French bread (homemade baguette)
Homemade French-style baguette: thin, crackly crust and a light, airy crumb. With a high-hydration dough and a long fermentation, you get real bakery quality at home, no machine needed.
Ingredients
- 500 g bread flour or strong flour (W240-280)
- 350 g cold water (18-20 °C)
- 5 g dry active yeast
- 10 g fine salt
Instructions
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Initial mix (no salt yet)
Combine the flour, dry yeast and cold water until no dry flour remains. Do not add the salt yet. Cover and rest for 30 minutes (autolyse): the flour hydrates and gluten begins to develop on its own.
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Add the salt
Add the salt to the dough and knead for 5 minutes using the stretch-and-fold technique until the salt is fully incorporated and the dough has some tension. It will be a wet, sticky dough: that is correct.
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Fermentation with folds
Leave the covered dough to ferment at room temperature (22-24 °C) for 2 hours. During the first hour, perform one set of folds every 30 minutes: wet your hands, stretch one side of the dough and fold it over the centre, repeating on all four sides.
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Cold retard (optional but recommended)
For more flavour, refrigerate the covered dough for 8 to 24 hours. Slow cold fermentation develops complex aromas and makes shaping easier. If you are short on time, skip this step and continue.
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Divide and pre-shape
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Pre-shape each one into a gentle cylinder without fully degassing. Rest covered with a cloth for 20 minutes.
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Shape the baguettes
Flatten each portion into a rectangle, fold the top third towards the centre and seal, repeat with the bottom third, then roll up tightly to form a long cylinder. Taper the ends by rolling with your hands to about 30-35 cm.
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Final proof
Place the baguettes on a floured cloth with folds between them to hold their shape (or in a baguette tray). Cover and leave to proof for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 °C with a tray on the bottom shelf for steam.
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Score and steam bake
Transfer the baguettes to parchment paper and make 3-4 overlapping diagonal slashes with a razor blade. Bake at 250 °C, pouring hot water onto the bottom tray to create steam. After 10 minutes reduce to 220 °C and bake for a further 12-15 minutes until golden and crisp.
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Cool
Leave the baguettes to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. You will hear the crust crackle as it cools: that is the sign of a great French bread.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my baguette not crispy?
The oven needs to be very hot (250 °C) and you need steam in the first 10 minutes: the water in the bottom tray creates the characteristic thin, crackly crust. Cool in the open air, never in a closed bag.
Do I need a baguette tin?
It is not essential. You can cradle the baguettes in the folds of a floured kitchen cloth during proofing. The tin only helps maintain a rounder cross-section.
What is the difference between French bread and regular homemade bread?
French bread uses higher hydration, a longer fermentation and a higher baking temperature, which produces a thin crust and a very open crumb. Easy homemade bread is quicker and has a tighter crumb; it is the better starting point if you are new to baking.
Can I freeze baguettes?
Yes. Freeze them already baked and cooled, wrapped individually. To serve, bake directly from frozen for 5-7 minutes at 200 °C and the crispy crust comes right back.
Why is the salt added after hydrating the flour?
This is the autolyse technique: resting flour and water together for 30 minutes without salt relaxes the dough and promotes gluten development without kneading. Salt is added afterwards because direct contact inhibits hydration and slows the initial fermentation.
Can I use plain flour instead of bread flour?
You can, but bread flour (higher protein) gives better structure and a more open crumb. With plain flour the baguette will be denser and will spread more when shaping.
