Chewy French Baguette Recipes

CRUSTY FRENCH BAGUETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Measure the warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside and allow the yeast to dissolve and become foamy.
• Measure 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, and gently press it into a rectangle and fold into thirds. 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 1/2-inches in diameter), with pointed ends.
• Place the loaves on a floured towel, 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.
• Uncover the baguettes and transfer to lightly greased baking sheets.
• Sprinkle with flour, and make 4 elongated slashes down each one with a lame, razor, or sharp knife.
• Bake the breads until crusty and brown (in my oven this takes around 35 to 40 minutes). The baguettes should give a hollow sound when tapped.

CLASSIC FRENCH BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Make the Poolish: The night before making your baguettes or at least 6 hours before, make the poolish. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the poolish. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for at least 6 hours, but preferably 8-10 hours.
• Combine the Dough: Add the rest of the ingredients for the baguette dough into the bowl with the poolish. Stir until well combined. It will appear as if there is not enough liquid at first, but as you work it together it will become a sticky dough. You may need to use your hands to knead it slightly to hydrate all the flour. As soon as all of the flour is hydrated and you have a shaggy dough with no dry spots, cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and Fold: After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, you will do a series of three stretch and folds with the dough. With the dough still in the bowl, lightly dampen your hand (this will prevent the dough from sticking) and pull on one side of the dough and stretch it up and then fold it down over the top of the dough. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and do the same with the next side. Do this again until you have stretched all four sides of the dough up and over on itself. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 more minutes. Stretch and fold the dough for the second round. Cover and let rest for 30 more minutes. Stretch and fold for the third round. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 more minutes. This is a two-hour process from when the dough is mixed to when it is ready to be shaped. Four 30 minute resting periods with three stretch and folds in between.
• Prep the Oven & Other Equipment: During the final resting period, prep your pans and your oven. Position one oven rack in the very bottom position in the oven and another rack in the middle position. Place a cast-iron skillet or another heatproof skillet on the bottom rack and a baking stone, baking steel, or a sheet pan turned upside down on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 500F (260C). You want your oven and pans to be heating for at least an hour before the bread goes into the oven. You will also need to set up a lightly floured lint-free towel or baker's couche to let your shaped dough rise on. Additionally, prepare a pizza peel or an unrimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
• Pre-Shape & Rest the Dough: If you have a scale, weigh the dough and divide it in two equal pieces by cutting it (do not tear it). Each piece should be about 305 grams each. You can also eyeball this if you do not have a scale. On a very lightly floured surface, press one piece of dough out into a rectangle and gently stretch the short ends out. Fold each short end into the center and press down with your fingertips to seal. Fold each long end into the center and press with your fingertips to seal, creating a seam in the dough. Set the dough aside and repeat this process with the second piece. Cover the pieces of dough with plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
• Shape into Baguettes: With the seam side up, press the first piece of dough into a thin rectangle. Starting at the top left edge, begin folding down the dough about 1/2" (1.5 cm) and sealing it with your fingertips, working your way across the top. Repeat this process, continuing to fold down on the dough and sealing to create a tight log. Once you have a thin, tight log, turn it seam-side down. Using both hands, roll the dough on the countertop, working it into a long thin snake shape. Try to keep the dough as even as possible and work it into about a 14" (36 cm) baguette. Move the piece of dough to your prepared towel or baker's couche. Push the towel or couche up on both sides of the baguette to create folds to hold the dough's shape. Repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
• Let the Dough Rise: Cover the pieces of dough with plastic wrap and let them rest for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.
• Transfer the Dough & Score: Place a baguette board or a small cutting board right beside one of the baguettes. Gently pull up on the towel to flip the baguette over onto the board. Move the baguette over to the parchment-lined pizza peel or unrimmed baking sheet. Gently flip the baguette onto the parchment paper, so that the seam side is down. Repeat this to move the second baguette over. Using a very sharp knife or a bread lame, cut 4-5 slashes in the top of the baguettes. The slashes should go diagonally and at a slight angle, going about 1/4" (.5 cm) deep.
• Bake: Fill a small bowl with about 2 cups of ice cubes. You want to work quickly and carefully when transferring the baguettes. Open the oven and gently slide the whole piece of parchment paper with the baguettes onto the preheated baking stone or sheet pan. Quickly pour the ice cubes into the preheated skillet and immediately shut the oven door. Turn the oven temperature down to 475F (246 C). Bake for about 25-40 minutes. It is traditional for baguettes to have a very dark crust. Check them at 25 minutes and decide if you would like a darker crust. I bake mine for 40 minutes for a dark, almost charred, crust.
• Cool: Allow the baguettes to cool before slicing. This will completely develop their flavor. Baguettes are best when eaten on the same day. However, leftover baguette can be wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

FRENCH BAGUETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Over a period of 1 1/2 hours, do 3 sets of stretch and folds, flipping the dough upside down after each set.
• Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight for about 12-14 hours.
• Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and shape into rectangles. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
• Starting preheating the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half the oven and a bread pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack.
• Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold into a cylinder, sealing the seams. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them to desired length, about 14-15 inches.
• Place on a lightly floured couche, seam side up. Cover and proof at a room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has sufficiently proofed.
• Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper, seam side down and dust off excess flour. Using a bread lame, a sharp knife or a razor blade, make 3 scores on each baguette. When scoring, use a swift and firm motion to ensure nice and clean cuts.
• Open the oven, taking caution not to get burned by steam, and slide the baguettes off onto the baking stone. Close the oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.

CHEWY FRENCH BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Dissolve sugar into the hot water in a 2-cup measure; add yeast and stir gently. Let dissolve until top is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir gently, starting from the middle, until mixture is sticky. Knead by hand, adding more flour if needed, until dough is elastic and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Oil a large, clean bowl and place dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fill a roasting pan with water and set on the lower rack of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape dough into 1 large loaf or 6 sandwich loaves, tapering the ends. Place loaves on the prepared baking sheet. Cut 3 or 4 diagonal slashes, about 1/4 to 1/2-inch, across the tops. Cover with a dry towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Uncover and bake in the center of the preheated oven until top is light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the loaves.

CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand), whisk together 1 3/4 cups warm water and 1/2 tsp molasses until dissolved.
• In a large glass or plastic bowl, whisk together 2 1/3 cups bread flour, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp yeast and 2 tsp salt. Add water mixture to flour mixture and mix until you have a single mass of dough. Using a dough hook or clean hands, knead dough 4 minutes. Dough should be soft and feel sticky to the touch but should not stick to clean and dry finger tips. If your dough is too sticky after kneading, add more flour a tablespoon at a time.
• Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp (69-75˚F) for 4 hours. Every hour while it rests (3 times total), with a wet hand, punch the dough down and fold it over onto itself a few times (a wet hand will keep the dough from sticking to you without adding any unnecessary flour).
• After rising a total of 4 hours, draw dough edges into the center, turn over and place in a large well-floured bowl, sprinkle the dough with flour, cover with a tea towel and let rise 1 1/2 hours at room temp.
• Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the center of your oven. Place a cast iron pan on the bottom rack and preheat with both in the oven to 500˚F (for safety, don't use glass baking dishes at those high temps).
• Sprinkle the back of a baking sheet generously with fine semolina flour and invert your risen dough over the top of the semolina. Score the top of the dough several times. Slide dough onto preheated baking stone with the help of a spatula if needed and add 1 cup of ice cubes into the preheated cast iron pan below (making sure not to drip on any glass oven surfaces). Bake at 500˚F for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 400˚F and continue baking 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Turn oven off, crack door open with a wooden spoon and leave bread in the oven another 10 minutes. Remove bread to a wire rack to cool and let it rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.

RUSTIC FRENCH BAGUETTES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature water and yeast. Use a whisk to stir, until the yeast has begun to dissolve. Add the unbleached flour and salt. Use a Danish dough whisk, or your hands, to mix until there are no dry patches of flour left.Scrape your hands off well, and cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature for the autolyse phase.
• Do the first stretch and fold. Dampen your hands with water to prevent the dough from sticking. With the dough still in the bowl, you want to gently stretch one side of dough up until there's no more give, and fold it over the rest of the dough. Be gentle wit the stretching so that you don't tear the dough. Work your way around the dough until all sides have been stretched and folded. Then pick the whole ball of dough up and plop it over in the bowl.Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Stretch and fold #2. Cover, let rest for another 30 minutes.
• Stretch and fold #3, then let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours until the surface of the dough is puffy and jiggly.
• Line a rimmed sheet pan with a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle the towel generously with AP flour or rice flour. Set aside.
• Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 3 equal parts. With the tips of your fingers, gently press one piece of dough into a rectangle about 8 inches long. Bring the top 1/3 of dough down to the midline, and press down with your fingertips.Rotate the dough 180 degrees, and bring the open edge up over the folded edge, and use your thumb to press down on the seam. Flour your hands gently, and roll the dough out into a long baguette shape.Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough.
• Place the shaped baguettes onto the prepared towel-lined baking sheet. Gently lift the towel up between the baguettes to create separation between the loaves. Sprinkle the baguettes lightly with flour, and gently lay another clean towel on top. Let rise for one hour at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500°F with a pizza stone on the middle rack. Place a small cast iron pan on the bottom rack. Boil a kettle of water. Set aside.
• After the baguettes have risen, transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Slash the tops of the baguettes with a lame or a sharp chef's knife. The cuts should be at a sharp angle going down the axis of the baguette. Place the parchment paper directly onto the preheated pizza stone.Be sure to wear thick oven mitts for this next step. While the oven door is open, pour the hot water from the kettle into the preheated cast iron pan. There will be a big burst of hot steam, so do this carefully. Slide the pan of water into the oven to create steam in the oven while the baguettes bake. Close the oven door immediately.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway if necessary, until the the crust is deeply golden brown, mahogany in places. Allow the baguettes to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!