This crusty French baguette recipe is easier to make than you think! Here’s a video tutorial showing how to make this classic crusty bread.

What’s better than a crunchy fresh French artisan baguette? (Almost nothing.) Well, here’s an easy baguette recipe you can make at home! It’s simple to make: there’s no special equipment required! And the only ingredient you need are all-purpose flour, yeast and salt. You will be absolutely amazed at the crunchy texture, tangy flavor, and beautiful long loaf. We have a long list of bread recipes (including our “famous” sourdough bread), but Alex and I agreed this one is our new favorite. The flavor is out of this world. Here’s what to do!

How to make this baguette recipe: an overview!

Here’s the basic outline of what you’re getting yourself into with this baguette recipe. The process spans 3 days! Day One takes 1 hour (just a few minutes of hands on time) and you’ll need about 3 hours on Day Three to shape and bake it. In between, you’ll rest the dough in the refrigerator for 2 days. This is the secret to the very best baguette flavor! Here’s an outline of what you’ll have to do:

Day 1	Mix the dough, proof 1 hour, refrigerate (15 minutes active)
Day 2	Refrigerate dough
Day 3	Proof and shape dough (30 minutes active, 2 hours inactive) Bake (40 minutes) Cool (20 minutes)

Equipment list for making a baguette (nothing special needed!)

This baguette recipe requires no special equipment! Compared to other artisan bread recipes like our sourdough, artisan, or even no knead, it’s got the smallest list of required tools. There’s no Dutch oven and no proofing basket needed. Here’s what you need!

Required tools for this artisan bread recipe

1. Parchment paper
2. Baking sheet
3. Sharp knife or lame for scoring the bread
4. Kitchen scale for measuring (optional)

All you need is all-purpose flour

Another feature of this baguette recipe is that all you need is all-purpose flour! Our other bread recipes use flour blends like whole wheat and bread flour. Baguettes are surprisingly simple: requiring only all-puprose flour, salt and yeast.

This recipe makes 2 loaves: halve it if desired!

This baguette recipe makes 2 loaves of bread. If you don’t think you’ll eat two in a few days, here are some options:

• Make half the recipe. It works just as well with half the quantities: you can follow the recipe to a T.
• Freeze the second baguette. You can freeze the second baguette for several months, then reheat it from frozen. It comes out a little crustier but the flavor is just as good! See the “Storage” section below.

Think ahead! A 2 day rest is required.

We said it once, but we’ll say it again. This bread requires thinking ahead a few days. You’ll need to rest the bread dough for 2 days in the refrigerator. Why?

• The 2 day rest makes a complex, tangy flavor. Resting the dough in the refrigerator is also called “fermenting”. As the dough ferments, it develops a naturally tangy and complex flavor. (We also suggest this with our best pizza dough.) You can truly taste the difference!
• It doesn’t have to be exactly 48 hours. There is some wiggle room, so don’t worry if you do about 1.5 days instead of a full 2 days on the rest time.

How to shape a baguette (video!)

The part of making this baguette recipe that requires the most technique is folding and shaping the dough. It’s easiest to learn how to shape the dough by watching. So, we made you a video! Here’s Alex demonstrating how to shape a baguette. We highly recommend watching this video before you start!

How to score a baguette

See those beautiful lines on the top of the baguette? Those are called score lines. Scoring is slashing the top of the dough with a sharp knife to allow it to expand when baking. Here are some things to know about scoring the baguette (also watch the video above):

• Use your sharpest knife, or a lame. You’ll want the knife to be ultra sharp. We purchased a lame for this, since we make lots of bread recipes. But a knife works just as well!
• Make shallow, diagonal overlapping cuts. You want to cut just the surface — if it’s too deep it collapses, if it’s too shallow it bursts. Make the pattern look like the one in the video above, where the cuts overlap diagonally.

Storage & reheating info for this baguette recipe

This baguette recipe has no preservatives, so the storage is different from a bread you might buy from the store. Since this recipe makes two loaves, you can freeze the second one and eat it later! It comes out a little crustier than the day of baking, but it’s still fantastic and the flavor is perfectly preserved. Here’s what to do:

• Room temperature storage (2 days): Once you’ve baked your French baguette, it is best eaten within 48 hours. Store it wrapped in a towel at room temperature.
• Frozen (3 months): Let the baguette cool to room temperature, then wrap it in aluminum foil and place it in a plastic bag. Freeze for several months.
• Reheating: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Unwrap the baguette and add directly to the oven grate (from frozen!) and bake about 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through.

Ways to serve this baguette

There are so many ways to serve a baguette! Likely you already have ideas. Here are some of our favorites, including some ways to use stale bread:

• On a cheese board. See above! Add a variety of cheeses, olives, nuts, and jam and you’ve got one incredible cheese board for entertaining.
• With salted French butter. One of the very best taste treats: this baguette with salted French butter. Look for French or European-style butter at your local grocery.
• With dips. Try it with our Spinach Artichoke Dip: it’s delightful.
• Crostini. When it’s starting to go stale, turn it into Easy Crostini and top with toppings, or make Goat Cheese Crostini.
• Garlic toast. Another idea for Day 2, make it into this insanely garlicky Garlic Toast.
• Breadcrumbs or croutons. If you get to the point where it’s pretty stale, make it into breadcrumbs or croutons! You can also use it for panzanella or bread soup.

This French baguette recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy free.

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A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes