This is a simple recipe to make the classic French Baguette bread that uses all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. The instructions include a fermentation step by making a poolish the night before you make the bread and two additional steps to ensure a crusty bread.
There's very little work for you to do since the shaping is very simple. Most of the time to make this bread is in the overnight fermentation plus three separate risings of the dough.
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There's a saying that "you can't live on bread alone". But I'd sure like to try.
Yeast breads were my favorite thing to make in culinary school and I seriously considered going onto a bread baking school in South San Francisco when I graduated. But honestly, I was tired of being bossed around by both my chef and the tyrannical owner of the school who needed serious meds. When she was in a bad mood, she'd go into the back kitchen and bang pots and pans onto the wooden countertops and rant while we sat through food lectures with our chef in the front kitchen. Seriously. Who does that?
And it would have been a long, traffic-filled commute with no public transportation options. So I decided to pass.
Now, twenty years later (how did that happen??), I still love to bake bread in my own kitchen, particularly in the quiet winter months. Some of my favorites are this Sweet Potato Loaf that's sweetened with honey, the best Cinnamon Rolls I've ever made, and during the holidays, Julekake, a Norwegian Christmas bread. Lately I've been experimenting with simple baguettes.
🧐 What are French baguettes?
Baguettes are long, skinny French bread loaves known for their crusty exterior and soft, airy interior. A basic recipe is made from made with only a few ingredients - flour, water, yeast, and salt, and can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour since the protein in French flour falls somewhere between the two.
Thanks to the type of flour generally used by French bakeries when making baguettes, the taste of this bread is lighter than many other yeasted breads.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- There's only 4 ingredients including salt and water.
- This recipe uses all-purpose flour, so there's no need to go out to the grocery store and purchase bread flour if you don't have any on hand.
- The poolish increases the flavor and promotes a crusty bread.
- These simple baguettes are very easy to form even for beginner bread bakers.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for a complete listing of the ingredients, measurements, and directions.
- All-purpose flour - This bread uses all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. I highly recommend King Arthur flour for a more consistent product.
- Active dry yeast - I use active dry yeast but you can easily adapt it to using Instant Yeast.
👩🍳 What are the benefits of starting with a poolish?
A poolish is essentially a fermentation step. There are a number of reasons for starting a homemade bread recipe with a poolish (pronounced poo-lish), but the main reasons in this recipe are for a crispier crust, a better yeasty bread flavor, and building gluten (since it uses all-purpose flour).
Here are more details:
- Flavor: The extra fermentation step of a poolish dough gives bread a richer, more yeasty flavor without the strong sourness of sourdough.
- Texture: The poolish step strengthens gluten, making it more stretchy. This is particularly important in this recipe since it uses all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. You also end up with a lighter, airier crumb with small, regular holes.
- Crust: Poolish promotes a crispier, more flavorful crust.
- Longer Shelf Life: This fermentation step helps the bread stay fresh longer.
- Easier Handling: A pre-fermented dough is often easier to knead and shape.
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making these baguettes are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview! As you can easily see, there isn't a lot of work on your part. Most of the time is spend allowing the dough to rise.
Step 1
Make the poolish. Combine the poolish ingredients in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit overnight on the counter.
Step 2
Make the dough. Add the poolish to all of the bread ingredients except for the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until the dough comes together and is smooth.
Step 3
Rise #1 & #2. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise. Press down on the dough to deflate. Fold the corners into the middle and turn the dough ball over. Loosely cover and let rise.
Step 4
Divide. Divide the dough into six pieces and form into six equal-sized balls. Cover and rest the dough.
Step 5
Shape and rise #3. Shape each ball of dough into long shapes with pointed ends. Cover loosely and allow to rise.
Step 6
Bake. Score each baguette a few times and bake until golden brown and crusty.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
The wheat flour sold in France has a protein content somewhere between the all-purpose and bread flour sold in the US. By starting the AP flour in a poolish, followed by three additional risings, you're able to produce a bread very close to the flavor, texture, and crust of an authentic French baguette.
The poolish also promotes a crusty texture while keeping the internal texture soft.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- Add rosemary or other herbs to the dough.
- Add mashed garlic to the dough.
- Sprinkle kosher salt or malton salt on the formed baguettes right before sliding them into the oven.
- Swap out the all-purpose flour for bread flour using a 1:1 ratio.
- Divide the dough into three balls of dough instead of six and form three long baguettes instead of 6 shorter baguettes.
🙋♀️ FAQ
Yes, you can substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour on a 1:1 ratio.
The poolish is very important for 1) developing flavor, 2) achieving a crusty exterior, and 3) extending it's shelf-life. I do not recommend skipping this step if you use all-purpose flour.
There are three steps that ensure a crusty bread: 1) starting with a poolish pre-fermentation, 2) creating steam in the oven while the bread bakes, and 3) leaving the loaves in the oven as it cools for an additional 5 minutes.
The poolish step makes this bread more shelf-stable, so it should stay fresh in a paper or cloth bag for 3 - 4 days at room temperature. Avoid storing it in plastic bags and avoid storing it in the refrigerator.
BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. This month's theme is Breads That Pair Well with Soup, hosted by Stacy at the Food Lust People Love blog! Go check out all the soup breads we've made for you this month.
You can see all of our lovely breads by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join send Stacy an email with your blog URL to [email protected].
- Artisan Bread Bowls from Food Lust People Love
- Brazilian Cheese Bread from Passion Kneaded
- How to Make a Crusty French Baguette from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- No Knead Bread from Making Miracles
- Pao de Milho from A Messy Kitchen
- Skillet Corn Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Soft Bread Rolls for Soup from Sneha's Recipe
- Sourdough Breadsticks from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
- Whole Wheat Rolls for Soups and Sandwiches from Karen's Kitchen Stories
How to Make a Crusty French Baguette
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
- Large bowl
- baking sheet or a baking stone
- Spray bottle optional
Ingredients
Poolish
- ½ cup water 103˚-110˚F
- ⅛ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup (4 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
Bread Dough
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water 103˚-110˚F
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups (15.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
Poolish
- Get set up. Weigh your flour if you have kitchen scales. Pour the water in a measuring cup and check the temperature using an instant read thermometer. The water should be 103˚-110˚F. Water warmer than this risks killing the yeast.
- Proof the yeast. Unless I've just purchased the yeast, I recommend testing it before adding the flour. To do this, add the yeast to the water and stir vigorously. Loosely cover the measuring cup and set it in a warm spot of your kitchen. If bubbles form, your yeast is fine.
- Pre-fermentation. Pour the yeast and water into a medium bowl and stir in the flour using a silicone spatula. Cover loosely and set it aside on the counter overnight, or at least 14 hours. It should be bubbly and expanded in volume.Pro-tip: Tightly covering the bowl can suffocate the yeast and kill it.
Bread Dough
- Set up the equipment. Set up a stand mixer if you have one, fitted with a dough hook.
- Make the baguette dough. Add the water (check the temperature for optimal results), yeast, flour, and all of the poolish. Start the stand mixer at a low speed to keep the flour from spraying out of the bowl, and move up the speed as the flour in incorporated. When the ingredients begin to come into a dough, add the salt. Keep the mixer at a medium-low speed (no higher than #3) for 3 - 4 minutes to get a smooth dough that pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and wraps around the dough hook. It's fine if the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl.Pro-tip: Waiting to add the salt eliminates the risk of killing the yeast. Yeast should never come into direct contact with raw salt. Once the yeast begins to be incorporated into the water and flour, it's safe to add the salt.
- First two risings. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Set it in a warm place and allow to rise for 45 minutes. It will be expanded and puffy, but not doubled in size.Deflate with your fist, and pull the corners of the dough into the center. Flip it over, loosely cover, and set in a warm place free of drafts. Allow it to rise another 45 minutes. It will be very soft and puffy.
- Divide the dough. Using the kitchen scales (if you want accuracy), weigh the dough and use a bench scraper to divide it into six equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and cover lightly to rest for 15 minutes.
- Form the dough into baguettes. Taking each piece at a time, while leaving the other balls of dough covered, flatten the ball on a lightly floured work surface using the heel of your hand. Fold the bottom side up as if you were folding a letter up in thirds. But instead of folding the top third over it, pinch the seam and flatten it again with the heel of your hand. Turn the dough 180˚ and repeat by folding the bottom side up as if you're foling a letter in thirds. Pinch the seam and flatten with the heel of your hand.Repeat these 2 steps again. The dough will start to form into a long-ish rectangle.Roll the dough on the counter to an 8" log, slightly tapering the ends to create the iconic baguette shape.
- Third rising. Preheat the oven to 450˚F and place an empty cast iron or oven-safe skillet onto the bottom of the oven to use as a water pan. (Do not use a glass dish.) Remove the upper rack or move it to the top setting and position the lower rack onto the lowest setting slightly above the oven-safe skillet.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil into your palm and lightly coat each baguette with the oil before arranging them with the seam side down on the prepared baking sheet.Lightly cover with plastic and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes. They won't double in size, but will be expanded into pillowy soft baguettes.
- Bake. Remove the plastic and diagonally score each baguette three to five times using a razor blade or very sharp knife. Slide the baguettes into the oven. Add ice cubes and cold water to the hot skillet on the bottom of the oven to create steam and immediately close the oven door. The steam helps create a good crust.Note: If using a baking stone, turn a baking sheet upside down and put the parchment paper over it. Arrange the baguettes on the parchment paper and slide the parchment paper onto the baking stone.Optional: Fill a small spray bottle with water. During the first five minutes of baking, open the oven door and spray the sides of the oven three different times, and immediately close the oven door. This adds steam to the critical first minutes of the baking process which helps to build a crusty exterior.Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the oven door slightly, and leave the bread in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. This also contributes to a nice crust. Remove and cool slightly on a wire rack.
Wendy M. Klik
Now if I could only find some French butter for that baguette, life would be perfect.
Stacy
Your baguettes are lovely, Susan! Nothing beats a good crusty baguette.
The owner of that culinary school sounds like a lunatic, not to mention completely unprofessional! I'd have been glad to get out of there too.
hobby baker Kelly
Well if there was a quintessential daily bread, it would be baguettes for sure! Certainly for any folks that live in France! I love what the poolish does for flavor and all. And I too love all those Scandinavian sweet breads. The Julekake looks wonderful, similar to the Finnish Joululimppu, which does still use rye. I haven't made plain baguettes in years, I should give them another go!
Nothing like a poor instructor to kill the passion, eh? Glad you kept it on your own!
Karen
These look great! Baguettes are my nemesis and I’m constantly trying to improve.
Swathi
These french baugette is perfect and looks delicious I am not yet tried baguette at home. Need to try this.