Lactose Free Classic French Baguettes
Few breads are as satisfying to pull apart as a freshly baked baguette, with its crackling crust and open, chewy crumb. The good news for anyone avoiding dairy is that the traditional French formula never needed it — this recipe is built entirely on flour, water, yeast, and salt, so there's nothing to swap or second-guess. The real magic starts with an overnight poolish, a simple pre-ferment that develops deep, complex flavor before you've even touched the main dough. From there, a series of stretch-and-folds builds strength and elasticity without a stand mixer, giving you that signature airy interior. Scoring the loaves at a confident angle and blasting them with steam in a screaming-hot oven is what creates the blistered, mahogany crust that makes these taste like they came straight from a Parisian boulangerie. Patience is the only special ingredient — the long fermentation and proper proofing time do the heavy lifting, and the results are absolutely worth it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the poolish
- ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ cup cool water (about 70°f / 21°c)
- ½ cup bread flour
For the dough
- 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (about 95°f / 35°c)
- 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Make the poolish: In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1/4 tsp yeast, 1/2 cup cool water, and 1/2 cup bread flour until no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 8–12 hours (overnight), until the poolish is bubbly, domed, and smells pleasantly yeasty.
- 2
Make the dough: Add 1 1/2 tsp yeast and 1 cup warm water to the poolish and stir to combine. Add 3 cups bread flour and 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, then mix with a stiff spatula or your hand until a shaggy dough forms with no dry patches. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
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