There were some babies visiting my parents over the weekend.
Bread babies, that is.
I never expected to be proficient enough at baking to make French baguettes (they look so intimidating!), although I’d eat them all the time growing up. In middle school my best friend and I were kind of obsessed with them. Every time we went with our parents to the grocery store we’d ask for a loaf of French or Italian. Some people think carbs are the devil, but bread and I have always been in a committed relationship.
Garlic bread was a staple alongside spaghetti dinners. My dad would buy those take-and-bake loaves from the grocery store, slice them up, and my mom would mix fresh minced garlic with melted butter that she would then drizzle on top before broiling in the oven until golden brown. Heaven forbid she ever burned them, though, because my brothers and I had a song prepared for when she did. It was short, but effective: “Mom burned the to~oast! Mom burned the to~oast!” It kind of became tradition…even when she didn’t burn the toast.
French Baguettes
A delicious, easy to make French Baguettes recipe!
- Category: bread
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1.5 T dry active yeast
- 2 T honey
- 3.5–4 c bread flour*
- 2 t salt
- 1.5 c warm water
- 3 to 4 ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine honey and yeast in a bowl with 1/2 c of warm water. Stir the mixture to incorporate and then allow to stand until foamy, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add in the yeast mixture, gradually adding one cup of warm water and mixing until the dough comes together into a ball of dough that isn’t too sticky and wet. If the dough does seem too sticky, add a little more flour. You probably won’t need the entire cup of water.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, kneading until smooth and elastic (2-6 minutes). You’ll know it’s ready when you can press in the dough with your thumb and it bounces back.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with either a paper towel or a non-fuzzy dishcloth to keep the dough from drying out. Allow to rest in a warm environment** until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Punch down dough and divide it in half. Shape into two loaves (see below for the how-to) about 14 inches long by 2 inches wide, flipping the baguettes seam-side down onto a floured pan (you could also dust the pan with cornmeal, but my dad is allergic).
- Score the tops of the loaves, creating deep diagonal slits about 1/2″ deep. Re-cover with the dishcloth and allow to rise until the dough is again doubled in size (about another 25-30 minutes). The loaves are ready to bake when they look puffy and ballooned.
- Preheat your oven to 450 F. Position the oven racks so that one rack is on the bottom and the other is in the middle. Place a small oven-safe pan (do NOT use anything made of glass for this!) on the bottom rack while the oven heats. I’ve used everything from a round metal cake pan to a mini loaf pan.
- Once baguettes have risen, remove the towel and quickly slide the tray with the baguettes onto the middle rack while throwing ice into the pan on the bottom rack. Quickly shut the oven door so that no steam escapes and bake until the bread is golden, about fifteen minutes.
- Additional note: If your oven window is made of glass, you may want to place a towel over it when throwing in the ice. Hot glass may shatter if ice touches it, which is also why you shouldn’t use glassware in this recipe. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.
- Preferably, you’d take them out of the oven before they reach this stage of done-ness but these still came out beautifully.
- How to Shape Baguettes
- Gently, but firmly, pat bread dough into a rough rectangle.
- Fold down the top third of the dough, then the bottom third of the dough, and pinch the edges together.
- Use the palms of your hand to gently press and roll the loaf into a long baguette. Begin with your hands in the middle of the loaf and gradually move them to the outer edges of the baguette as you roll. I tend to roll my baguettes until they’re as long as the pan I’m working them on (about 12-14 inches).
- Fold in the ends so that they have that nice, rounded shape to them and you’re done!
- * All-purpose may be used instead, but I think bread flour lends a better tasting baguette. I also like to incorporate some white whole wheat flour for extra fiber and nutrition, substituting in about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
- ** I like to leave mine in the oven with the oven light turned on.
Disclosure: This blog did not receive compensation for this recipe. All work and picture belong to Budget Earth.com & are not to be copied without our consent.
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About Demelza Young
Demelza Young is an alumni of Northern Kentucky University. She currently enjoys volunteering her time in her local community, reviewing online content with her cat, and sharing quality recipes.
This is the best french bread I have ever tasted! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I have been baking breads and cake myself and i will try this nice looking bread too. Thanks for the share.
This looks so good! Making baguettes did intimidate me but I’m going to give it a try now.
Sounds greatlove to try it.
I have never made baguettes but your instructions make it look so easy that I can hardly wait to whip up a batch. Thanks for sharing it with us.
French Baguette always reminds me of my Dad, he loves them so much! Would love to make one for him someday! 😉
This is a great recipe… Always looking for new ones to add to my collection. Love making new things and trying new recipes..or different ways to make things 🙂
That bread looks divine! I doubt mine would look that good, haha.
Wow these look great and something I would not usually think of making either. This recipe looks doable though and love that they use honey instead of sugar.
That is really interesting way to prepare.
This looks delicious. Congratulations on perfecting your baguette recipe. Bread making is surely an art that not everyone has mastered. I wish I could try this but my doctor has me on a no gluten or yeast diet. I miss bread the most.
These look really good baguettes compliments to you 🙂
This recipe looks doable though and love that they use honey instead of sugar.
I have become spoiled using a breadmaker, but I used to make bread the old fashioned way. This recipe looks simple enough, yet would add a nice touch to say, a pasta meal. I’m going to try it. Thank you.
I’m always afraid to try bread making. A few years ago I tried it and it was beyond bad. This recipe sounds good.
This sounds delicious! I love french bread. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I love baking bread and this one looks really good,thanks for sharing
I’ve always wanted to make baguettes but never knew how. Your instructions make it look so easy. Can’t wait to make them! Thanks!
I’ve never tried making bread at home. You make it seem so easy and I do love fresh baked bread. This is one I think I can have success with. Will be trying it soon.
I love baking bread and am always looking for great recipes. I will have to try this one..thanks!
I do like making bread – I’ve been making rolls – I need to take a break from that and give this a try – you do make it sound delish, and I adore the story of when you were kids!