Baguettes

Make fresh, French bread at home with this simple recipe – an overnight starter called a poolish gives a golden crust and chewy middle.

Prep:30 mins
Cook:20 mins
plus resting, rising and proving

More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 765
fat 3g
saturates 1g
carbs 155g
sugars 1g
fibre 5g
protein 26g
salt 2.5g

Ingredients

200g strong white bread flour
½ tsp easy-bake yeast from a 7g sachet
200g plain white flour
250g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting and kneading
the rest of the yeast from the 7g sachet
1½ tsp fine salt
a little semolina, or more flour, for dusting

Tip

Freezing the baguettes

Either freeze the shaped dough before it rises, then defrost and let it prove before baking, or freeze the finished breads as soon as the loaves are cool. Thaw and then refresh in a hot oven for a few mins.

Mixing flours

Using a mix of strong and plain flours gives a protein content similar to that of the ‘T55’ flour used by French bakers for this kind of loaf.

Kneading wet doughs by hand

To knead by hand, hold your hands fingers together and palms up, fingers pointing towards each other. Slide your hands underneath the dough at each side. Lift it up as high as you can, then slap it back down with a slight backwards throwing movement, which will cause the dough to fold over itself a little as some of it will stay stuck to the bench. You’ll find that the dough sticks a lot but all this resistance is excellent for forming long strings of gluten. Scrape the worktop now and again, and keep going. The dough will change as you work it, becoming a more coherent, if still a little sticky, ball. Once ready, wash your hands with cold water (hot water makes the dough stick more) and dry well before shaping it into a round. To check the dough is really kneaded well enough, press the ball lightly with one finger. The dimple will spring back quickly when ready.

Method

To make the poolish, mix the flour and yeast in a medium, deep bowl. Add 200ml room temperature water and stir to a very thick batter. Cover with cling film then chill overnight, after which time the batter will have doubled in size.
The next day, combine the flours, remaining yeast and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add another 250ml water to the poolish, then pour into the flours and mix to make a very wet, sloppy dough. Let this sit for 20 mins, which helps the dough to come together more quickly as you knead.
After 20 mins, the dough will still be wet – possibly much wetter than you’re used to, but this is important for a delicious loaf. Either knead by hand for 10 mins (see tip on kneading a very wet dough, below), or in a mixer with a dough hook for 5-8 mins, until the dough firms up and becomes smooth and elastic. It will still feel sticky but have shape and spring.
Dust a clean patch of worktop and the dough with a little more flour, then fold the dough inwards on itself to make a ball. It will be dry to touch on the outside, but pleasingly wobbly and alive within. Transfer to a lightly floured large bowl, cover with a clean teatowel and let rise for 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size.
Dust a heavy teatowel or baker’s cloth with plenty of flour, and put it onto onto a large kitchen tray or board. Shape three long, baguette-width ridges in the cloth. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop, then flour the sticky side lightly. Cut into 3 equal pieces using a large knife. Do not knead the dough or ‘knock it back’.
Working one at a time, press each piece of dough into a rough oval about 25cm long and 20cm deep. Fold one of the long sides to the middle and press it down well with your fingers. Fold in the other long edge in the same way, and press well again to make a long strip of dough with a groove down the centre. Now fold the dough over itself lengthways into a sausage, pressing the two sides together well in a tight seam against the worktop. Roll very lightly under your palms to seal and make the ends a little pointy. The loaf will be about 40cm long.
Place the dough seam-side down in your prepared cloth, then repeat. Dust all the loaves with a little flour, cover with a clean teatowel and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
Heat oven to 220C/240C fan/gas 9. Put a roasting tin on a shelf towards the bottom of the oven, plus set a shelf in the top third. Scatter semolina or more flour over one or two large baking trays. Carefully roll or lift the breads onto the trays, leaving space for them to grow. If they stretch or go wonky don’t worry, just pat them back carefully into place.
With a very sharp craft knife or blade, slash the loaves diagonally 5 or 6 times, cutting 1-2cm in. Bake one tray at a time, adding 100ml water to the hot roasting tin and closing the oven door as quickly as you can. Bake for 20 mins or until dark golden, risen and crisp. Cool on racks and enjoy same day, or warmed in a hot oven for a few mins next morning.