Classic French Baguette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen scale (essential)
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Baking stone or steel (or heavy inverted sheet pan)
• •Lame or single-edge razor blade
• •Couche or large linen kitchen towel
• •Spray bottle
• •Metal pan for steam
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the initial dough

   Weigh your flour directly into a large mixing bowl. Add the cool water and mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and rough. This is correct. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes. This autolyse period allows the flour to fully hydrate and begins gluten development before you've done any real work.

   Use a kitchen scale. Volume measurements for flour vary wildly depending on how you scoop. Weight is the only reliable path to consistent bread.
2. 2

   Add salt and yeast

   Sprinkle the salt and yeast over the rested dough. Dimple them into the surface with your fingertips, then squeeze the dough through your fingers repeatedly until everything is incorporated. The dough will feel tighter now. Work it for another minute until it becomes smoother and more cohesive. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Perform stretch and folds

   Wet your hand to prevent sticking. Reach under one side of the dough, stretch it upward until you feel resistance, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this four times, completing one full rotation. The dough will tighten into a rough ball. Cover and wait 30 minutes. Repeat this folding sequence three more times, with 30-minute rests between each set. By the fourth fold, the dough should feel alive: smooth, elastic, slightly billowy. It will hold its shape rather than spreading flat.

   Gentle handling preserves the gas bubbles forming inside. Aggressive kneading produces tight, uniform crumb. For open, irregular holes, treat the dough with respect.
4. 4

   Cold ferment overnight

   After the final fold, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Let it ferment for 12 to 18 hours. The dough is ready when it has roughly doubled in size and shows bubbles across the surface. It should smell yeasty and slightly tangy, like beer. Poke it gently. If the indentation fills back slowly, fermentation is complete.

   Cold fermentation is the secret to bakery-quality flavor at home. The cold slows yeast activity, giving enzymes time to develop complex flavors that quick rises can't achieve.
5. 5

   Divide and preshape

   Turn the cold dough onto a lightly floured surface. It will be sticky; resist adding too much flour. Divide it into three equal pieces using a bench scraper. Working with one piece at a time, fold the sides into the center like an envelope, then roll it gently into a rough cylinder. Cover with a clean towel and let rest 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten, making final shaping possible without tearing.

6. 6

   Shape the baguettes

   Take one preshaped piece and place it seam-side up on a lightly floured surface. Press it into a rectangle roughly 4 by 6 inches. Fold the top third down and seal with the heel of your hand. Fold again and seal. Roll the dough over so the seam faces down. Now, with both hands positioned at the center, roll the dough back and forth while applying gentle outward pressure. Your hands should move toward the ends as you roll, tapering the loaf into a 14-inch baguette with slightly pointed tips. The motion takes practice. Accept imperfection.

   If the dough resists and springs back, cover it and wait 5 minutes. Forcing the shape tears the gluten structure you've spent hours building.
7. 7

   Proof the shaped loaves

   Transfer each baguette to a well-floured couche (linen proofing cloth) or a kitchen towel. Create ridges in the fabric between loaves to support their sides and prevent spreading. Cover loosely with another towel or plastic. Let proof at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The loaves should grow visibly puffy but still spring back slowly when pressed. Overproofed baguettes collapse in the oven. Underproofed ones tear unevenly when scored.

8. 8

   Preheat with steam setup

   One hour before baking, position a rack in the lower third of your oven and place a baking stone or inverted sheet pan on it. Put an empty metal pan on the oven floor or lowest rack. Heat to 475°F. The stone needs this full hour to saturate with heat. Prepare a cup of hot water and a spray bottle filled with water.

9. 9

   Score the dough

   Gently transfer proofed baguettes to a parchment-lined peel or the back of a sheet pan. Using a lame (pronounced lahm) or the sharpest razor blade you own, make 3 to 5 diagonal slashes along each loaf at a 30-degree angle. The cuts should overlap by about one third, running nearly parallel to the length of the loaf. Slice swiftly and decisively. Hesitation drags the blade and deflates the dough. The cuts should be about 1/4 inch deep.

10. 10

    Bake with steam

    Slide the baguettes onto the hot stone. Immediately pour the hot water into the metal pan below (it will hiss and steam violently; keep your face clear) and mist the oven walls with your spray bottle. Close the door quickly. The steam is critical: it keeps the crust soft during the first minutes of baking, allowing the loaves to expand fully before the surface sets. Bake 10 minutes with steam.

    Never open the oven door during the steam phase. Every opening releases the humidity you need for proper crust development.
11. 11

    Finish baking

    After 10 minutes, carefully remove the water pan or crack the oven door briefly to release remaining steam. Continue baking another 12 to 15 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. The internal temperature should reach 205°F to 210°F. Err toward darker. A pale baguette tastes like potential unfulfilled.

12. 12

    Cool completely

    Transfer baguettes to a wire rack immediately. Listen for the crackling. That sound is the crust contracting as it cools, forming those distinctive fissures along your score marks. Do not cut into the bread for at least 30 minutes. The interior is still setting. Slice it too soon and you'll find gummy crumb and wasted effort. Patience rewards you with bread that shatters when torn, its interior webbed with irregular holes begging for butter.

Chef Tips

• •Buy bread flour with at least 12% protein content. King Arthur Bread Flour is widely available and consistent. All-purpose flour produces acceptable results but less chew and structure.
• •If you lack a baking stone, an inverted cast iron skillet or heavy sheet pan works. Preheat it thoroughly. What matters is mass that holds heat when cold dough hits it.
• •Baguettes stale quickly because they contain no fat. Eat them the day they're baked. Day-old baguettes make exceptional croutons, breadcrumbs, or French toast.
• •Your first loaves will look amateurish. Your fifth batch will look competent. By your tenth, friends will ask where you bought them. The learning curve is real but short.
• •Scoring takes practice. Watch videos of French bakers making those effortless slashes. Notice the angle of the blade, the confidence of the stroke. Then practice until your hands know what your eyes saw.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough must ferment 12-18 hours in the refrigerator. Plan to mix the dough the evening before you want fresh bread.
• •Shaped, proofed baguettes can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours if you need to delay baking. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before scoring and baking.
• •Baked baguettes freeze well for up to 1 month. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Reheat directly from frozen in a 375°F oven for 10-12 minutes to restore the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 288g)