Traditional French baguette recipe
The traditional French baguette is a crusty, golden loaf with a soft, chewy interior—made simply from flour, water, salt, and yeast. After mixing and folding the dough over a few hours, it's shaped into long loaves, proofed, slashed, and baked with steam for that signature crackle. Perfect with cheese, soups, or on its own, it's a true taste of France in every bite!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking sheet or baguette pan
- Lame or razor blade For scoring
- Oven-proof tray For steam
Ingredients
- 500 g bread flour or T65 if available
- 365 ml cold water
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 2 g instant yeast ½ tsp
- 1/2 tsp a pinch of diastatic malt powder for color & flavor optional
Instructions
Mix & Rest
- In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, and cold water. Let rest for 30 minutes (autolyse). Then add salt and knead gently by hand or stretch and fold.
Stretch & Folds
- Do 3 sets of stretch & folds every 30 minutes. This strengthens gluten without kneading. Cover between sets.
- Skip the hand folding and let your mixer do the heavy lifting — perfect for busy bakers!1. Initial MixAdd flour, cold water, and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook.Mix on low speed (Speed 1) for 2 minutes until combined.Let the dough rest for 20–30 minutes (autolyse) — this helps gluten develop naturally.2. Add Salt & KneadSprinkle in the salt (and malt powder if using).Mix on medium speed (Speed 2) for 6–8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and just slightly sticky.You should be able to pull a thin “windowpane” without tearing.
Cold Fermentation
- Cover bowl tightly and place in the fridge for 12 to 16 hours. This slow rise builds flavor and chew.
Divide & Preshape
- Next day, let dough warm 1 hour at room temp. Gently divide into 2–3 equal portions. Preshape into logs and rest 20 minutes.
Shape the Baguettes
- Roll each log into long baguette shapes, about 35–40 cm. Taper ends for that classic look.
Final Proof
- Place shaped baguettes on floured towel or parchment or a perforated baguette tray. Cover and rest 1 hour until puffy.
- Quick Fermentation process ( for fast method )Mix the dough in a stand mixer for 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic.First rise: Cover and rest at room temp (ideally ~26–28°C) for 1.5 hours, folding once at the 45-minute mark.Shape into baguettes and let them rest (bench rest) for 20 minutes.Final proof: Cover loosely and let rise for 45–60 minutes until slightly puffy.Bake at 220°C with steam for 20–25 minutes.
- Pro Tips for Fast MethodUse warm water (not hot!) to jumpstart yeast activity.Ideal room temp: 26–28°C. If cold, place dough in a switched-off oven with the light on.Don’t skip the steam — it’s still key for that beautiful crust.
Preheat & Steam Setup
- Preheat oven to 220 degree celsius. Place a metal pan in bottom rack. Boil water separately.
Score & Bake
- Slash each baguette 3–5 times. Slide into oven, pour boiling water into hot pan to create steam. Bake 20–25 minutes until deeply golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.
Notes
- Use cold water to slow fermentation from the start.
- Don’t skip the steam—it’s key for a crackly crust.
- Malt powder helps browning and that subtle bakery flavor (optional).
- Use a baking steel or preheated tray for even bottom crust.