Baguette
Ingredients
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- 12 1/4 ounces water – room temperature
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 17 7/12 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour – for dusting
- 1 cup water – boiling (for steam)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, whisk the instant yeast into the room-temperature water until dissolved. Add the 17.6 ounces all-purpose flour and mix with a hand or dough whisk until no dry flour remains and the dough is shaggy, 1–2 minutes. Cover and rest 20–30 minutes (autolyse).
2. Sprinkle the fine sea salt evenly over the dough. Pinch and fold the dough to incorporate the salt, then knead in the bowl with a series of folds until smooth and cohesive, 2–3 minutes.
3. Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature until slightly puffy, about 1.5–2 hours. During this bulk fermentation, perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes: with damp hands, lift one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over; rotate the bowl and repeat on all sides.
4. About 45–60 minutes before baking, place a baking stone or steel on the middle rack and an empty metal pan on a lower rack. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
5. Lightly flour the work surface with the 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out, divide into 3 equal pieces, and gently pre-shape each into a loose 7–8 inch log. Cover and rest 15–20 minutes.
6. Shape the baguettes: Working with one piece at a time, pat gently into a rectangle. Fold the top third down to the center and seal; fold the bottom third up to the center and seal. Fold in half lengthwise and seal the seam. Roll gently from the center outward to 14–16 inches, tapering the ends. Place seam-side up on a well-floured couche or a floured kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pieces.
7. Cover and proof until the loaves are noticeably puffy and a gentle finger dent springs back slowly, 45–60 minutes.
8. Prepare to bake: Invert the baguettes seam-side down onto a floured peel or parchment. Using a sharp lame or serrated blade, score each loaf with 4–5 overlapping diagonal slashes about 0.25 inch deep.
9. Slide the loaves onto the preheated stone/steel. Immediately and carefully pour the 1 cup boiling water into the hot pan to create steam, then close the oven door.
10. Bake until the baguettes are deep golden brown with crisp, blistered crusts and sound hollow when tapped, 22–28 minutes; an instant-read thermometer should read about 205–210°F in the center. Vent the oven for the last 3–5 minutes by cracking the door slightly for extra crust.
11. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely until the crust sets and the crumb finishes, at least 45 minutes before slicing.
A baguette is a long, slender French loaf known for its thin, crackling crust and a tender, open crumb with irregular holes. Its flavor is clean and wheaty with subtle sweetness that develops through fermentation, making it versatile for sandwiches, tartines, and simple accompaniments like butter or cheese. Fresh from the oven, the contrast of brittle crust and moist interior is the hallmark that makes the baguette beloved worldwide.
The baguette rose to prominence in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries alongside steam-injected deck ovens that enabled crisp crusts and rapid expansion. Over time it became a daily staple, protected culturally by norms and, in modern times, the “baguette de tradition française” decree that restricts ingredients to flour, water, yeast or levain, and salt with no additives. Today it remains a symbol of French baking craft and neighborhood boulangeries, enjoyed morning to night.