Dairy Free Crusty French Baguette

Few things in the kitchen feel as satisfying as pulling a genuinely crusty, golden baguette out of your own oven. The good news for anyone avoiding dairy is that a truly authentic French baguette has never needed butter, milk, or cream — just bread flour, sea salt, instant yeast, and water. That simplicity is exactly what makes this recipe so reliable and so delicious, with a crackling crust and an open, chewy crumb that rivals anything from a bakery case. The technique here does the heavy lifting. A long, cold overnight fermentation builds deep flavor without any dairy-based enrichment, and the stretch-and-fold method develops gluten strength so the dough holds its shape beautifully during baking. Scoring the loaves at a shallow angle right before they go into the oven lets them bloom and spring up dramatically in the heat. The steam trick — pouring hot water into a lower pan during the first minutes of baking — is what gives the crust that signature shatter when you bite in. Once you hear that hollow tap on the bottom and smell the toasty, caramelized crust, you'll know you nailed it. Let them cool on a wire rack before slicing, and try not to eat the whole loaf before dinner.

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