Nitrate & Nitrite Free Crusty French Baguette
Few things in the kitchen feel as satisfying as pulling a deeply golden, crackling baguette from your own oven. This recipe keeps things beautifully stripped back — just bread flour, sea salt, instant yeast, and cool water — which means every single ingredient is exactly what it says it is, with no hidden additives or preservatives to worry about. That simplicity is actually what makes store-bought baguettes tricky for anyone avoiding nitrates and nitrites, since commercial breads can sneak in dough conditioners and preservatives that aren't always obvious on the label. Here, you're in full control from start to finish. The long, cold overnight fermentation does the heavy lifting, building a complex, slightly tangy flavor that rivals anything from a bakery. Steam in the oven gives the crust that signature shattering crunch, while the open crumb inside stays soft and chewy. Once you've made this, it's genuinely hard to go back to anything wrapped in plastic.
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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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