Name: French Bread with Dipping Oil
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 138 min
Ingredients: 4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon instant yeast; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees); 3/4 cups warm water; 1/3 cup butter; 1 tablespoon minced dried onion; 1 tablespoon crushed rosemary; 1 tablespoon oregano; 1 teaspoon parsley; 1 teaspoon basil; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar; 1 tablespoon minced garlic (Optional)

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Here’s an easy recipe for homemade French Bread with Dipping Oil. It’s delicious alone or if you’re going for a more elegant dining experience, try making the dipping oil.

Our family loves this bread and dipping it in spiced oils. Buttery tender bread with a golden crust. And it makes two loaves, so there is plenty for everyone or to take to a potluck dinner.

Recommended Kitchen Tools

When making this recipe, I like to use a special French Bread Baking Pan that gives the loaves a rounded bottom and allows for heat to brown the entire loaves. You will also need a sharp knife (or bread lame) for scoring the loaves before baking. If you plan to give these loaves as gifts, long paper bread bags are a lovely way to present them, plus they keep the bread much better than plastic freezer bags.

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French Bread Baking Pan

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Ingredients for French Bread with Dipping Oil

(As a Walmart Affiliate, I earn from qualified purchases at the links below. See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Instructions for Making This Recipe

Ingredients for this Recipe - Dipping Oil

Gather the bread ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Bread Dough

Mix Together Flour, Sugar, Instant Yeast, and Kosher Salt

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt.

In a small saucepan or microwavable bowl, combine whole milk, water, and butter. Heat until butter starts to melt (between 110-115°F).

Add liquids to the flour mixture. With a kneading hook, beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Continuing kneading until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Or if you’d prefer, you may knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for the same amount of time.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and allow to rise for 50-60 minutes.

At the end of the rising period, gently punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half.

With a rolling pin, shape each into a 10 x 12″ rectangle. Roll up jelly roll style, pinching edges and ends to seal.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing sealed edges down.

If you plan to bake this type of bread often, I recommend purchasing a French Bread Pan, which produces a lovely rounded bottom to your loaves, as well as heating ventilation for a nice brown crust all around.

Allow Loaves to Rise 20-30 Minutes Until Nearly Double

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover loaves with a clean cotton towel and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes until nearly double.

Using a sharp knife or bread lame, score each loaf with 3-4 diagonal cuts in each.

Bake Loaves in French Bread Pan in Preheated Oven

Bake loaves in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool loaves on a wire rack. If desired, spread melted butter over the tops of the loaves for even more flavor.

Make the Dipping Oil

While the bread bakes, prepare the dipping oil. In a small bowl, combine dried minced onion, crushed rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Store in airtight container to use as needed. This will make more than 1/4 cup.

When ready to serve the dipping oil, combine a high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 teaspoons prepared dipping spice, and a good balsamic vinegar in a small shallow serving dish. Sometimes I like to add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to the oil for even more flavor.

Serve dipping oil with warm French bread. Your family will love you and think that you’ve slaved all day in your kitchen!

This recipe makes two loaves. You may store baked bread in a 2-gallon freezer bag for 3-5 days at room temperature. Or freeze the extra loaf if desired, by wrapping the cooled loaf in aluminum foil and then storing it in a 2 gallon freezer bag.

You might also choose to store the bread in paper bread bags, which tend to keep bread better than plastic bags. These bags are also nice for gifting.

To reheat, allow bread to come to room temperature in the freezer bag before opening so all of the moisture returns to the bread. Then heat wrapped in aluminum foil in 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes until warmed through.

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