Capsaicin Free Classic French Baguettes

There is something almost magical about pulling a batch of golden, crackling baguettes out of your own oven, and this recipe delivers that bakery-level result from scratch. The process starts with a poolish — a simple overnight pre-ferment made from just yeast, water, and bread flour — that builds deep, complex flavor without a single ingredient that could cause concern for those avoiding capsaicin or any spicy compounds. Every component here is straightforward and clean: bread flour, sea salt, yeast, and water, nothing hidden, nothing that sneaks heat into the finished loaf. The stretch-and-fold technique during bulk fermentation develops a beautifully elastic dough without any heavy kneading, and the steam-baking method is what gives these baguettes their signature shatteringly crisp crust and open, chewy crumb. Scoring the dough at a confident angle right before they go in is the move that creates those gorgeous, ear-like ridges that bloom in the oven. The deep mahogany color and hollow tap at the bottom are your cues that the crust has fully set and the interior is perfectly baked through. Slice into one while it's still slightly warm and you'll understand why this is worth every hour of the process.

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