There is nothing like a freshly baked French baguette on a Sunday morning. Or any morning for that matter. Crusty and beautifully colored on the outside, buttery soft and chewy on the inside, with a tiny bit of butter – its one of my favorite breakfast foods.
Baguettes took me the longest to master. Perhaps its because my bread baking adventure started (many years ago) right after I baked my second loaf of no-knead bread and I lacked the necessary experience. So many factors here that can affect how your baguette will look and taste.
What French baguettes are made of?
A traditional French baguette is made of flour, water, yeast and salt. Its fascinating how these four simple ingredients produce a beautiful, flavorful, crusty baguette. Whats even more fascinating is how different bakers, using the same ingredients, can make baguettes that differ from each other quite substantially sometimes.
Up to about a century ago making bread with natural leaven was the rule for bakers in France. Later it was a mix of natural leaven and bakers yeast, which made the crumb lighter and more open. Lately, many bakeries seek efficiencies and switch to using bakers yeast as using natural leavens requires more work.
Other factors that define a baguette’s appearance and taste
As was mentioned above, many French baguettes, while using the same ingredients, differ in appearance and taste. This is largely due to the process that is employed. You can make the dough rise very quickly using warm water and warm ambient temperature but it will lack flavor. Slowing down the fermentation process, known as cold retarding, results in complex flavor and improved taste. Thus, how you ferment the dough, how long you retard it, how you proof it, how you shape, score and bake it – all contribute to how the final product looks and tastes.
This baguette recipe uses bakers yeast and is influenced by the method used by Anis Bouabsa, winner of the 2008 Best Baguette in Paris contest. In an interview, Anis mentioned using baguette dough that has 75% hydration (meaning the ratio of water to flour), very little yeast, hardly kneaded, folded three times in one hour then placed in the fridge for 21 hours. He also added that baguettes are not fully risen when placed in the oven, it is the wet dough and the very, very hot oven (480F) that make baguettes get the volume.
In this recipe, I use King Arthur all-purpose flour, very commonly used for baguette making among home baking enthusiasts, water, yeast, and salt. I also add a bit of honey. This is a big no-no for baguette purists, but that little hint of sweetness is what everyone I baked my baguettes for liked.
The essential pieces of equipment to make a great-tasting baguette are an oven and a baking stone. You want a large and, importantly, thick baking stone. It wont crack easily and will promote a much better oven spring for your baguettes. Like this heavy duty baking stone. Even better, go to your local pottery supply store and get a Cordierite kiln shelf. They are thicker and can withstand spills with aplomb. You can also get one cut to your specifications.
Another piece of equipment that is extremely helpful is the Bakers Couche that you will need for proofing. I used to get away without one for a long time but they are so effective and convenient, and in very inexpensive nowadays.
A bread lame is another tool you will be glad you have. Its essential for scoring baguettes. I can use a serrated bread knife to make pretty good scores, but a lame will be much easier for novice bakers.
Finally, you will need a large pizza shovel or something similar to load baguettes in the oven. I find that the easiest way to do it is to place the baguettes on a large piece of parchment paper, score then slide on the baking stone.
How to Make Breakfast from a Baguette
FAQ
Does French bread contain egg?
What is French baguette made of?
Is A French Baguette vegan?
What is the difference between French and American baguette?
What is a French baguette?
This classic French Baguette recipe uses 4 simple ingredients to make long loaves of crusty bread that have a tender and chewy inside! Perfect when paired with butter, jam, or cheese! This classic French Baguette recipe uses 4 simple ingredients to make long loaves of crusty bread that have a tender and chewy inside!
Does a baguette recipe work?
A baguette recipe that works and the results are just like proper French bread. Hi – My baguettes are coming out of the oven with brown spots, rather than evenly browned. I adjusted the recipe to make three 240 gram baguettes.
How do you make a French baguette?
Here is the French baguette tradition recipe by Éric Kayser. Day 1: Mix 20g of rye flour with 5g of honey and 20g of water. Mix until there should be no flour left in the bottom of the glass. Let rest and cover with a clean kitchen cloth at room temperature for 24 hours. Day 2: Add 40g of rye flour, 40g of water, 5g of honey to your preparation.
How to make homemade baguette bread?
Homemade bread has never been so easy to make! All you need are four easy ingredients for this baguette bread recipe: active dry yeast, warm water, all-purpose flour, and salt! There are also some handy kitchen tools that would be helpful to make this French Baguette! But just like the ingredients list, this list is short and sweet as well!