Thanks for your reading!! Can we store the dough in the fridge for less time? I see mine has already risen after about hours. Hi Dom, sorry about the late response. Putting dough in the fridge allows to slow down fermentation known as retarding , which allows for better flavor development and out of convenience too… some may like to pre the dough in the evening and bake early in the morning.
You can skip refrigeration altogether if you want to. Do you not use Bread Flour? I have an Artisan Blend I use for my breads. Any type of formula to use Wild Live Yeast?
Bread flour will work too, you will get a chewier texture. Prefer a mix of commercial and sourdough, will post my recipe on the blog in the near future. Looking forward to a version of this using a mix of wild and commercial yeast also. I assume it would be to make a pre-ferment with the wild yeast and maybe g of the total flour? Would love to get your thoughts on it for timings and amounts! Victor, after a few months of getting awesome results I found myself without bread and had to go out and buy some for a special dinner.
What a disappointment… yours and mine now are so much better! From now on I will freeze a few for emergencies. Hi Fernando, my apologies for the late response. I hear you, we rarely buy bread anymore, only in extreme situations or when we see some really nice artisan bread. Modern bread making here is mostly about profitability, not taste or quality, unfortunately.
Your recipes and instructions are the best I have seen on the subject. Thank you for great detailed instructions.
Looking forward to making these. I made the recipe and loved it. I am hoping to do 6 smaller loaves instead of 3 big ones next time, do you think that would work? Hi Nat, sorry for the delayed response.
Yes, you can do that. You may have to adjust the baking time slightly. The crumb is densed. I do not have a stone so I just bake it in my baguette pan. I baked at for about 20 mins. Any comments would be appreciated. Hi Janice, my apologies for the long delay in responding to your message. Baking in baguette pans may also be the problem. To get a good oven spring you need to begin baking on something with a great heat capacity, like a thick baking stone, or unglazed tiles, or a thick baking steel, or even a stack of baking trays.
Hello Victor, Your french baguette recipe is very tasty and the honey adds a great sweet nuance to the baguette. However from a finish perspective mine are not having this vibrant sheen. Any tips you can share would be appreciated. Hi Wolfgang, my sincere apologies for not having responded to your comment for so long — it got lost in a pile of spam.
The sheen is usually the product of good steam. See if you can increase the steam during the initial baking, that should help. Just like fresh but of course not as goid as right or of the oven but fresh frozen works for me. When I take a loaf lot from the Frazer, I defrost, dampen and cook min in a degree over…delicious. I have made this bread several times and the baguette recipe from The Bread Bakers Apprentice.
My family and I all definitely prefer this recipe. We feel that the flavor of this recipe is far superior. Thanks, Victor. I just made these for the first time, and although I had some doubts I was doing it correctly, and fumbled getting the loaves onto the baking stone, they turned out really well!!
Nice and airy, and super crunchy! They certainly turned out well, but wondered if that was the right reading of those instructions? They ended up slightly overcooked in my oven. All in all, I highly recommend this recipe, and am looking forward to trying again, so I can perfect this!
Thank you for posting. I really enjoyed all the tips in here too such as using rice flour to help prevent sticking, and tips around the shaping and using the bread lame.
The stretch and fold step: do you only stretch and fold ONCE per iteration? If once per iteration, do you stretch and fold from the same side each time, or do you rotate around the loaf? Adding water to the oven for steam: is the towel actually inside the container of water or in another container?
If the towel is in the pan of water, do you allow the towel to soak up all water or ensure it is saturated enough so that water remains around the towel? Stretch and fold once per corner, per iteration. The towel is inside the pan of water. What it does is it slows down the release of steam. You can do it without the towel too, the difference, I feel, is not huge.
The towel does not soak up all the water, there should be much more water than a towel can soak up. Good luck. That said if you activate your ad yeast, get a good foam cap going, it should be sufficient. Amazing flavor, easy to make. I did not get such an open crumb dough. It was nice and crispy out of the oven but it became stale very fast. How do you keep it crispy longer? Fabiane, I cool down my baguettes completely then seal in Ziploc bags. Try to expel as much air as you can when sealing.
That will help keep them fresh longer. Can you put the baguettes after shaping and proofing in the fridge to bake at a later time?
Fabiane, there is a risk that your baguettes will over-proof in the fridge unless the temperature is very low. Probably best to shape and proof in the fridge.
Thank you for the excellent recipe and clear instructions. This is the 5th baguette recipe I tried, and they came out well! Minor problem when I tried getting the dough onto the baking stone…the dough felt really soft and stretched out so much and hung over the stone I do not have a pizza peel so that could be the problem.
Still delicious, and will try again. Yeah, that is a challenging task. KA is my favorite one but there are many other excellent flours out there. I still have some technical skills to work on, like scoring, and and should I mention not dropping one of the baguettes into the bottom of the oven?
It landed on the baking element and burst into flames, producing prodigious amounts of smoke. The other two loaves had a lovely crisp crust, soft crumb and a beautiful flavor. Great recipe, clear instructions and a great site. Thank you!! You are very welcome. Glad I could help. The joy of eating a freshly baked French baguette is priceless.
Do you have any recommendations for storing them? Its very humid where I live and I worry about the bread getting stale. Cool them down and store them in a tightly sealed container or a Ziploc bag.
Hi Victor, Can you recommend a good organic flour I live in Florida that would give airy french baguettes? Is it possible to get a airy baguette using organic flour? The differences sometimes are very subtle. I think you should experiment with what you have available to you and pick whichever one gives you the best results. I like KA flour a lot but I also like other flours. As far as how to make the bread less dense, airier with more bubbles… Perhaps start with searching the comments section, we have discussed this a few times.
In general, bigger holes, more airy product, has to do with higher hydration, gentle handling, no punching down, proper fermentation, proper bench rest, longer proofing, better oven spring a function of good steam, good scoring , better gluten development. It takes some practice sometimes.
It could also have to do with expectations, I suppose. What I may call soft and airy you may call dense. I will send you an email, send me a few good close-up pictures of the crumb that you would call dense. Perhaps I can suggest what you could improve. Hi Brandi, you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You have to experiment with you fridge. I started them last night and baked them off this morning.
These are delicious baguettes that remind me of my time in France. They were great inside, just not open and airy like the pic. Is there anything specific that contributes to that texture? Hi Jeff, did you find the dough easy to work with? I also shared other tips for that in the comments below, just do a quick search. After I mixed the dough, it seemed a little dry. So, I added more water. So, it was a pretty wet dough.
I wet my hand to do the stretch and folds, cuz it was sticky. My typical bread dough used to be fairly dry and so was my baguette dough, now I use a much higher hydration.
All it takes is some practice. Good Morning Victor! Thank You for. Sharing your recipe! I have been baking for a couple of months now.
Is the scoring? It takes a little practice to get them perfectly shaped so keep trying and I am sure they will be better and better each time.
Mine initially were all over the place as far as shape, ears, oven spring… but got much better over time. Proper fermentation and bench rest are important.
When the dough is tight, you will get thicker and thinner parts which will expand during baking unevenly. Great recipe! For proofing, I place the loaves I make 2 batards from this recipe on parchment paper, and put rolled up kitchen towels in-between and on either side so they hold their shape. Then simply slide the loaves on the parchment paper into the oven using a peel or cookie sheet. My dough came out as a taught little ball. Really, there is no right or wrong here.
I always recommend experimenting and settle on what works best. Ideally, you want the process to be so intuitive and easy that it becomes your second nature. Only that way you will be making baguettes often and enjoy making them. Can I just not add the honey or does not adding honey no other substitutions either change the weight amount for the other ingredients?
I prefer an unsweetened baguette! I was wondering — how is gluten developed without kneading? Last time I did it, my baguett became flat before going to owen. Thanks for answer! Petar, gluten development is a function of kneading and time. Stretching and folding strengthen the dough and also promotes gluten development. Your dough should have a very strong gluten structure by the end of fermentation. Fantastic recipe!! So easy and makes perfect baguettes every time.
Will definitely become a regular addition to my baking schedule. Do you suggest adding 3 spoons of sourdough? Thankyou for your advice. Hello Laura, my apologies for the late response. Hope I can still help. Fresh can be used too, I normally use 3x fresh relative to dry yeast. Adding sourdough starter is fine but account for the added water and flour of the starter accordingly. That said, in this recipe starter is not necessary. Someday I will post my hybrid baguette recipe that uses yeast and sourdough.
The recipe tastes amazing and the dough while sticky is still easy to handle, especially the next day. The frustration I have after having made these about 6 times now, is that my crumb is dense. Otherwise, the crust is golden dark, thin but very crisp without being tough and the bread nicely chewy. How much does the knead factor into this — am I perhaps over proofing?
Thank you for the amazing recipe! Have you ever done all of the steps to the final fold, and then put them in the fridge and baked the next day? Do you think it would work just as well or would it slowly over proof overnight? Thanks again! Hi Sam, apologies for the delayed response. Both fermentation and proofing can be retarded overnight.
I made 3 baguettes yesterday and they came out rock hard but brown though. I think my Samsung oven is too hot with the heating element on top and with no element at the bottom. I also used convection bake, which might be too dry and too hot too fast. I think I will try standard bake vs. Hi Vince, that makes sense. I would avoid convection and perhaps lower the temperature. A little bit of experimenting will be needed for sure in your case.
Hi, thanks for sharing your recipe! I am new to baking baguettes, and am excited to try this recipe soon especially the addition of honey! Hi Dana, kneading is a fast way to develop gluten and, unfortunately, kill the texture. Kneading will result in a more of a supermarket baguette, with tiny holes and crumbly texture. Hi victor. Ryan, KA is not the only flour that will give you good results. Robing Hood is one of the few Canadian brands that I disliked.
Thanks for the information about making baguette s. It was very interesting and informative. I will try it out and let you know the outcome. Excellent recipe, thank you! Despite cold proofing in a bowl far too small, and not scoring them deep enough, they turned out very good.
The water amount became a problem, producing a much more hydrated dough. It was so wet that simple tasks like rolling and stretching were impossible. I persisted and made believe the dough was workable. Out of the oven, the baguettes were delicious, with a very open crumb. However, they refused to brown deeply after additional baking so rather than dry them out, we ate them as is. Love this recipe! Sending a photo.. When people ask me for measurements in cups and spoons I am terrified to think what kind of unpredictable results they may potentially get as there is so much variance in weight between one cup and another.
To get a deeper color, you may try dropping the temperature by 25 degrees and bake longer, say 10 min longer. You could also move them up to the top of the oven, which promotes top browning. Another thing is removing the excess flour.
Try to brush off as much as you can, that will also help with browning. Thanks for sending me your baguette pictures. They look very well-made, with a beautiful crumb.
No poolish required. My crust was crisp and the inside was nice and fluffy with good holes. It did come out a bit more brown than I liked, and the second time I only did it for about 10 minutes after turning it. I might try to check in on 5 minutes next time. Instead, I have a baguette pan.
I might want to try to dust it with flour or butter to keep from sticking. I have a baguette pan and I spray with cooking spray then dust with flour. I have a baguette pan and spray with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Crispy, and giant holes on the inside. It worked out better, and it was easier!
Victor, I recently started baking my own bread and discovered your recipe. It came out fabulous and became my go to recipe. Unfortunately I also just had bypass surgery and have to adjust my diet to reduce simple carbs like white flour. Do you have suggestions as to how I can modify your recipe? I think I can greatly benefit from your experience. Best, Ira. Hi Ira, sorry for the delay in responding to your question.
Whole grain and multigrain breads will have less of an open crumb but they taste great and I bake them a lot. Happy baking! Thank you for sharing this. Can this be baked as a loaf and maybe infuse different herbs in it? Hi Leslie, my apologies for the long delay with responding. Yes, this can be made as a loaf and you can add mix-ins.
Take a look at my other recipes, especially the no-knead bread. You can experiment with substituting different flours. Rye is a great one. Rosemary and some cream cheese is a fantastic mix-in, as are walnuts and figs, my favorite. Your recipe is spot on — thank you for sharing. I have French neighbors who unreservedly said it was excellent. My family adores both your baguette and advanced no knead bread recipes.
Absolutely amazing recipe. I cut the paper as close to the dough as I can to help transfer the baguettes into the over. It makes it super easy to slide it down and position them on the pizza stone. Thank you!!! Whatever bread I make the underneath has no colour how do I get the underneath to go darker and crispier? My only problem has been that they are hard to score before baking. The dough kind of stretches and rips when I try to slash it, instead of making a ice clean cut.
Perhaps can you try something like that. Speaking about adding rye flour, I do it very often. I think I mentioned it in the post or in the comments somewhere. Agreed, rye adds a noticeable flavor boost and subtle sweetness. I love it. Hi Victor. Tried the recipe for the first time and for the most part my baguettes came out lovely.
I did have to cut time in the second half of the bake as I think my oven was running hot so the loaves were getting a bit overdone. I do have to work on my scorning skillz, LOL! Thanks in advance! The only way is to use more flour for dusting to be able to handle it. Next time drop the hydration. It helps to weigh the ingredients as even grams of too much water can make a huge difference.
I used to use a plastic wrap instead of a cloche and it worked great. Make sure to dust with enough of flour to prevent sticking. Paper towels will work too… A kitchen towel will work. You want to keep them very close to each other to keep their shape but without getting stuck to each other. You can get very creative here. You need enough stored heat to give the baguettes a nice oven spring. Absolutely amazing!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! Yes, you can halve it but I have no idea if you can do it in a toaster oven and how it will turn out. No video yet but I am planning on making it soon. How should the recipe be modified if using active dry yeast? Should it be mixed with warm water before adding it to the mixture? Can bread flour be used instead of all-purpose?
How would the flour type change the texture? Follow the process in my recipe, you should get a light and airy baguette. I am excited to try it after reading all your replies to questions. Also, can you explain how oven temperature affects the crust? I know every oven is different and I would like to know how to troubleshoot as I suspect my electric oven is hotter than it says.
How does opening the door affect the bread? Can I use table salt or sea salt and how would the measurement differ? Have you considered making a video to show the techniques? Cat, welcome to my blog. Yeah, a video is coming.
A cloche long one will work too. Tiles, unglazed, will work too. The higher the temp the better the color and the thicker the crust. Lower temps create thinner crust. You can get good color too with lower temps by increasing baking time. Also, make sure that the oven is as dry as possible.
Humid air will result in a pale color. You can finish baking with the oven door cracked open, it promotes a very thin, crackly crust. The best way to find out is to start baking and experiment with your oven. Thank you again for sharing the recipe and for the great tutorial that accompanies it.
I recently tried the same recipe and technique using French T55 flour. The dough started out much wetter but became manageable and I thought showed promise, being supple and shiny albeit sticky. The resulting baguettes were a disaster! No oven spring, dense crumb and thick, hard crust. Same oven, same stone, same fridge, same water, same yeast.
Do you have any thoughts about what could have gone wrong? That should work. The baguettes I just pulled out of the oven are my best ever. Thank you for your well-crafted recipe. These are nice looking and so tasty. No more commercial baguettes for me! Glad to hear it, Herman. Thanks for emailing me your pictures, I attached one to you comment. Beautiful crumb and the crust, I can feel that crispy, crackly crust… Great job!
Christine, I place a towel in the bread pan filled with hot water. Simple as that, nothing fancy here. Excited to try your recipe. Quick question: is traditional high-protein flour approx. I see that you use all-purpose flour, which is not traditionally used for baguettes.
Why do you choose to use all-purpose rather than a flour with a higher protein content? Traditionally, they use T55 and T65 flours to make baguettes. It makes an excelent baguette and is easy to find. These turned out amazing! I used active dry yeast and activated prior to its addition to my dough , and cheap flour. I stupidly ignored instructions and shattered one of my glass pans due to adding cold water to the hot pan: Thanks for posting.
Truly a great, dependable recipe. These are the tastiest when they fresh hot out of the oven. Tastes just like the chewy crusty baguette in Panera! I think it makes the oven humid without the steam going up and directly hitting the underside of the tray the bread was baking on. With regards to the measurements, I used my scales and did exactly as the recipe stated in ounces and had zero issues. Thank you for this brilliant recipe! Hi Durre, thanks for the kind words. Water pan above baguettes?
Hm, it never occurred to me to try that but thanks for the tip, I will try it. Why do you choose to use instant yeast rather than active dry yeast? I have been under the impression that active dry yeast, rather than instant, is more compatible with prolonged proofing periods, but perhaps this is not the case.
Anyway, just hoping to learn a bit. I imagine substituting this for the all-purpose flour would create a chewier, more glutinous texture. Is this true? In what ratio would you recommend substituting, if at all? Yes, the more gluten the chewier they will be. Way too chewy for my liking but some people in my family liked it. What ratio to use if you want to sub?
It depends on your preference. No right or wrong here. It makes a ridiculously flavorful baguette. One of my favorite variations. I never tried freezing them, but they should freeze as well as any other bread, which is quite well. The baguette will be crisp and almost like you just baked it.
My french sister gave me this tip! You might have to adjust the temp or time in YOUR oven. I could never get a good crumb, but no problem following this. Victor, your recipe for baguettes is wonderful! The precise answer to that question depends to a large extent on storage conditions - keep baguette also known as French baguette in a cool, dry area. To maximize the shelf life of a bakery-bought baguette, keep in original packaging and store at room temperature.
To maximize the shelf life of a homemade baguette, cool thoroughly before storing and place in plastic storage bag or bread box, or wrap in foil and store at room temperature. Properly stored, a baguette will last for about 2 to 3 days at normal room temperature. How long does a baguette last in the fridge? A baguette should ideally not be refrigerated, as the baguette will dry out and become stale faster than at room temperature.
Otherwise an excellent recipe from Chef John. Don't forget your imported french butter! Read More. Most helpful critical review Christine Fulford Piasta. Rating: 3 stars. In the video chef John says to weigh ingredients but gives no amounts. In the actual recipe the amounts are given but the flour quantity is incorrect. It was way too dry before it got to 4 cups.
It should only read 3 cups. Otherwise they tasted great! Reviews: Most Helpful. Chef Trint. Very easy and very tasty. Almost full proof. I used Bread Flour instead of all purpose flour and I think got better results.
I made this no-knead bread this weekend and it was delicious. My husband and I ate all four loaves in two days. I froze 2 loaves and let them thaw on the counter and then stuck them in a F oven for 5 minutes and they were just as good as the fresh baked ones. The crust was crunchy and the inside was soft and full of holes for the butter to sink in. This is now my go-to recipe for baguettes.
I was worried about the texture sticky , but it came together beautifully! So easy and so good. I started the bread the night before and we had fresh bread for lunch and dinner.
FYI, I did use unbleached flour, and I put a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven and threw a glass of water in the skillet right before putting my bread in the oven more steam those were the only changes.
Excellent recipe! I have made this dozens of times and find it to be an excellent no-kneed French Bread recipe. I typically make the dough into three small baguettes, but I've also used this method to make bread bowls and "Boule" loaves.
Three quick tips: 1. I have found this is the best amount for me. I have found this works best if you can let this rest for at least 14 hours. I really think this delivers the best result. I can't emphasize this enough. You will need an uncoated steel or aluminum baking sheet, and it is absolutely critical that you cover it with a silicon mat, parchment paper, or non-stick foil. If you don't, you will NOT be able to get the loaves off without tearing them apart.
You have been warned Excellent recipe and techniques. I also tried one loaf adding in some fresh roasted garlic and it was amazing.
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