French Baguette
If you’ve ever dreamed of pulling authentic French baguettes straight from your own oven, this easy homemade baguette recipe is for you. With a golden, crispy crust and a soft, airy crumb inside, these no-knead baguettes taste just like the ones you’d find at a French bakery – without any complicated techniques or special equipment. An easy, no-knead baguette recipe you’ll love When people find out I’m French and a food blogger, one of the first recipes they ask me for is a homemade baguette. After all, is there anything…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- (500g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp (345ml) water
- 1 1/3 tsp (4g) active dry yeast (or 1 tsp/3g instant yeast)
- 2 tsp (10g) salt
- 1 tsp (7g) light honey
Instructions
- 1
If using active dry yeast, add the yeast, water and honey in a large mixing bowl, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the flour and salt, and mix everything until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball*. If needed, use a bowl scraper to scrape the sides and help shape the dough. Cover your bowl with a clean kitchen cloth and let sit on the counter for 20 minutes. (*If using instant yeast, just combine all the ingredients together and mix.)
- 2
Now for the next hour, every 20 minutes, perform 3 sets of “stretch and fold”.
- 3
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the bottom of your fridge to ferment overnight. At least 8 hours is ideal, but up to 24 hours is fine.
- 4
The next day, turn the dough onto a lightly floured working surface. Cut the dough into three equal parts. Roughly shape them into oval shapes, cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let the doughs relax for 1 hour.
- 5
Lightly flour your hands so they don’t stick to the dough. Stretch the first dough into a rough rectangle and fold into a cylinder. Seal the seams and roll to a 12-13 inch (30-33cm) baguette. Repeat with two other doughs.
- 6
Carefully lift the cylinders and transfer them into a lightly floured proofing bed. Repeat with the two other doughs, cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise for 45 minutes.
- 7
Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). If using a baking stone, place the stone in the oven while it preheats.
- 8
Whether using a baking sheet or a baking stone, transfer the baguettes onto a large piece of parchment, with the seam-side down. Using a bread lame, make three diagonal slits in the top of each baguette. This allows the baguette to puff while baking and removes resistance.
- 9
Spray the baguettes with some water using a sprayer, or using wet hands and sprinkling them.
- 10
Transfer onto the baking sheet or baking stone. Bake for 15 minutes.
- 11
After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 450°F (230°C°) and bake for 10-15min longer. Keep an eye on the baguettes so they don’t overbake (every oven bakes differently!). You want them golden brown to slightly darker, based on your preference. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let rest at least 10 minutes before tearing in.
- 12