How to Make EASY Homemade French Baguette Recipe

There’s nothing like fresh, warm homemade bread!  You are going to love this easy Homemade French Baguette Recipe.

Homemade French Baguette Recipe

For a few months now I have been following The Food Nanny on Instagram.  I love watching her live videos and I purchased her two cookbooks.  Homemade French Baguette Recipe is the first recipe I’ve tried from her cookbook and it came out amazing.

It was really easy and I’m a little embarrassed to say we devoured the bread and there was none left by the end of the night.  I served it with my Homemade Beef Barley Soup recipe and I also made my Homemade Garlic Butter to use.

I did make two small adjustments to the recipe by using bread flour and I let the dough rise twice…other than those two changes, this recipe is amazing and so incredibly easy!

Helpful Kitchen Tools – French Baguette Baking Pan

I do believe you need the Baguette baking pan that The Food Nanny recommends.  I purchased one for my sister for Christmas and I’m so glad that I decided at the last minute to order one for myself.  The pan helps keep the bread in the beautiful long shape.  And the pan helps the bread get that beautiful crispy crust. 

Also, really important is to place a baking pan with water on the rack underneath the French Baguette pan to help create steam in the oven while the bread bakes.

While we didn’t have any leftovers I’m going to make sure the next time I bake this bread to use one of the loaves for breakfast the next morning.  I think French Baguette French Toast sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try that also!

How to Proof Yeast

• Use a thermometer to make sure the water temperature is between 105 and 115 degrees before adding the yeast. 
• Add one teaspoon of sugar to help the yeast grow.
• Something new I’ve been doing is to cover the bowl of water and yeast with a small plate to trap the warmth from the water inside. This will help the yeast to proof correctly. It works amazing!

How to Make Homemade French Baguette

• 1 1/2 cups warm water 105 – 115 degrees ;  divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoon sugar; divided
• 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt

Let’s Get Baking! 

• Combine 1/2 cup of the water, the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl.  Stir to combine and cover the bowl with a small plate. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until it’s bubbly.
• In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer, blend the flour, salt and the other 1 teaspoon of sugar.
• Add the yeast mixture.

Look at that happy yeast ready to be added to the mixing bowl.

• Gradually add the remaining cup of warm water; slowly until the dough starts to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes and allow the machine to knead the dough adding a little bit of flour if the dough looks too sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape it into a ball.
• Place the ball into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishtowel.  Let the dough rest in a warm environment for 30 minutes.

How to Shape the Dough

• Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured surface.
• Divide the dough in half and shape into the shape of a baguette or a long log.
• Grease a baguette pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the loaves in the baguette pan.
• Cover with a dishtowel and place in a warm area to rise for 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees while the dough is rising.
• Place an oven-safe pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with water.  This will create steam while the baguettes bake.
• Using a sharp knife, score the dough down the center just before baking.
• Bake in a 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and when you tap them there’s a hollow sound.

Tips for Baking French Baguettes

• Always make sure the yeast is probably proofed before adding it to the flour. If it isn’t bubbly, don’t use it. Start over.
• Place a baking dish on the bottom rack of your oven that is 3/4 quarters filled with water. This will create steam in the oven while the baguettes bake and help get that nice crispy crust. 
• If the baguettes soften while sitting out on the counter, you can quickly “crisp” them up by placing them back in a hot oven directly on the baking racks for about five minutes. Watch them closely so they don’t overcook!
• Never store leftover baguettes in a plastic bag or plastic container. Try to store them wrapped in parchment paper or even an brown paper bag. 

Print

Homemade French Baguettes

Prep Time

1 hr 20 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

1 hr 35 mins

 

There's nothing like warm homemade bread fresh from the oven.  This recipe for Homemade French Baguettes is so easy you'll be making it a few times a week for your family! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water 105 - 115 degrees ;  divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoon sugar; divided
• 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Combine 1/2 cup of the water, the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until it's bubbly.
2. In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer, blend the flour, salt and the other 1 teaspoon of sugar.
3. Add the yeast mixture.
4. Gradually add the remaining cup of warm water; slowly until the dough starts to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes and allow the machine to knead the dough adding a little bit of flour if the dough looks too sticky.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and shape it into a ball.
7. Place the ball into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishtowel.
8. Let the dough rest in a warm environment for 30 minutes.
9. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured bowl.
10. Divide the dough in half and shape into the shape of a baguette or a long log.
11. Grease a baguette pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the loaves in the pan.
12. Using a sharp knife, score both loaves down the middle.
13. Cover with a dishtowel and place in a warm area to rise for 30 minutes.
14. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees while the dough is rising.
15. Place an oven-safe pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with water.  This will create steam while the baguettes bake.
16. Once the baguettes have doubled in size, place the pan in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until they have a hollow sound when you tap them.

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