Baguette (The Easiest Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of best baguette? ›

One of the secrets of a great baguette is to start with a sponge (a mix of flour, water, and yeast), which gives the yeast time to mature and combine with the other ingredients, creating the mildly sour and nutty flavors and chewy texture.

It should be long and skinny (55 to 60cm would be traditional but is uncommon in these days of shorter baguettes) with a crisp crust, nice brown exterior color, and a moist, cream-colored crumb with an irregular structure. It's best eaten within a few hours once it's out of the oven.

The French bread law

The law states that traditional baguettes have to be made on the premises they're sold and can only be made with four ingredients: wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. They can't be frozen at any stage or contain additives or preservatives, which also means they go stale within 24 hours.

First and foremost, the flour used in France is of very high quality. But the major difference between French and an American baguette is the fermentation process. Most French bakers use a poolish process, which consists of a mix of yeast and water that's allowed to ferment overnight.

Overall, the ideal flour for baguettes should have a moderate protein content, a fine texture, and should be of high quality. While traditional French type 55 flour is the ideal choice, a combination of all-purpose and bread flour can also work well in its place.

This percentage straddles the line between most American all-purpose flours and bread flours, but King Arthur all-purpose flour (the one in the red bag), with its higher-than-normal 11.7% protein, actually makes an excellent baguette flour. If you can't find that one for some reason, use bread flour instead.

It's important to note that baguettes are particularly high in carbohydrates and sodium, so you should choose your portion size based on your diet and overall health goals. In terms of portion size, keep in mind that a full-sized baguette can contain between 4 to 8 servings per baguette.

it's nothing complicated, you mix the yeast, flour and water, and leave that to ferment overnight for about 12-36 hours. This is great for adding extra flavour to your dough and helping to build the structure. In my opinion, it's very difficult to get close to a good baguette if you skip this stage.

The flour you used may have contained too much protein. Protein is one of the ingredients that help yeast bread brown. Use bread flour that is purchased at a grocery store or a national brand of all-purpose flour.

The baguette is one of France's most-loved loaves and is eaten throughout the day. Baguettes can be eaten as early as breakfast time—often toasted, buttered, and dunked in coffee. It's a source of carbohydrates and the fiber necessary to start the day off right! Fruit jam can also be added for an extra treat.

How long must a baguette be? ›

It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter of about 5 to 6 cm (2–21⁄2 in) and a usual length of about 65 cm (26 in), but can be up to 1 m (39 in) long.

But before we dive into this love story, let's get some facts straight… Did you know that France has the highest density of bakeries in the world? Around ten billion baguettes are sold in France every year and the French eat an average of half a baguette each day, per person.

Scored and baked to perfection, this classic French bread baguette has a thin crust and robust flavor. Available as a whole loaf of French baguette bread, this dairy free bread is vegetarian and is made with no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors or colors from artificial sources.

This thin-crusted variety of French Bread—more commonly known as the Baguette, Po' Boy Loaf or Sunday Cap Bread—is fundamental to the New Orleans gastronomy. Each version of the French bread is slightly different. The baguette is the traditional 18-inch loaf that is served in many New Orleans restaurants.

Panera French Baguette offers a wealth of meal preparations, from appetizers and sandwiches to the ideal pairing for a soup or salad. Scored and baked to perfection, this French bread baguette has a thin crust. Available as a whole loaf, this dairy free bread is vegetarian.

In France, bakers pay careful attention to where their flour is made and which grains are used in the milling process. The result is usually softer, heartier, and tastier bread than can be found in other parts of the world. French flour tends to be made with a lower ash content than the flour from other countries.

Use steam: To create steam in your oven, place a tray of hot water on the bottom rack of your oven or spray water on the sides and bottom of the oven right before putting the bread in the oven. The steam helps create a crisp crust on the bread.

Like the focaccia, the baguettes made with bread flour had a much more open crumb and springier, chewier texture, and the scores (the marks on the top of the loaf) opened up more. The dough made with bread flour was much easier to shape; meanwhile, the dough made with all-purpose flour was stickier and slacker.