Baguette is a long, narrow loaf of French bread that is hard, crusty and golden-brown on the outside.
The crispy crust is what sets French baguettes apart from other similar breads.
Baguette is iconic to France; French baguette sandwich is famous the world over.
Baguette can be served and eaten as is, to accompany a meal. They are also cut lengthwise and served as a sandwich, such as French-Vietnamese Banh Mi, a popular bread with savory meat and vegetables in Vietnam.
How to Make Baguette?
To make baguette, you need a mother dough, or Poolish. This is a baguette recipe with Poolish.
Poolish is also called Pre-ferment, a technique in bread making where a starter dough is made the night before by mixing flour, water and yeast together.
The dough is left to ferment overnight, or 12-16 hours until bubbles break out from the surface of the Poolish.
The mother dough is then used to create the final dough to make the baguette.
Making baguette at home is actually quite easy, and I have step-by-step picture and recipe guide below.
This recipe is fail-proof, fool-proof and the end results are very authentic.
It does take a bit of time to make the baguettes, but they are so worth it as the aromas of fresh bread fill and linger in the kitchen.
Other Recipes You Might Like
How to Eat a Baguette?
Here are a few common ways to serve and eat a baguette:
- Serve as a side to a meal. Slice the baguettes and spread some butter.
- Slice a baguette lengthwise and turn it into a sandwich, such as Banh Mi.
- Garlic bread.
- Texas Toast
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
Baguette is delicious when it’s sliced to sop up the sauce, such as the dishes below.
Pairs well with:
Homemade Baguette Recipe
French Baguette with crispy and golden crust. Nothing beats hot-off-the-oven baguettes to accompany a family meal. This is a fail-proof baguette recipe!
Ingredients
Poolish
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water
- 1 pinch instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Dough:
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
-
1
The night before, dissolve the yeast into the water for the Poolish, then mix in the all-purpose flour. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 12-16 hours, or overnight. Once the Poolish has bubbles breaking on top and has started to wrinkle, it's ready.
-
2
Transfer the Poolish into the bowl of a stand mixer attached with a dough hook. Add water, salt, yeast and all-purpose flour and knead the dough on slow speed for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let it rise for two hours, giving it a stretch-and-fold at the one hour mark.
-
3
Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes. Shape into baguettes about 12 inches logs and cover, letting them rise for about 60 to 90 minutes.
-
4
Score and bake on a preheated oven at 450F. Place a tray of water below the baguette while baking to create steam in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and serve.
Recipe Notes
This Poolish Baguette recipe is adapted from The Fresh Loaf.
Mahy Elamin
I just LOVE bread and these baguettes look wonderful!
Wendi
Bee your baguette recipe yielded excellent results. I will now experiment with it a bit. Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, Wendi. Let me know about your baguette experiments. :)
Lena
Can I use the regular yeast or do I need the instant yeast?
Rasa Malaysia
Please use instant yeast. I can’t guarantee the results if you use regular yeast.
Sara
Hi! Do you need a mixer with a dough hook or is there another way to do it?
Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
You can knead with hands for 20-30 minutes.
Duncan Moore
Bee, I tried and throughly enjojed the resulting baguettes but can you suggest how to make the crust less hard ad too solid. I think I followed your recipe t theletter but I may have done something wrong.
Rasa Malaysia
Do a water bath in the oven. Add a tray of water and place below the baguette when baking.
Michelle Dunn
I also found the crust very hard, but otherwise, the baguette was delicious. How much water do you need for the tray of water in the oven, while you’re baking the bread?
Rasa Malaysia
Just enough water to create steam in a baking tray.
Christie Dickenson
I couldnt find where to view or open recipe for Baguette
Rasa Malaysia
The recipe is at the bottom of the screen, please scroll down to the pink recipe card.
Liz
Please can you make your recipes printer friendly and able to be found easily. I have looked and looked to try and find the bagette recipe and it keeps going in circles repeating all the time without actually giving the info i require. thanks
Rasa Malaysia
Liz – the recipe is right there, did you scroll down. If you don’t scroll down I can’t help you. The printer button is also there but the plugin is causing problems and we are aware of it. But the recipe is there, it’s not going anywhere whether or not you can print it or not.
Maria Holt
Alas, there is something wrong with the website – when I try to print the recipe for the Baguette, the page reverts to the cover page. Have tried a dozen times, but yesterday and today…..
Thank you for the always splendid recipes and news. You do a wonderful job.
Ijaz mir
Very interesting I love it baking is an art and needs to be learned will try this recipe thankes