French Baguette Recipe
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5.0
1,302 reviews
Excellent
French Baguette Recipe
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A simple and flavorful recipe that's sure to be a favorite.
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Ingredients
- 500 g all purpose flour King Arthur brand is recommended about 3 1/2 cups, using 'scoop and swipe' method
- 360 g water about 1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp
- 10 g salt about 2 tsp
- 3 g instant yeast about 1 tsp; also known as Quick Rise or Rapid Rise yeast
- 25 g honey about 1 Tbsp
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Over a period of 1 1/2 hours, do 3 sets of stretch and folds, flipping the dough upside down after each set.
- Cover the bowl and place in refrigerator overnight for about 12-14 hours.
- Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and shape into rectangles. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
- Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold into a cylinder, sealing the seams. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them to desired length, about 14-15 inches.
- Place on a lightly floured couche, seam side up. Cover and proof at a room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has sufficiently proofed.
- Starting preheating the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half the oven and a bread pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack.
- Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper (see note 3), seam side down, and dust off excess flour. Using a bread lame, a sharp knife, or a razor blade, make 3 scores on each baguette. When scoring, use a swift and firm motion to ensure nice and clean cuts.
- Open the oven, taking caution not to get burned by steam, and slide the baguettes off onto the baking stone. Close the oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Notes
- Note 1
- I highly recommend measuring out the ingredients using a kitchen scale, like this inexpensive scale. Even though I provided the measurements in U.S. customary units, those are imprecise and your results may be very different from mine. Additionally, measuring flour in cups does not take into account the flour's hydration, which is impacted by how fresh the flour is and how it was stored.
- Note 2
- Everyone's oven bakes differently. Baking time above - 15 min with steam and 15 min without - worked perfectly in my average Kenmore electric oven. In my new gas oven, which bakes hotter/more efficiently, I only need 12 minutes with steam and 12 minutes without steam. With that, keep an eye on your baguettes the first time you bake them and adjust the baking time as needed.
- Note 3
- You do not need to use parchment paper and can bake directly on the baking stone. If you do use parchment paper, pay attention to the temperature rating of your parchment paper and follow manufacturer recommendations. Always keep a close eye on your baguettes when baking on parchment paper the first time or the first time using a new brand of parchment paper. Also, see my comments in the comment section dated January 05, 2025 at 5:12 pm and January 06, 2025 at 2:28 pm.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
158kcal
(8%)
Carbohydrates
33g
(11%)
Protein
4g
(8%)
Fat
1g
(2%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Sodium
326mg
(14%)
Potassium
45mg
(1%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Calcium
7mg
(1%)
Iron
1.9mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 158 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 158kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 33g | 11% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 326mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 45mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Calcium | 7mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.9mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
1,302 reviews
Excellent
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