bread (Baguette)

Please be aware that this is not the usual set & forget bread machine recipe. You will have to shape the bread in order to create the classic baguette shape (versus getting the standard bread machine “block” shape). Moreover, given the baguette shape, this French bread needs to be finished in an oven. Nevertheless, this bread machine recipe is much easier than making French bread by hand! It also looks much nicer than a “block” of bread machine bread.

Ingredients – Bread Machine French Bread (Baguette)

• 1 1/3 Cups – Water (lukewarm) – 307 milliliters
• 3 1/2 Cups – Bread Flour – 420 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Salt – 6 grams
• 2 Teaspoons – Bread Machine Yeast (Instant Yeast) – 6 grams – Not active dry yeast
• 2 Tablespoons – Olive Oil – 30 milliliters – The olive oil is not added to the bread pan. It is used to coat the dough later before baking.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices per medium baguette

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, oven mitts, large cutting board, baking sheet, pastry brush, cooling rack, oven… and of course, a bread machine!

French Bread Dough from a Bread Machine

Instructions – Bread Machine French Bread (Baguette)

• Unplug the bread machine & then remove the bread pan.
• Place the water and then the rest of the ingredients into the bread pan. You can make a little indent on top of the flour in order to avoid the yeast falling into the water (until the machine starts). Do not combine the salt with the yeast (as the salt can kill the yeast). Place the yeast & salt in separate parts of the bread pan.
• Place the bread pan back into the bread machine & then plug in the bread machine.
• Put your machine on the “Dough” setting and press the start button. In our bread machine, the kneading & rising on the dough setting takes about 1:30 hours.
• When your bread machine has finished, unplug the machine & pour the dough onto a cutting board. Wear oven mitts (as the bread pan/bread machine may be hot). Sprinkle some flour on the cutting board (before you pour the dough) in order to avoid the dough sticking to the cutting board.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts if you want to make 4 skinny baguettes (roughly 12 inches long). Or divide the dough into 2 equal parts in order to make 2 thicker French bread “rolls”. FYI – I usually make 2 thicker & longer loaves with this recipe.
• Roll the divided dough with your hands into your preferred shape (i.e. baguette or thicker bread roll). See our tips below on shaping the bread dough (especially about making the dough roll about 1/2 the width of your desired end product… as the dough expands as the yeast rises).
• Place the shaped dough onto a nonstick baking sheet.
• Coat the dough with olive oil. Use a small pastry brush.
• Cover the dough & baking sheet with a light kitchen cloth or plastic wrap in order to protect from dust, etc.
• Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
• During this “rising” time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
• After the hour, remove the covering from the dough and “score” (slice) the top of each dough roll with a sharp knife. Make diagonal slices about 1/2 inch deep and about 3 inches apart. This will help prevent the bread from cracking during baking. See the tips below about how to score bread.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven. It should bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Wear oven mitts.
• At the 8-10 minute mark, turn the baking sheet around in order to ensure an even “browning” of the bread. Wear oven mitts.
• Remove the baking sheet when done and place the bread on a cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common bread machine problems.

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• Bread Machine Cookbooks
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• Bread Tools – Bread slicers, etc.

Tips – Bread Machine French Baguette Recipe

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of our series on easy Bread Machine Recipes such as banana bread, extra soft white bread, multigrain bread and Italian bread.

• Traditional French breads (baguettes) are made with only flour, water, yeast and salt. According to Wikipedia, “The ‘baguette de tradition française’ is made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and common salt”. Of course, you will find more modern “French bread” recipes that include other ingredients (but classic French baguette recipes only use 4 simple ingredients). If you want to experiment with European breads that contain other ingredients (such as sugar or olive oil), please visit our Bread Machine Italian Bread recipe.
• This recipe is NOT for 1 lb capacity bread machines. Please check the capacity of your bread machine before making this recipe. The dough will be too large for your machine and overflow the bread pan. An example of a bread machine with only a 1 lb capacity is the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker (model BB-HAC10).

• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors.
• Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life. For example, airtight containers help to prevent ingredients (i.e. flour) from absorbing moisture from the air. They also prevent potential contamination from pests, dust, etc.
• This recipe uses bread machine yeast (instant yeast) and NOT active dry yeast.
• If you haven’t used your bread machine in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Bread machine yeast may not be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Don’t worry if your French bread develops some small “cracks” while baking even if you scored the bread. French bread is tough to make perfectly when you start out (because cracking can occur if the dough is too dry, too wet, etc.). However, one French bread secret is to let the dough fully rise before putting it in the oven so the French bread doesn’t expand too much during the baking process. Nevertheless, even with a few small cracks, your French bread will look great and taste fantastic!

• If you are having trouble shaping your baguette, here are a couple of instructional Youtube videos
• King Arthur Baking – How to Shape a Baguette
• The Artisan Crust – Shaping Baguettes
• If you want to make a fatter & shorter “batard-style” French bread, here is another Youtube shaping video
• Artisan Bread School – Shaping the Batard
• After shaping the dough, the dough can double in size during the hour when it is left to rise on the baking sheet/baguette pan (before it is put in the oven). Therefore, you need to roll your dough so it is roughly 1/2 the width of your planned French bread final width. If you roll the initial dough into a normal baguette-sized loaf (before the final rise begins), it will be a much larger than expected bread after it finishes rising.
• If anything is a little odd after the dough rises (i.e. a bit of the dough is sticking out), you can GENTLY press it back into shape. However, be gentle and don’t lift the dough because you don’t want to crush the airy dough.

• Some people use specialized baguette pans (for oven baking) in order to create a perfectly round shape for their French bread. These curved French bread pans also help prevent the bread machine French bread from spreading (widening too much) during the baking process. FYI – I just use a regular bread/cookie baking tray or sheet because I don’t mind a flat bottom on my French bread!
• If you have run out of bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour to make bread machine French bread. An all-purpose flour French bread might not be as fluffy/airy (as if you used bread flour) but it is still pretty good.
• Don’t use cold water because that will inhibit the growth of the yeast. If you use cold water, your bread may have trouble rising properly.
• The ideal temperature for liquid ingredients used when making bread dough is around 100-110 F. Cold liquids (such as water & milk straight from the refrigerator) will slow yeast growth and liquid ingredients that are 140 F or above can kill yeast.
• FYI – Some people like to use a digital bread thermometer to measure the temperature of their liquid ingredients when making bread.

• “Scoring the bread” means cutting slices into the top of the dough. I like to use diagonal slices that are roughly 2 -3 inches apart and about 1/2 inch deep. Scoring allows the bread to expand during the baking process without cracking at the seams. Many professional bakers use scoring in order to add fancy designs to their breads. As you get comfortable with making a bread machine French baguette, you can experiment with different scoring patterns.
• To score the bread, you will need a very sharp & thin knife or a professional scoring tool (bread lame) in order to avoid tugging at the dough while you slice. Some people also like to use a razor blade or Exacto knife to score their bread. However, be aware that many “regular” kitchen knives have problems when scoring bread (as they tug on the dough and/or compress the “air” out of the dough as they cut).
• For more details on how to score dough properly, you might like to read these excellent articles:
• King Arthur Baking – Scoring Bread Dough
• Food & Wine – How to Score Bread Dough
• Bon Appetit – This Little Tool Takes the Stress Out of Scoring My Homemade Bread

• Cooler home temperatures in the winter can cause rising problems for bread dough. Ideally, your room temperature should be around 75-80 degrees F. Colder winter room temperatures can significantly delay the rise of the dough.
• Bread machine French bread is much cheaper than buying some fancy bakery baguette. It is also much more fun to make your own freshly made bread versus driving across town on a snowy/rainy day in order to buy some day old French bread.
• You can easily turn your bread machine baguette into some delicious homemade garlic bread by cutting the French bread in half (lengthwise), slathering on some butter and minced garlic (onto the soft interiors of the bread halves) and then baking them in the oven!
• You can also turn this into French bread pizza by cutting the French bread in half (lengthwise), adding tomato sauce & cheese on top of the slices and then baking the slices in the oven.

• FYI – According to Wikipedia, “In France, not all long loaves are baguettes; for example, a short, almost rugby ball-shaped loaf is a bâtard (literally, bastard), or a “torpedo loaf” in English… Another tubular shaped loaf is known as a flûte, also known in the United States as a parisienne. Flûtes closely resemble baguettes but are about twice the size. A thinner loaf is called a ficelle (string). A short baguette is sometimes known as a baton (stick), or in the UK referred to using the English translation French stick… French breads are also made in forms such as a miche, which is a large pan loaf, and a boule, literally ball in French, a large round loaf. Sandwich-sized loaves are sometimes known as demi-baguettes or tiers. Italian baguettes, or baguette italienne, involves more spices and a denser texture, giving the baguette a slightly different, more Italian, taste.”
• Factors that can impact the rise of the dough include old or expired yeast, contaminated yeast (i.e. the yeast was left in an open jar & air moisture contaminated it), water that is too cold or too hot, using heavily chlorinated tap water, placing salt next to or on top of the yeast (salt can kill yeast or inhibit its growth), not covering the dough during the rising period (as the exterior of the dough can dry out & limit the ability to rise), etc. Thanks Jaime for bring up this issue!
• If you have a problem with a bread machine recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (i.e. using the correct bread machine settings), you are using the correct amount of an ingredient (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a teaspoon when a tablespoon is called for), you are using the correct ingredients (i.e. bread machine yeast versus regular yeast or bread flour versus all purpose flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• FYI – When making this recipe, many international bakers prefer to use a kitchen scale versus using measuring cups and measuring spoons. A kitchen scale provides greater accuracy because the amount of ingredients in a measuring cup can vary somewhat (i.e. a cup of fluffed flour vs a cup of densely packed flour). Therefore, this recipe also includes gram/milliliter measurements.

• Kitchen humidity can impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Therefore, you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid in the winter if the dough is looking too dry. Or you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the summer if the dough is looking too wet. If your kitchen is very dry or humid, you might have to add even a little more (but start with 1 teaspoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency). Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!
• This is one of the reasons that people should store flour in an airtight container if they have already opened the flour package. The flour will pick up extra moisture from the air while sitting in the pantry and this can throw off recipes, spoil flavor, degrade shelf life, etc.
• Optional – Use an oven thermometer as your expected oven temperature may be different than reality. Some ovens can be 25-50+ degrees F hotter or colder than the number you set with your oven dial. An oven thermometer (which usually costs less than $10) is an easy way to measure the actual temperature inside your oven.
• If you start substituting ingredients (i.e. using different types of flour), you are experimenting and should not expect similar results to the recipe shown above. Experimenting can be fun. However, you should expect some successes but more potential disappointments when you start to experiment with recipes. For example, if you substitute whole wheat flour for the bread flour, you will probably experience a problem (as whole wheat flour doesn’t rise nearly as well as bread flour). Moreover, whole wheat flour has a totally different flavor.

• Be aware that some bread recipes may differ slightly between different types of bread machines. Therefore, please read your bread machine manufacturer’s instructions for basic bread recipes (i.e. white bread or whole wheat bread) as these are more likely to work on your individual bread machine.
• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (i.e. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors,I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents(i.e. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (i.e. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with ovens & bread machines. They can get very hot.
• For more bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread, oatmeal bread, Italian bread, cornbread & pizza dough), you should visit Bread Dad’s section on easy Bread Machine Recipes.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. It is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!! Jump to comment section

Highlighted Recipe

• High Fiber Bread Recipe – When you get a little older, some people (like me) need extra fiber in their diet. So check out this delicious & fiber-icious bread recipe.

Other Bread Dad Sections

• Bread Machines – My favorites!
• Bread Machine Cookbooks
• Bread Mixes – Ingredient kits for buttermilk bread, rye bread, sourdough bread, French bread, Italian country bread, etc.
• – Ingredient kits for homemade blondies, snickerdoodles, chocolate donuts, pecan brownies, etc.
• – Turn your homemade bread into delicious sandwiches or toasty paninis.

French Bread Machine Recipe Questions

What is the traditional French bread called?

Traditional French bread is called a baguette. A baguette comes in a long narrow cylindrical shape. The word baguette means wand, baton or stick. French bread or baguette is typically made from flour, water, yeast and salt. Nevertheless, there are many other types of well-known breads from France such as the brioche, fougasse, pain de campagne, etc.

What is the French bread setting on my bread machine?

If your bread machine has a French bread setting, it will allow you to make a crusty “French-type” bread with your bread machine. However, the bread will not be in a baguette share. Rather the bread will be in the standard bread machine “block” shape. The resulting bread is basically a bread machine white bread recipe that has been baked longer and has a thicker crust.

If you want to make a French bread with a baguette shape, please try the bread machine recipe on this page. Or if you prefer a block shaped French bread loaf, please read the instructions/manual included with your bread machine because it should contain a basic French bread recipe that will work on your machine. However, be aware that some bread machines have a very limited number of settings and may not have a French bread setting.

Personally, I think that my bread machine French bread recipe creates a French bread that is much nicer and tastes better than the standard “block” bread machine French bread.

How to eat French bread?

You can cut French bread down the middle and add your favorite sandwich ingredients (i.e. cold cuts) in order to make it into a delicious hero or sub. Or cut the French bread into slices and slather on some butter, cream cheese or olive oil. Yum! In my opinion, French bread tastes even better when it is still warm.

What is the difference between French bread and Italian bread?

There are hundreds of different French and Italian breads so it is hard to generalize. However, in America, the typical “French” bread is usually made with just flour, water, yeast and salt. American-style French bread is also typically in a thin baguette shape and has a harder crust. In contrast, in America, the typical “Italian” bread may contain more ingredients such as milk and sugar. American-style Italian bread is also typically a wider loaf (versus a narrow baguette) and has a softer crust.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. It is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!! Jump to comment section

Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Baguette
• Wikipedia, Bread
• Wikipedia, Bread in Europe
• Wikipedia, Bread Machine

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• Bread Machine Banana Bread
• Bread Machine Italian Bread
• Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
• Bread Machine White Bread – Extra buttery
• Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

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