Chicken Free Crusty French Baguette
Few things beat pulling a golden, crackling baguette out of your own oven, and this recipe delivers that bakery-worthy result with just four simple pantry ingredients. The long cold ferment in the refrigerator does most of the heavy lifting, building deep, complex flavor while you sleep. A series of gentle stretch-and-folds develops the gluten structure that gives each loaf its signature chewy crumb and blistered crust — no stand mixer or special equipment required. The steam trick with the lower baking sheet is the real secret weapon here, locking in that shattering, paper-thin exterior that makes a proper baguette so satisfying to tear apart. Since the entire recipe is built on flour, salt, yeast, and water, there's absolutely nothing to second-guess — no hidden additives, no animal-derived ingredients, just honest bread. Let them cool on the rack before slicing, as tempting as it is to dig in immediately, so the interior crumb has time to fully set.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 3 cups (360g) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp instant yeast
- 1 ¼ cups (295ml) cool water (about 65°f/18°c)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, and instant yeast. Pour in the cool water and stir with a wooden spoon or your hand until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 2
With damp hands, perform a series of stretch-and-folds: grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward until it resists, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times for a total of 4 folds. Cover and repeat this process two more times at 30-minute intervals (3 sets total). After the final fold, the dough should feel noticeably smoother and hold its shape briefly when released.
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