Baguette — French Bread
Experience the unparalleled joy of baking your own authentic French baguette. The crisp, crackling crust and airy, flavorful crumb will transport you to a Parisian bakery.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Baguette — French Bread
Experience the unparalleled joy of baking your own authentic French baguette. The crisp, crackling crust and airy, flavorful crumb will transport you to a Parisian bakery.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Key move
Achieve proper steam injection in the oven for a perfectly crisp crust.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Rack
- Broiler Pan
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
The Dry Mix (0/4)
Baguettes are not rising properly.
Ensure the yeast is fresh and the water is lukewarm. The room temperature may also be too cold.
Crust is not crispy.
Ensure proper steam injection in the oven. The oven temperature may also be too low.
Chef's Notes
For a crispier crust, mist the oven walls with water during the first 10 minutes of baking.
Score the dough just before baking using a very sharp knife or lame for maximum oven spring.
Serve warm with butter, or use for sandwiches, bruschetta, or with soups and stews.
Watch the Technique
Video source: YouTube
The Method
MIX
In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water (2½ cups) and active dry yeast (2¼ tsp). Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
Dead yeast: If the mixture does not foam, the yeast is inactive. Do not proceed or the bread will not rise.
Yeast mixture is foamy
ADD
Add bread flour (4½ cups) and salt (2¼ tsp) to the yeast mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Over-mixing: Stop as soon as the flour is hydrated; over-working the dough now makes it tough to shape later.
A shaggy dough forms
KNEAD
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Over-flouring: Adding too much extra flour makes the crumb dense and tough
Dough is smooth and elastic
PLACE
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Under-proofing: If the dough hasn't doubled, the final crumb will be dense and gummy.
Dough has doubled in size
PUNCH
Punch down the dough to release the air. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Rough handling: Tearing the dough ruins the structure needed for a good rise
Dough is punched down
DIVIDE
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a baguette, about 15 inches long.
Overworking dough: Handling the dough too aggressively will tear the gluten structure, resulting in a dense, flat baguette.
Dough is divided and shaped into baguettes
PLACE
Place the shaped baguettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Deflating the dough: Handle the shaped loaves with extreme care; any pressure will collapse the air pockets you've built.
Baguettes have risen
PREHEAT
Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
Insufficient preheat: Baking before the oven is fully saturated with heat will prevent the necessary oven spring for a light crumb.
Oven is preheated and broiler pan is in place
SCORE
Using a sharp knife or lame, make 3-4 diagonal slashes on the top of each baguette.
Shallow scoring: If slashes are too shallow, the bread will burst unevenly in the oven
Baguettes are scored
ADD
Time-sensitiveCarefully pour 1 cup of hot water (2½ cups) into the broiler pan to create steam.
Steam burn: The burst of steam is extremely hot. Keep your face and hands away from the oven door opening.
Steam is created in the broiler pan
BAKE
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the crust is crisp.
Under-baking: Removing the loaf too early results in a gummy, dense crumb rather than an airy baguette.
Crust is golden brown and crisp
COOL
Transfer the baguettes to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Gummy crumb: Slicing while hot will cause the internal structure to collapse and become doughy.
Baguettes are cooled
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