MSG Free Crusty French Baguette
There is something almost magical about pulling a golden, crackling baguette out of your own oven, and this recipe delivers exactly that. The ingredient list is beautifully stripped back — bread flour, sea salt, instant yeast, and water — so there is zero guesswork about what is going into your bread. That simplicity is actually the whole point: no additives, no flavor enhancers, no anything that does not belong. The long, cold ferment in the refrigerator does the heavy lifting, building a complex, wheaty flavor that you simply cannot rush or fake. A screaming-hot oven and a burst of steam in the first ten minutes are what give the crust that signature shatter and the interior its open, chewy crumb. The stretch-and-fold technique sounds technical but is genuinely approachable, and watching a shaggy blob transform into something this beautiful is deeply satisfying. Slice into one while it is still slightly warm and you will understand why people have been making this bread for centuries.
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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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