Making homemade French-style baguettes like in the bakery is not an easy task! But you are tired of always going to the local bakery to buy something! To help you, we advise you to try our recipe for baguettes that are crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. It’s up to you!
A Parisian sandwich, what do you think? The French love it… Timeless, it’s everywhere! But how to make it a success? Having good bread fresh from the oven is essential! In this article, we show you how to take advantage of the know-how of master bakers.
The traditional French baguette recipe: how to make homemade bread like the baker’s?
Making your own homemade bread is one of life’s greatest satisfactions, at least for those who are passionate about it! For this recipe the result is spectacular and you only need 4 ingredients: flour, yeast, salt and water.
- Preparation: 40 minutes
- Break: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Cooking time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 4 hours 35 minutes
- Servings: 3 baguettes
- Difficulty: easy
- Calories: 180 kcal
What ingredients to make your homemade baguette bread?
- 500 g of T55 or T45 wheat flour (for a healthier option, opt for wholemeal)
- 350 ml of warm water
- 10 g of fresh brewer’s yeast or 3 g of baker’s yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- large salad bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Clean cloth
Express preparation: how to make a good baguette?
- Pour the flour and salt into your salad bowl and mix well with your fingers.
- Dig a small hole in the middle of the flour, add the yeast dissolved in the water and mix with the wooden spoon.
- Once you have a soft, sticky dough, cover everything with cling film and let the dough rest for 2 hours, in the oven off with the light on, so that it rises.
- After this time, degas the dough, then place it on your previously floured work surface and fold it once to consolidate it well.
- Cover the dough again and let it rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- When the dough has doubled in volume, transfer it to a floured work surface and separate the dough into three equal parts.
- Roll out the pieces of dough into a rectangular shape and let them rest for a few minutes.
- Then, using your hands, stretch each piece of dough into a rectangle of about 30 cm and roll it into an oval shape.
- Do another round of folding, resealing the ends so the dough has a regular shape.
- Press the edges of the dough pieces lightly with your fingers and make sure to seal them well so that the baguette does not open and lose its shape during baking.
- Place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray, sprinkle with flour and line up your baguettes, spacing them well apart.
- Cover with a cloth and let it rest for about 30 minutes and that’s it!
The ideal cooking time for crispy baguettes
- After 20 minutes, turn the oven on to 250°, place a pan with water on the bottom, this will create the steam needed to cook the baguettes so that the crust does not harden quickly. It’s the bakers’ secret!
- Cut the tops off the dough pieces before placing them in the oven.
- Jump in! Bake your baguettes on the second rack of the oven (from the bottom) for 10 minutes.
- Open the oven and transfer the pan to the third level, starting from the bottom, for another 15 minutes. And you’re ready to have impeccably golden-brown chopsticks.
What is the best way to bake a baguette in the oven: on a baking sheet or on a baking sheet?
Successfully baking your baguettes at home is not easy at all and we know perfectly well how frustrating and embarrassing it can be to put your heart and soul into it only to end up with a rock-hard loaf. If you’re wondering what the best way to bake a baguette is, the choice is quick: a pad. Baking a baguette on a baking sheet risks making it too crispy and burning it too easily. With a pad, the heat is distributed more evenly and the baguette cooks evenly. That said, when you have the choice, it’s good; otherwise, you make do with what you have!
However, dear readers, if you do not consume your baguettes during the day, do not leave them lying around on the counter in the open air, but rather store them properly.
How to keep baguettes fresh for as long as possible?
If you’re wondering what’s the best way to keep baguettes fresh for as long as possible, here’s a simple method:
- First of all, avoid cutting them in advance (if possible).
- Wrap them in a cloth or store them in a canvas bag and place them in a bread basket in a cool, dry place.
- No bread basket? No problem! Just leave them in their packaging and wrap them in a cotton towel.
- To ensure your baguettes have optimal moisture levels, place a potato or half an apple in the cupboard!
- For later use, you can store them in the freezer without any problem.
If you try this homemade French baguette recipe and succeeded, please give us a short comment in the comments. We’d be happy to hear from you!
