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.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! My husband asked for a baguette with a crunchy crust and your recipe delivered!
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
Old recipe called for 16 ounces of flour. For wet ingredients, such as water, 16 ounces would equal 2 cups; but for dry ingredients such as flour or sugar, 16 ounces is more like 4 cups. This recipe has changed and it no longer works…very wet…could you republish the old recipe or check your measurements? I have been using this recipe for years and it was always spot on…but not any longer since you changed the measurements.
You are absolutely correct. My apologies. Thank you for pointing out the oversight. The correction has been made.
16 ounces of flour (old recipe) is more than 2 cups….
I have been making this bread recipe for a while now, but I believe the flour and water measurements used to be in ounces? In the conversion to grams I think the proportions got off - can you provide the old recipe in ounces - I forgot how much warm water, cool water, and flour to use.
No problem: 16 ounces of flour, 1.75 ounces of warm water, and just enough cool water to create a shaggy dough (approx. 10 ounces).
Thank you!
Please respond regarding changes to the recipe. Has the amount of flour changed?
No it has not. It was updated from ounces to cups but the amounts did not change.
I’m glad to see you finally realized the amount of flour was not correct as I indicated in my previous comment. This is a great recipe that I use regularly. So glad you realized your error!
Just a guy on my day off that dosent cook a lot. But wow I’ll never buy bread again
This is my go to baguette recipe! I form into 2 loaves and use a curved aerated baguette pan for baking, and they turn out perfect! I also use bread flour instead of AP. Question, has anyone attempted baking these in a convection oven? We recently bought a new oven and it has a convection option, and even after reading up on utilizing convection, I’m not quite sure how much lower to adjust temp, etc. Any tips?
So happy you like it! There are TONS of comments on this post, it's likely that someone has and has shared their experience here. But I can tell you that generally you'd lower the oven temp by about 25 degrees F if you're baking on the convection setting. Good luck!
I tried this recipe this afternoon and the result came out really well!
Thank you for sharing~
Love this recipe! I have made it several times and it always turns out great.
This time I added too much water... how do I remedy that? Just add more flour?
LOVE it!! Thanks!
That would probably help! May need to up the salt a little as well? So glad you like the recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. As French, I confirm the baguettes are very close to the traditional ones.
I don't know if it is my oven, but for me it take only 20min if I divide the dough in 4 baguettes. I would recommend to make 3 baguettes and bake them for 25min.
Can I make this into two or three loaves instead of four? They look kind of thin.
Absolutely! If you like a chubbier loaf you can definitely do that. Just be aware you may have to extend the bake time slightly.
Made this today. It really is easy and I'm super happy with how it turned out. Really, really airy and light on the inside. So amazing. The hardest part was transferring from the cloth to the pan. Next time I will let them raise right on the pan with parchment. I found them a bit salty so next time I will reduce the salt a wee bit. I will also do 3 baguettes instead of 4 next time so they are a little big bigger. Thanks for a great recipe!
Great recipe. I made a few modifications:
1. Used bread flour.
2. My kitchen tends to be cold in the morning, so I keep all water at 110-115 degrees - yeast seems to prosper, and the whole mass cools while you are working on it anyway. I think it does rise faster, so keep an eye on it.
3. I just dump in the whole packet of instant dry yeast because I hate the leftover fractional packets. I tend to reach for the Fleischmann's active dry yeast when I shop - no science behind my preference, just grew up seeing it in my parents' house:)
Placing plastic over the loafs for the second rise is a terrible idea. It restricts the proofing. I recommend placing a pan of boiling water in the oven and proofing the loafs in there.
Not if you cover them lightly and mist the plastic wrap with non-stick spray. It works beautifully for me, as can be seen in the video. But if you have another method you like better you can feel free to use it. No need to be rude or nasty.
Wonderful recipe ? I usually make baguettes using a poolish but I wanted to try your recipe and it was fabulous,! crunchy on the outside and soft with a beautiful open crumb on the inside. I wish I could send you a picture. Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe ❤️?❤️?
Fantastic baguettes - could probably bump up the volumes a bit - they’re pretty small. As well, 23 minutes in a hot oven is all these take!
Does this not bread not get kneaded? The video link appears to be broken and there does not appear to be any directions to knead the bread. I am very confused, this is a very dry bread and does not sit overnight, so I am unsure if gluten will develop without kneading. Can someone please advise?
I would consider this a no-knead bread, although the folding process does help to develop the glutens a bit.