Bread and Buns

French Baguette

A baguette is only flour, water, yeast and salt, so time and technique make all the difference. We let the dough mature overnight in the fridge, which builds flavour and makes it far easier to handle cold. Shaping takes practice, and your first baguette might be a little crooked; it will still taste wonderful.

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French Baguette — the finished dish
Prep
40 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
15 h 30 min
Total
16 h 35 min
Servings
6
Level
Challenging
Per serving
305 kcal

Ingredients

Makes: 3 baguettes (35 cm each), 6 portions

Method

  1. Step 1: Mix the dough

    Mix the flour, water and yeast into a uniform dough with no dry bits and rest for 20 minutes. Add the salt and work the dough in the bowl for 3–4 minutes, stretching and folding, until it feels smoother.

  2. Step 2: Stretch and fold

    Over the next 1.5 hours, do three sets of folds, one every 30 minutes: with a wet hand, lift an edge and fold it over the centre, 4 times around the bowl. The dough gets stronger and smoother with each set.

  3. Step 3: Cold ferment

    Transfer the dough to an oiled lidded container and refrigerate for 12–16 hours. It will grow by half to double and be dotted with bubbles.

  4. Step 4: Pre-shape

    Turn the cold dough onto a floured counter and divide it into 3 pieces of about 285 g. Fold each into a loose 15 cm log, cover and rest for 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5: Shape the baguettes

    Pat a log into a rectangle, fold the top third down and seal with the heel of your hand, then fold in half again and pinch the seam. Roll it under your palms from the centre outwards to 35 cm long, tapering the ends.

  6. Step 6: Final proof

    Lay the baguettes seam-side up on a floured linen towel, pleating the cloth between them. Proof for 45–60 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip dent fills back slowly. Heat the oven to 250 °C (480 °F) with a stone or upturned baking sheet and an empty tray on the bottom.

  7. Step 7: Score

    Roll the baguettes seam-side down onto parchment. Holding a blade at about 30°, make 3–4 long cuts, 5 mm deep and almost parallel to the length of the loaf, each overlapping the last slightly.

  8. Step 8: Bake with steam

    Slide the baguettes onto the stone, pour a cup of boiling water into the bottom tray and close the door. Bake for 12 minutes at 250 °C, then remove the water tray, lower to 230 °C (445 °F) and bake 10–12 minutes more until deep golden brown.

  9. Step 9: Cool

    Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, listening to the crust crackle as it contracts.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    If 35 cm won’t fit your oven, divide the dough into 4 and shape shorter 28–30 cm loaves.

  • Tip

    Score with confidence but shallowly. Holding the blade almost flat is what lifts each cut into a crisp raised ear.

  • Variation

    Mist the shaped baguettes with water and roll them in sesame or poppy seeds before the final proof.

  • Storage

    Baguettes stale fast: eat on the day, or freeze as soon as cool and revive at 200 °C for 5–7 minutes.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 6 servings
Energy305 kcal1,830 kcal
Protein10 g60 g
Fat1 g6 g
Carbohydrates63 g378 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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