Bakery Style Baguettes - Make Classic French Bread At Home

bread flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil offers healthier fats.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey provides natural sweetness.

milk

🥗Healthier: almond milk

💰Cheaper: water

Almond milk is lower in calories.

Weigh out 475 grams of all-purpose flour.

Sprinkle in 3 grams of yeast.

Add 360 grams of water and mix until a sticky dough forms.

Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes (autolyse).

Sprinkle in 9 grams of salt and add a few drops of water to help dissolve it.

Perform the first stretch and fold: lift the dough from the bottom and drop it onto itself, turning the bowl a quarter turn after each lift, repeat four times.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 25 to 30 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and fold process three more times every 25 to 30 minutes.

After the final stretch and fold, portion out the dough into three pieces (eyeball the portions).

Let the portions rest on a well-floured surface for 15 minutes, covered.

Shape each portion into a baguette by patting it into an oblong shape, rolling it up, and pressing down the seam.

Transfer the shaped baguettes onto parchment paper and cover them to proof until they are one and a half times their size (about 15 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) and place a pan of water on the bottom rack.

Let the baguettes rise for 45 minutes to one and a half hours, until they are one and a half times their size (about one hour in this case).

Brush water on the baguettes and make slits on top using a razor blade.

Once the oven is preheated, slide the parchment paper with the baguettes onto the hot baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, brushing with water five minutes into baking and again during the baking process.

After 22 minutes, check that the baguettes are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens