How to make baguette: best recipe for French white bread sticks

Dieser Beitrag ist auch verfügbar auf: Deutsch

Crispy aromatic crust and airy soft crumb – who can resist a freshly baked baguette?! Whether with a spread for breakfast, as a sandwich between meals or with a soup for lunch – the French white bread stick tastes delicious at every meal. Here I show you how to make a delicious baguette yourself. You can find a detailed baguette recipe with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions right below.

How to make baguette: best recipe for French white bread sticks

What is baguette?

Baguette is a French white bread stick that has a crispy crust and is coarse-textured, soft and airy on the inside. The dough for baguette consists of flour, yeast, water and salt. Sometimes it is prepared with pre-dough. The amount of yeast is small, so the dough needs a longer time – up to 24 hours – in a cool place to rise. It has a very sticky consistency and is not kneaded, but folded. Before baking baguette is cut several times and baked in the oven with hot air. By the way, translated from French, the word “baguette” means “little stick”.

How to make baguette

Fold, fold and fold again

With a real baguette dough it is said: always fold and never knead. It should be handled very velvety, so that it remains airy and soft, which in the end is reflected in the baguette. The dough does not tolerate rough kneading, as is the case with an ordinary yeast dough. A good baguette dough is very soft, sticky, even quite mushy at the beginning. After folding and rising several times, it becomes more and more elastic, but still very, very soft and has air bubbles.

Which flour do I use for French baguette?

German wheat flour type 550 and the French baguette flour T65 are best for a baguette. The flour should be of very good quality. Because the quality of homemade bread depends on it.

In which baking pan to bake baguette?

For baking baguettes, there are baguette baking trays. Such a baking pan ensures that the stick white bread gets its typical shape. Above all, a baguette baking tray consists of many small holes, so that the heat reaches each side of the baguette evenly during baking. This makes it browned and crispy on all sides. If you don’t have such a baking pan, you can also bake the French white bread stick on a wire rack or on an ordinary baking sheet.

Best baguette recipe

How to make baguette yourself: the most important facts in summary

  • German flour type 550 or French baguette flour T65,
  • little yeast, long resting time for the dough,
  • do not knead the dough, but fold it,
  • sticky, mushy consistency of the dough at the beginning, very soft, sticky consistency with air bubbles after folding,
  • bake at high temperature in preheated oven.

For breakfast, as a snack or with soup

Fresh baguette is perfect especially for breakfast. If you make the dough early in the morning, you can bake your white baguette the next morning. This way you have freshly baked, still warm baguette for breakfast. It tastes very delicious with carrot lox or the vegan tuna spread – not only for breakfast, but also as a snack in between. You can also make the delicious bruschetta with tomatoes and basil from the baguette. It is also ideal for sandwiches. For lunch or dinner with a soup homemade baguette replaces ordinary bread.

How to make French baguette

Why make baguettes yourself?

Although you can buy a baguette in many bakeries, it does not have the same taste as a real French white bread. The long resting time for the dough is not observed in bakeries, but more yeast is added to the dough. As a result, store-bought baguettes never achieve the consistency and taste of the original. In addition, the list of ingredients in some breads from bakeries is rather questionable. So, if you want to enjoy a real French baguette without unhealthy additives, you should make it yourself. Moreover, it is very easy to make baguette. And you only need four ingredients for the recipe. You just need to be patient and give the yeast dough enough time to rest to end up with the best baguette.

How to store homemade French baguette

Homemade baguette tastes best fresh, that is, the day it was baked. But it is still very tasty even in the next few days. You can keep it in the refrigerator for about 3 – 4 days. Store your French baguette in an airtight container, such as a lunch box. You can also freeze it.

French baguette

French white bread stick is

  • vegan,
  • soft,
  • airy,
  • fluffy,
  • aromatic,
  • incredibly tasty,
  • with a crispy crust,
  • to make from only four ingredients,
  • easy to make yourself,
  • ideal for breakfast, as a snack or with main dishes.

Best baguette recipe

You can find the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions to make French baguette yourself here below in the box recipe.

For the classic baguette recipe you need only four ingredients. These are

  • flour,
  • lukewarm water,
  • yeast
  • and salt.

How to make baguette: this is how you proceed

  1. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Mix flour with salt. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture and mix to form a very sticky, mushy dough. Let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature, folding every 20 minutes. Then let rise in the refrigerator for 21 hours.
  2. Divide the dough into three pieces, fold each piece and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Then shape each piece of dough into a baguette and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
  3. Bake the baguettes at 230 °C convection / hot air for approx. 20 minutes. Done!

French white bread sticks

How to make baguette yourself: tips and tricks

  • With German wheat flour type 550 or French baguette flour T65 you will succeed in making the best baguette.
  • A really good baguette does not tolerate haste. Add only a small amount of yeast to the dough and let it rise long enough in the refrigerator.
  • If you use dry yeast instead of fresh yeast, you’ll need 1 g of it for the recipe below.
  • The amount of flour listed in the recipe may vary. You will need enough flour until the dough has the right consistency. It should be very sticky and mushy. If your dough is firm, add a little more lukewarm water. If it is too runny, add some more flour.
  • Do not knead the dough, just fold it to make it light and airy.
  • In order for your baguette to have a crispy crust, you should bake it at a high temperature, definitely in a preheated oven.

How to make French white bread sticks

Have you made French baguette yourself using this recipe? I look forward to your result, your star rating and your comment on the recipe below, how you have succeeded and tasted the white bread sticks.

Fancy some more pastries from French cuisine? Try also:

French baguette recipe

French baguette recipe

Crispy aromatic crust and airy soft crumb – who can resist a freshly baked baguette?! Whether with a spread for breakfast, as a sandwich between meals or with a soup for lunch – the French white bread stick tastes delicious at every meal. According to this recipe you can make a delicious baguette yourself.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 1 day 2 hours
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine French
Servings 3 baguettes

Ingredients
  

  • 375 ml water (lukewarm)
  • approx. 500 g German flour type 550
  • 3 g fresh yeast
  • 10 g salt
  • flour for the work surface and for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Dissolve fresh yeast in lukewarm water.
  • Mix flour with salt.
  • Add the liquid yeast mixture to the dry flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon to form a homogeneous very sticky and mushy dough. If the dough is firm, add some more lukewarm water. If it is too liquid, add some more flour. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with a towel and let it rise at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and spread it into a square with your hands (rolling them a little in flour). Fold each side of the square in turn to the center, return the resulting packet to the mixing bowl with the folded sides down, cover with a towel, and let rise at room temperature for another 20 minutes. Repeat folding and letting rise two more times every 20 minutes.
  • Let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 21 hours after the last folding.
  • Then divide it into three equal pieces, spread each piece into a square and fold it into a packet. Place the three packets on a floured work surface with enough space between them, cover them with a towel or plastic wrap, and let them rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Now shape each dough packet into a baguette. To do this, spread the packet out again into a square and roll it up into a roll. Pull the ends of each roll to a point.
  • Place the three baguettes on either a baguette baking sheet, a wire rack lined with parchment paper, or an ordinary baking sheet, dust them with flour, cover them with a towel or plastic wrap, and let them rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Cut the baguettes several times diagonally and bake them in a preheated oven at 230 °C convection / hot air for about 20 minutes until they get a golden brown color.

Notes

  • Use German wheat flour type 550 or French baguette flour T65.
  • The amount of flour indicated may vary. Use only enough flour until the dough has the right consistency. It should be very sticky and mushy.
  • Do not knead the dough, but fold it.
  • Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the French baguette at the top of the post.
Share this post:

Zeen Social Icons