Crusty French Baguette Recipe
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Few things compare to the magic of a crusty French Baguette fresh from the oven. With its golden, crackly crust and tender, airy interior, this bread is irresistible served alongside a bowl of hot soup, piled high with sandwich fillings, or torn off piece by piece to enjoy with butter.
The best part? This recipe is made with just four simple ingredients, and most of the work is hands-off. A little patience goes a long way here, and the results are so worth it.
I am over the moon about that crunchy, splintery outer crust. See how it shatters? And the interior- soft, pillowy, and so airy. It's perfection.
My family loves a good crusty French baguette. We eat this kind of bread with so many things! It's so chewy, yeasty, and good. I've always been a little afraid to try making it myself. Everything you hear suggests it's complicated and fussy, and only a French boulanger could ever get it right.
WRONG! Here's living proof that anyone can make a killer baguette.
Why You'll Love This Baguette
- Bakery-style at home: You don't need fancy equipment to get an artisan-quality loaf.
- Simple ingredients: Just flour, water, yeast, and salt.
- Crispy crust, tender crumb: For the perfect balance of crunch and softness.
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a snack, side dish, or as a base for sandwiches.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Bread flour - Provides the higher protein content needed for that perfect chewy texture and airy interior.
- Kosher salt - Balances flavor and strengthens the gluten structure.
- Active dry yeast - The key to a good rise and light texture. Instant yeast can also be used.
- Water - Warm water helps activate the yeast, while cool water keeps the dough manageable.
- Additional flour - For dusting your work surface and shaping the loaves.
How To Make A Homemade French Baguette
Step 1: Start the Dough
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it sit until it becomes foamy. This ensures the yeast is active and ready to work.
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast. Slowly stir in cool water until you have a shaggy, stiff dough. You may not need all of the water. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Fold and Rise
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press it into a rectangle, then fold the sides into the center and flatten and rotate it. Repeat the process. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise until it has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
Step 3: Shape the Loaves
Divide the dough into four equal portions. Shape each into a long, thin loaf, approximately 15 inches long, with tapered ends. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely, and let it rise again until doubled in size (30-45 minutes).
Step 4: Bake with Steam
Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a pan of water on the bottom rack to create steam, which helps form that signature crust.
Slash each loaf with a sharp blade, dust lightly with flour, and bake until golden brown and crusty, about 30-40 minutes. The baguettes should sound hollow when tapped.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Don't rush the rise: A slower rise develops more flavor and better texture.
- Use steam: That pan of water in the oven is the secret to a crisp, golden crust.
- Slash with confidence: Clean cuts help the bread expand properly in the oven.
- Cool before slicing: As tempting as it may be, let the loaves rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the crumb to set.
Classic French Baguette FAQ
This type of loaf is infinitely versatile! Slice it into ½-inch rounds and it's perfect as a base for bruschetta or crostini. Or it can be used as a dipper for your favorite party dip. And we love it toasted with garlic butter, for garlic bread. So good with a pasta dinner! Or just tear into it and eat it with a hot bowl of soup. So satisfying!
Baguettes are best when they're freshly baked, but they're still pretty darn great after a few days!
To store a French baguette, wrap it loosely and keep it at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. If you notice it's not as crusty after a while, just pop it in a warm oven (around 170 degrees-ish) for 5-10 minutes, and it should come out good as new.
A fancy French boulanger might not agree with me on this one, but I say go for it!
I do this a lot at my house. When the baguette is still fresh, slice it into thin rounds. I'll often cut on the diagonal so there is more surface area to spread yummy things on. Then, just slip the baguette slices into a zip-top freezer bag, and into the freezer they all go.
Whenever we want a slice of crusty French bread, we just pull out what we need.
The baguette slices thaw in just a few minutes at room temp. Alternatively, they can be warmed in the oven or toasted. It's super convenient!
Yes, but the texture won't be quite as chewy or airy. Bread flour is best.
No. A parchment-lined baking sheet works beautifully for this recipe.
This could be due to inactive yeast, cool rising conditions, or using too little water. Ensure your yeast is fresh and allow the dough plenty of time to rise.
Spritz the loaves with water right before baking, in addition to using a steam pan.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
Ingredients
- 3 ½ tablespoons (52.5 g) warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons (4.67 g) active dry yeast*
- 3 ¾ cups (468.75 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup (295.74 g) cool water, (you may not need all of the water)
- additional flour,, for dusting
Instructions
- Place the warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside and allow the yeast to dissolve and become foamy.
- Place the bread flour into a large bowl and stir in the salt.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and stir in the dissolved yeast.
- Add the cool water, a little at a time, while stirring, just until a stiff, shaggy dough (watch the video below to see what this should look like) has formed (you may not need to use all of the water).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, gently press it into a rectangle, and fold the short sides into the center. Flatten, turn 90 degrees, and repeat.
- Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 to 2 hours).
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and shape each one into a long loaf (about 15-inches long and 1 ½-inches in diameter), with pointed ends.
- Place the loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk (about 30 to 45 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and place a pan of water on the bottom rack.
- Bake the breads until crusty and brown (approx. 30 to 40 minutes). The baguettes should give a hollow sound when tapped.
Just made these 4 baguettes and ate a whole one fresh out of the oven. They turned out amazing and I love how beautifully simple the recipe is. I made them a bit shorter and stubbier but they turned out amazing, nice and crusty on the outside with a beautiful golden/brown colour and then soft and moist and pull apart on the inside. My idea of heaven includes bread like this. And thank you for very clear instructions that I was able to follow easily. I didn't know what shaggy bread meant but I'm more than capable of googling it and with the video it was all very easy to follow along. Thank you!
For folks saying it’s too salty, I wonder if perhaps this is a Morton’s vs Diamond salt issue. I learned some time ago NYT getting tons of feedback about saltiness on their recipes, and when they tested again, they found that those who use Morton’s salt will be saltier, I think due to smaller crystal sizes (and hence greater density). Many recipes now state the brands to avoid this confusion. I have Morton’s, so I already knew to use 1 teaspoon instead of 2 as stated in the recipe, and it tasted perfect.
I also put 1 teaspoon of honey for my yeast when I wasn’t really seeing it foam after 5 minutes. Finally, I did 75% all purpose flour, 25% whole wheat flour. Definitely needed a bit more water to compensate for the wheat flour. I think in the end it tasted super yummy! Mine came out a bit flat so I think I overproofed it, the other comments have been helpful so I know what to fix next time.
Great recipe, but the video is missing. Went to youtube and found it, but link is broken on your site
If you are using an ad blocker, it will prevent the video from loading. I'm seeing the code on the back end and it appears for me on both mobile (IOS) and desktop (Chrome).
At breakfast yesterday we made an impromptu decision to have friends over for dinner last night. It went from just us to 4 couples very quickly. My wife was going to go shopping and said she would pick up a couple of baguettes. I decided to look for a quick baguette recipe and stumbled across your recipe. I threw all the ingredients together and, voila, by 4:00 I had 4 crusty baguettes. They were delicious. I've been making a lot of no-knead breads which take a lot of time and planning. It was great to be able to quickly put only 4 ingredients together and see the results in just a few hours. I will make this recipe again.
Hi! This looks like such a great recipe and I really want to try, but I have to use gluten-free flour. Have you tried or had someone try gf flour and how did it come out? Thank you!
I believe some readers have tried and left specifics here in the comments section.
Fluid ounces for the water?
No- it should be measured by weight.
I'm so excited that I found this recipe! I made the baguettes today and am in heaven! Thank you for all the work you put into these recipes and videos and for sharing it with the world! I can't wait to make them again. One thing I will change though is proofing the loaves on the parchment instead of the towel. I had the same issue that some have had of the loaves deflating when being transferred, but after reading some of the other comments I'll just proof on the parchment. 🙂 My loaves were not too salty as I used kosher salt, and I actually might use just a bit more next time. 🙂 So very happy with this recipe and my family is happy I'm baking our own bread again! Thanks again!
Do u recommend tray Withe woter at the bottom of the oven foe better crust?
Yes.
A wonderful site. so friendly to understand how To bake. One thing i would like your answer since I tried to doit my self bat got it to stiki. I bake with ml and kg how shold i change? When u write cap what is in kg? I'm train now the baguettes and today i buy pinutbutter To bake the brownies ?
Hey there! If you're looking for measurements in kg just click the "Metric" button. It's just below the list of ingredients. Good luck!
Thank you for your baguette recipe! I tried it twice. The first try I followed your minimum proofing time, I wasn't too happy and I thought it could be better. The second try I maxed the proofing time and I got great baguettes! Am very happy with that outcome! Thank you, God bless ?. I'll post the photos on my IG and tag you?.
A friend shared with me live active baguette yeast that I have been "feeding"...can I use this in your recipe and if so, how much! I am so excited to try your recipe!
This is officially the perfect home made bread recipe that I've been searching for! All the others dont taste right or are really hard to get right but this is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!
Really easy to follow; followed it to the letter and got great results. Will definately be trying again. I used normal table salt which worked just as well, I may put a little less in next time though. Didn't need full time in oven, about 25mins was perfect. We enjoyed with baked cambenbert - lovely!
Hi there, I look forward to trying this recipe! I was wondering if you had any tips on how to preserve the baguettes for next day(s) use? As I do not think I will be able to eat it all in One sitting ?
There are tips in the headnotes, under the headings "HOW TO KEEP A FRENCH BREAD BAGUETTE FRESH," and "CAN YOU FREEZE A BAGUETTE?."
D'oh! I totally missed that! Thank you very much for your reply! ?
It took me a whole week to work up the courage to try this recipe, but it was unbelievably easy! Delicious, crispy, fabulous French baguettes! I took them to a dinner party, and they were a total hit. Making some more as we speak! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
For the rest after you've shaped them why don't you just leave them on a baking tray with baking parchment thats lightly oiled and then cover with plastic wrap. So then after the final rise, you don't have to fiddle around with trying to move soft dough onto the tray from the floured towel?
It just seems less tricky. Unless there is a distinct reason why not to?
No you are right- that would work very well. Do it that way if you are more comfortable. I would like to change my recipe to indicate this change, but I will have to re-shoot the video as well. It is on my to-do list!