Homemade Crusty French Baguettes are a long, thin loaf of French bread. It is characterized by its lean and long body and crisp crust. The bread is steam-baked in the oven, which means that it bakes along with a pan of water.
This way of baking creates steam, which enables the crusty crust formation. French Baguettes are the most famous symbol of French Culinary Culture, and for this month’s Home Baker’s Challenge, Priya Suresh suggested this recipe for us.
This is a basic recipe with no fat in the dough and absolutely yields crusty bread. I am also linking this bread to the weekly event, Love to Bake, started by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats . This is my first of many to-come posts for this week.
Preparation time - 10 mins plus 2 hours for resting the dough Cooking time - 25-30 mins Difficulty level - easy
Ingredients to make Homemade Crusty French Baguettes - Makes 2, 14-inch loaves
- Bread flour - 2 cups (substitute with all-purpose flour)
- Active dry yeast - 1 ¼ tsp
- Luke warm water - ¾ cup
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
Procedure to make Homemade Crusty French Baguettes -
Making the Dough -
In a small bowl, add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar. Keep it aside for 5-8 minutes until it is foamy.
In the food processor bowl or a mixer bowl, add the flour and the salt and mix. Now add the yeast mixture and mix well to form dough. Knead the dough until it turns soft and elastic. The dough will be on the softer side and a little sticky.
Keep the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a kitchen cloth. Let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Shaping the Dough -
- Once the dough has been proofed, punch it down and divide it into 2 equal balls.
Working with one half at a time, stretch the dough to form a rectangle. Now fold over the ⅓rd of the dough and bring it towards the center of the rectangle. Using the heel of the palm, press down well on the fold.
Now fold the other ⅓rd of the dough towards the center and press down again. Now fold the dough in half one more time and pinch the seams to seal it well. Refer to the pictures below to shape the dough.
Now repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
Roll both the shaped dough evenly to lengthen it to approximately 14 inches long. Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let it rise for about an hour, one more time covered.
- Once the dough rises one more time, brush it with water and make 3 to 4 cuts on the top of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
- Bake these for about 25-30 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven with a bowl of water on the bottom rack to create steam.
- Once the baguettes are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, remove them from the oven and cool them completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
- I served the French Baguette for dinner, toasted, with garlic butter!
Other Specialty Breads
- Nutella Brioche Flower Bread
- Vegetable Stuffed Braided Bread | Spicy Braided Stuffed Bread
- Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread
- Victorian Milk Bread Recipe
Recipe
Equipment
- ▢ 1 food processor
- ▢ 1 bowl
- ▢ 1 Oven
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 cups Bread flour substitute with all purpose flour
- ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
- ▢ ¾ cup Luke warm water
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Making the Dough -
- In a small bowl add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar. Keep it aside for 5-8 minutes until it is foamy.
- In the food processor bowl or a mixer bowl, add the flour and the salt and mix. Now add the yeast mixture and mix well to form dough. Knead the dough until it turns soft and elastic. The dough will be on the softer side and a little sticky.
- Keep the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it a kitchen cloth. Let it rise in warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Shaping the Dough -
- Once the dough has proofed, punch it down and divide it into 2 equal balls.
- Working with one half at a time, stretch the dough to form a rectangle. Now fold over the ⅓rd of a dough and bring it towards the center of the rectangle. Using the heel of the palm, press down well on the fold.
- Now fold the other ⅓ rd of the dough towards the center and press down again. Now fold the dough in half one more time and pinch the seams to seal it well. Refer to the pictures below to shape the dough.
- Now repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
- Roll both the shaped dough evenly to lengthen it to approximately 14 inches long. Place the shaped dough in a parchment lined baking sheet and let it rise for about an hour one more time covered.
- Once the dough rises for one more time, brush them with water and make 3 to 4 cuts on the top of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
- Bake these for about 25-30 minutes in a preheated 400 F oven with a bowl of water in the bottom rack to create steam.
- Once the baguettes are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, remove them from the oven and cool them completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
- I served the French Baguette for dinner toasted, with garlic butter!
Nutrition
More Bread
- Savory Kugelhopf Bread
- Herb and Cheese Pull Apart Bread
- Aish Baladi | Vegan Egyptian Flatbread
- Moroccan Olive Bread - Vegan Olive Bread
Homemade Crusty French Baguettes
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 bowl
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bread flour substitute with all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
- ¾ cup Luke warm water
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Making the Dough -
- In a small bowl add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar. Keep it aside for 5-8 minutes until it is foamy.
- In the food processor bowl or a mixer bowl, add the flour and the salt and mix. Now add the yeast mixture and mix well to form dough. Knead the dough until it turns soft and elastic. The dough will be on the softer side and a little sticky.
- Keep the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it a kitchen cloth. Let it rise in warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Shaping the Dough -
- Once the dough has proofed, punch it down and divide it into 2 equal balls.
- Working with one half at a time, stretch the dough to form a rectangle. Now fold over the ⅓rd of a dough and bring it towards the center of the rectangle. Using the heel of the palm, press down well on the fold.
- Now fold the other ⅓ rd of the dough towards the center and press down again. Now fold the dough in half one more time and pinch the seams to seal it well. Refer to the pictures below to shape the dough.
- Now repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
- Roll both the shaped dough evenly to lengthen it to approximately 14 inches long. Place the shaped dough in a parchment lined baking sheet and let it rise for about an hour one more time covered.
- Once the dough rises for one more time, brush them with water and make 3 to 4 cuts on the top of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
- Bake these for about 25-30 minutes in a preheated 400 F oven with a bowl of water in the bottom rack to create steam.
- Once the baguettes are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, remove them from the oven and cool them completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
- I served the French Baguette for dinner toasted, with garlic butter!
