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.
So crunchy!! Only thing I would change is to divide the dough in half to make 2 larger baguettes.
Hi,
I can only make 2 baguettes out of the dough, and they are skinny ones. Any suggestions why i don’t get more?
Thank you,
Louis
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. The loaves will be smaller but that is the traditional size for a baguette.
Hi Allie,
I’ve done it the first time i made them and they were line ficelles vs. baguettes.
Thank you,
Louie
I am having a difficult time finding bread flour. Can I substitute AP flour? Also, bread recipes I make always seem not to require enough flour for the dough to hold its shape. Is it okay to add additional flour?
Yes it's ok to do that and AP flour is an ok substitute. Good luck!
Hi Allie,
I will be trying this recipe tomorrow! I am super excited also nervous as it will be my first time trying out a bread recipe. A question, can I use wheat flour instead of bread flour? Thank you 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe, it is very easy to make and results are amazing. The only thing I adjusted was salt, I put 1-1/4 teaspoons as I don't have kosher salt, just a regular fine one. It was exactly the right amount for me.
Thank you!
I am learning to bake, and am still pretty terrible at it. This was only my second time making bread, and the results were astonishing. I made baguettes! They have a super crunchy crust and a chewy inside and they taste like actual French bread. They didn't rise quite as much as they should have (based on extensive viewing of the Great British Bake Off I'd venture that they were a little underproofed and/or overworked), and I wasn't able to score them properly, but they are seriously, actually BAGUETTES and I cannot stop crowing about having made them. I followed the recipe exactly, and baked them for 35 minutes. Because of my extremely poor track record with baking in general and bread in particular, I'll wager that anyone who has the ingredients and a functioning oven can make a decent go of this. Thank you so much for the brilliant recipe!
Aw, I'm so proud of you Lily! Way to step out of your comfort zone. And look at what you've achieved! Well done!
Is this recipes using fluid ounces (weight) or not? I can tell because of the notes at the bottom. Thanks!
The note at the bottom says "Ms. Black recommends measuring the ingredients for this recipe by weight, because it's more accurate." So all of the measurements listed are by weight, not volume. If you prefer to use metric, just click the "Metric" button just below the list of ingredients.
I made this today and although the bread is tasty, it didn't exactly go as I had expected. First of all, you said add 10 ounces of water until a "shaggy" dough forms. In other recipes where a shaggy dough was formed, this meant a pretty sticky dough, so that's what I went for. I used the full 10 ounces of water and the dough was very sticky. I didn't realize this was a problem until I got to putting them in the oven and they wouldn't even hold together for me to pick them up to transfer to a baking sheet. Also, I wasn't able to put the slits in the dough since it was so super soft...So my main question is...when you say "shaggy", do you mean a wet sticky dough (as I've seen in other recipes) or do you mean a more dry dough?
Shaggy is not sticky! Quite the opposite. Take a look at the video to see what a shaggy dough looks like. You can also google "shaggy dough" to see more examples.
I’m so upset..did everything according to recipe... when I went to transfer from towel to greased pan to bake the loafs where stuck to the towel ??. I tried to save Especially since bread flour is hard to get at this time....I still baked and taste pretty good..I will definitely try again minus the towel!,
So sorry to hear that Donna! Try again without the towel, or just make sure the towel is well-floured next time.
Hi, just want to make sure about the amount of warm water you use for the yeast. The recipe says 1.75 ounces which is a little less than ¼ cup. Your video looks like you are using a lot more than that. Is the 1.75 ounces correct?
1.75 ounces is what I used in the first step where you see me proofing the yeast.
Made these today but doubled the recipe and am so glad I did. They are the bomb! reminds me of being back in Europe soooooo good
Thank you
You're so welcome! Thank you for the positive feedback!
Allie I found the baguette video...... the pan of water is missing, the amount of water in pan is how many ml? the pain is put in while oven is warming up to bake temp? does the pan w/ water remain for the entire baking time?
Yes just fill a pan with enough water to last throughout the duration of preheating the oven and baking the loaves. It will create steam which promotes a nice crust.
I think you must have made a typo mistake when you published your recipe. You call for TWO teaspoons of salt. Mixed with just two cups of flour the end result is an extremely salty tasting end product. I tried more than once to get it but the results were consistent. Most other recipes I ultimately researched called for the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Needless to say, I am now using a different recipe. But thanks for posting yours.
Hey there- thanks for the message but there are no typos in this recipe. It's been live for well over a year and there are over 260 comments on it from readers who have made it. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive. If you prefer a lower sodium option then you can decrease the amount of salt so that it's more to your liking.
Is there a recipe somewhere among all these ads on here?
Yes and if scrolling is too difficult for you to manage, you can just hit the "Jump to Recipe" button at the top of the page. Enjoy the free recipes!
I’m not really a baker but this was super easy. ( I even cheated and used tablespoons/cups instead of ounces.) My 20-year-old son said it tasted like fancy restaurant bread!
That is so great to hear Mary! Thank you so much for the 5-star rating. I'm so glad you and your son enjoyed!
You say that it's recommended to weigh some of the ingredients, but you don't mention which ones. Since ounces are both a measure of volume and weight, I'm assuming weigh the dry ingredients and the liquid measurements are by volume? Or are all they all by weight (oz). The distinction would be helpful.
(forgot to add that I guessed the first time I made this recipe, measuring the dry ingredients by weight and wet by volume, and it turned out great but not perfect. Trying to be better for the second round!)
Everything should be measured by weight. Sorry for not being more clear about that!
This is bonkers good. Thank you!
You're welcome! Thank you for the great feedback!