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Two freshly baked baguettes, one whole and one partially sliced, rest on a cooling rack. A dark gray cloth and a white flower are placed nearby on a gray surface.
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French Baguettes

French Baguettes at home, are tender inside with a crisp, tan exterior. Perfect served alongside any dinner or reserved for a French toast breakfast.
Course bread
Cuisine American, French
Keyword bread, French baguettes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
fermentation 2 hours
Servings 2 baguettes
Calories 1.367kcal
Author Paula

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 750 grams bread flour 6-1/4 cups
  • 495 milliliters water about 2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons
  • 15 grams sea salt about 3/4 Tablespoon
  • 8 grams instant yeast 2-1/4 teaspoons

Instructions

  • This written post above this recipe card is full of important information regarding makeing French baguettes. If you have comments, please read the post. I covered everything I could think of in it.
  • Combine all ingredients, into the bowl in this order: water, yeast, bread flour, sea salt. Attach the dough hook and combine for 3 minutes until pickup stage. The dough will look like a shaggy ball.
    A stand mixer with dough in a glass bowl, a dough hook attachment on a gray cloth, and a vase with white flowers are on a gray countertop.
  • Continue mixing on medium speed (4) for about 6 to 10 minutes, reaching cleanup stage. The dough should look more like playdough and the bowl will look "clean" with no remnants of ingredients remaining.
    Dough in a mixing bowl attached to a stand mixer. A gray cloth and a white floral arrangement are nearby on a concrete surface.
  • Remove the dough and knead on a clean counter to form into a smooth ball. Spray the stand mixer bowl with non-stick spray, and set the dough back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
    A hand stretches dough in a glass bowl on a gray surface, with a blue cloth and white flowers visible in the background.
  • **See notes below for pulling a gluten window.
  • Once gluten window appears, reshape the ball and return to the greased bowl. Cover and ferment using one of the recommended methods listed in the blog post, for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
    A bowl with dough covered in plastic wrap on a grey surface. A white flower bouquet and a striped cloth are in the background.
  • Portion the dough into two 625 grams using a kitchen scale, or three 416 gram portions. Keeping the dough covered with plastic wrap while working with other portions, each portion is shaped into rounds and rested for 20 minutes.
    Two pieces of dough are placed on a textured grey surface alongside a metal dough scraper and a grey-striped cloth. White flowers are partially visible in the bottom corner.
  • From there, shape each round into an oval. Begin to fold and pinch the dough over itself on the long edge creating a thicker middle and more tapered ends. Roll the dough like a snake, using two hands for even pressure until the dough reaches the length of your griddle or sheet pan.
    A rolled piece of dough beside a plastic-wrapped roll of dough on a gray surface. White flowers and part of a gray cloth are visible in the lower portion of the image.
  • **If the dough stretches and springs back while working, recover with plastic and let rest 5 minutes before continuing to shape the dough. Work on the other baguette while the first dough rests.
    An elongated piece of dough lies on a black baking tray, with a gray fabric and white flowers nearby.
  • If using a griddle, lay the shaped baguette on the flat side of the griddle diagonally. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and cover the bread with the plastic wrap to ferment another 30 minutes to an hour until nearly doubled in size.
    A wrapped dough roll marked "35" lies on a black tray. A gray cloth and white flowers are visible in the foreground.
  • If using a sheet pan, lay a piece of parchment paper on the sheet pan and spray with non-stick spray before adding the shaped dough. Again lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and lightly cover. Allow the dough to ferment and double in size.
    A freshly baked loaf of French bread with a golden crust and three diagonal slashes, placed on a black baking tray.
  • When just about doubled, preheat the oven to 425F (see notes in blog posts about choosing a crust). Just before adding to the oven, score the top. Make 3 to 5 1/2 inch deep cuts going top to bottom, overlapping by about 1/3 (please see photos).
  • Spray the dough with water, create a steam bath in the oven, or place in the hot oven as is depending on your preferred crust and available tools. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Once golden brown they were remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to fully cool before slicing to serve.

Notes

Gluten Window: Check the gluten window by pulling a small amount of dough from the ball. Gently stretch the dough until your fingers are visible through the dough. If you can do this without tearing the dough, the gluten is strong and elastic. If it tears, knead again just on the counter or table top for 5 minutes, then rest for another 10, and recheck the gluten window.

Nutrition

Calories: 1.367kcal | Carbohydrates: 274g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2.916mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
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