Fresh Milled Flour French Bread Recipe

I am so excited to share my Fresh Milled Flour French Bread recipe! I tested hydration, shaping, proofing, covering methods, and scoring more times than I care to admit, but all that testing helped me figure out what gives freshly milled flour the texture I wanted.

My Fresh Milled Flour French Bread, made with hard white wheat, is perfect for dinner with bread and butter, but also for garlic bread, Fresh Milled Flour French bread pizza, Fresh Milled Flour Breadcrumbs, stuffing, and so much more!

One of the biggest things I learned is that I prefer pressing more air out before shaping. It gives the bread a softer, fluffier, more even crumb instead of the larger irregular holes you would expect from a baguette. So more handling means fewer air bubbles, so if you want more air bubbles, do a quick shaping, like a baguette.

Scoring makes a big difference too. Traditional diagonal scores give you the classic French bread look, but fresh-milled flour is a bit stickier than store-bought, so it may reseal. That’s when I figured out that one long score cut straight down into the dough gave me a much more dramatic bloom that didn’t reseal. I also tested this with plastic wrap, a wet cloth, a dry cloth, and eventually moved on to covering it with a baking sheet lid.

Both work, so you can choose the look you prefer. With the slight diagonal scores, you’ll also get more oven spring, making the bread taller, but it will have the long blow-out on the bottom area due to the oven spring. There’s also a noticeable difference in crumb with higher and lower hydration.

Quick Bites About This Recipe

Skill Level: Intermediate, mostly because freshly milled dough takes a little practice to shape and proof.
Swaps: Hard red wheat can be used, but it will give the bread a stronger whole wheat flavor. You may need to add a little more water, too.
Make Ahead: Bake the loaves earlier in the day and cool completely before serving.
Freezer Friendly: They freeze well; freeze once cooled for up to 3 months in a food-safe container or food-safe bag.
Variations & Substitutions: Press out more air for a fluffy, even crumb or handle the dough more gently for a more open texture. You can also choose between diagonal scores or one long score.

Fresh Milled Flour French Bread Ingredients

Hard white wheat berries: Hard white wheat gives this bread a mild flavor while still providing the gluten strength we need for a good rise. Mill it as finely as possible, then reweigh the flour after milling so you know you have exactly 600 g.
Water: This dough uses 428 g water, which gives us about 71% hydration. I like anywhere from 68-71% for this recipe, so if you want, you can try both to see which you prefer.
Honey: I preferred honey over granulated sugar in this bread when I tested it. It adds a little sweetness and helps the crumb stay soft.
Olive oil: A small amount keeps the crumb tender and soft. Too much oil can make the dough feel overly tender, so I like keeping this amount moderate.
Fine salt: Salt adds flavor, strengthens the dough, and keeps the yeast from fermenting too quickly.
Instant yeast: I prefer instant yeast for most fresh-milled flour bread recipes.
Water for the egg wash: Thin the egg with water so the wash brushes on lightly instead of creating a heavy coating. It gives a beautiful shine and color.

How to Make Fresh Milled Flour French Bread

Mill the hard white wheat berries as finely as possible. Reweigh the freshly milled flour and make sure you have 600 g.

Mix the flour, lukewarm water, and honey until the flour is fully incorporated. Cover and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This gives the bran and flour time to absorb the water before kneading.

Add the olive oil, salt, and instant yeast. Knead on speed 2 until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and stretches to a good windowpane. Fresh milled dough may take some time to develop, so stop and rest your mixer if it starts getting hot.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled.

Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured work surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces.

Shape into French bread by pressing into a slight rectangle, then roll up using the heel of your hand to press the dough and seal as you roll.

Brush away any loose flour from the final edge and firmly pinch the seam closed.

Place the loaf seam side down and gently roll with your hands only as much as needed to even out the shape. Repeat with the second loaf.

Place the loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a proofing lid, dome, or plastic wrap that does not touch the dough. Let rise until very puffy and well expanded. Depending on your room temperature, this may take around 60-90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F about 20-30 minutes before the dough is finished rising.

Once the dough is done rising, make 1 long score down the length of the loaf.

Whisk the egg with water and brush a very thin layer over each loaf.

Bake until golden, around 20-22 minutes, and the center reaches about 195°F.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Storing and Reheating (If There’s Any Leftovers!)

Refrigerate: I prefer storing this bread at room temperature since refrigeration can make bread stale faster. Keep completely cooled bread in a bread bag or airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze: Freeze whole loaves or slices for up to 3 months. You can remove the bread from the freezer and refrigerate or keep on the counter in a container to defrost.
Reheat: Warm the bread at 325°F until heated through. Individual slices also work well in the toaster oven.

I love using the leftovers for breadcrumbs too!

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Reweigh your flour after milling so you know you have exactly 600 g.
• Let the flour autolyze with the water and honey for the full 30 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
• Knead until you reach a good windowpane, rather than relying only on a set mixing time.
• Press out more gas during shaping for a softer, fluffier, more even bread-like crumb.
• Handle the dough more gently if you want larger, more irregular air pockets.
• Use only a light dusting of flour when shaping. Too much flour can dry the surface and interfere with sealing.
• Keep away any loose flour before pinching the final seam closed.
• Keep the shaped loaves covered during the second rise so the surface stays supple.
• Brush the egg wash only on the areas of the bread that weren’t scored.
• Pull the bread at an internal temperature of 195°F and cool completely before slicing.