This is the best French baguette recipe to make bread at home for beginners and Francophiles. The dough calls for a poolish that requires a 12-24 hour fermentation time. This time is not reflected in the total time of the recipe. I recommend making the poolish the day before you make the bread.
Prep Time 35 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Proofing Time 4 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 28
Ingredients
For the poolish
½cup(60g)bread flour
¼cup(60ml)water, room temperature
¼teaspooninstant yeast
For the baguette
2 ⅔cups(346g)bread flour
1 ½teaspoonsugar
1teaspoonssalt
1teaspooninstant yeast
1scant cup(225ml)water, water
rice flour, as needed
2cupsice
Instructions
Make the poolish
Combine all ingredients for the poolish in a small bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. The longer it ferments, the more flavor the bread will have.
Make the dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until well blended.
Add the water to the poolish and gently mix to loosen it from the sides of the bowl. Add it to the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. The dough will look dry at this point.
Using your fingertips, gently work the dough inside the bowl until all the dry ingredients are moistened. The dough will become very sticky once fully hydrated.
Using a dough scraper or silicone spatula, scrape the dough into a medium bowl that's lightly oiled. Turn the dough over inside the bowl so all sides are coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Stretch & fold
Gently grab one side of the dough, lift and stretch it over the top of itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and stretch the same way. Continue to rotate 90 degrees, stretch and fold until you've gone around all four sides of the dough. Flip the dough over so the bottom becomes the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and fold process. Cover and let rest for another 45 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and fold process once more. Cover and let rest for a final 45 minutes.
Preshape the dough
Adjust the oven racks so that one is in the center of the oven and one is at the very bottom position. Place a cast-iron skillet on the lowest rack. Heat the oven to 475°F. It's important to let the oven preheat for at least an hour to ensure it is hot enough.
Very lightly dust your work surface with rice flour. Carefully, turn the dough out of the bowl without knocking too much air out of it. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide the dough in half. Take care not to tug or stretch the dough.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently pat into a rectangle 6x4-inch rectangle. Starting on one long side, fold the top of the dough over onto the center like you're folding a letter. Then fold the top all the way down and use your fingertips to press and seal the seam.
Let the two dough logs rest seam side down for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.
Final dough shaping
Using a bench scraper, gently flip the dough so the top is now the bottom. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle.
Fold one long side over to the center like you're folding a letter. Use your fingertips to press and seal the seam. Fold the bottom up to meet the center and press the seam once more. Fold the top of the dough over to create a tight cylinder, using your thumb to create tension on its surface. Seal using your fingertips.
Gently roll out each dough piece into a 14-inch loaf. Place the rolled dough seam side down onto a half sheet baking pan lined with a lint-free cloth that's lightly dusted with rice flour. Wrinkle the fabric in between the loaves to create a barrier.
Cover and let proof at room temperature until the loaves increase 45-50 percent in volume, about 45-60 minutes. They're ready to bake when you gently press a fingertip into the dough and a slight indention remains.
Gently transfer the baguettes to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Dust the tops with rice flour. Use a sharp blade or bread lame to cut 3-4 diagonal slashes across the top centers.
Have 2 cups of ice ready. Place the baguettes on the center rack and immediately drop the ice into the cast-iron pan on the bottom rack. Quickly close the oven door.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F and bake until baguettes are deeply golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Open the oven door slowly to release the steam! Remove baguettes from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
The recipe process seems long and might be intimidating. Keep in mind, most of this time is hands-off. The dough requires long proofing times in order for the gluten to develop since this is a no-knead recipe. This long proof time also develops an enhanced flavor.
Bread flour. I've only tested the recipe with bread flour as it is the best flour for a chewy bread texture. All-purpose flour may work but keep in mind the texture will not be as chewy.
Sugar. I added a little sugar to the recipe to keep the yeast lively. It's not enough to add sweetness to the bread, and it's okay to omit it if you wish.
The dough. This is a 70% hydration dough. It will be sticky. Use dampened hands during the stretch and fold process to help prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. Rice flour works best when shaping the dough! Lightly dust the work surface, your hands, and dough with the rice flour.
Avoid handling the dough too much! Overmixing or overworking will give you a flat, dense loaf.
Smaller baguettes. You may wish to divide the into thirds for shorter baguettes instead of dividing in half.
Baking. The baguettes bake at 475°F for 15 minutes then at 425°F for 10 minutes. This helps to create a dark golden crust. If you prefer them to be lighter in color, bake them at 450°F for 18-20 minutes.
How to store
Wrap completely cooled baguettes in aluminum foil and they will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature. The crust will soften but can be toasted if you wish to crispen it up.
The bread will stay fresh for up to 3 months if stored in the freezer. Wrap the cooled loaves in double layers of plastic wrap followed by double layers of aluminum foil. Reheat the frozen loaves as desired in the oven.
I don't recommend refrigerating the bread. Often times, this will dry it out.
If the baguettes do dry out, moisten them with water either by spritzing them with a spray bottle or by passing them quickly under a running faucet. DO NOT SOAK! Then, bake them at 450°F for 5-7 minutes.