Simple French Baguettes using yeast, so you can make fresh homemade bread anytime you want, even if you don't have starter! Try my simple from scratch French baguette recipe!
If you're looking for more homemade bread, try my Honey Butter Dinner Rolls, Lemon Rosemary Sourdough, or my Garlic Rosemary Skillet Dinner Rolls.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This simple from scratch French baguette recipe is easy to make anytime you want as it uses yeast and not sourdough starter. So, if you didn't feed your starter, or its shoved into the back of your refrigerator, but you still want homemade brea, then this is an amazing recipe!
This homemade organic bread is light, airy, crusty, and it goes well with any dinner. It's also an amazing snack with some butter, cheese, and fruit. And, you can use leftovers for garlic bread or French toast!
This organic French Baguette recipe is old school. This simple from scratch French Baguette recipe hails from the beginning days of my bake shop. We used to make homemade organic bread for a local cheese shop.
When we stopped making it for them, many customers would come into the shop and ask for it. But we never made it in the bake shop as bread is a lot of work, and it doesn’t sell for very much money! Something we realized after we started making it. Many people don’t appreciate the work that goes into homemade organic bread. I have so much respect for bread bakeries!
And Delaney made a lot of the bread back then, this was when he worked at the bake shop with me pretty much every day! So, when we stopped making it, it was like we didn’t bake homemade organic bread (even for ourselves) for many years, haha! I think we were a little burnt out I guess from baking so much every single day. So, if you've been a customer since way back when, I'm sharing that exact recipe here!
But this simple from scratch French Baguette recipe is really very easy to make. Especially when you are only baking one batch! So, we needed a baguette the other day for a shoot, like really needed one, because we actually wanted to eat the finished product and it wasn’t just a prop!
So, we rolled up our sleeves, and surprisingly found the organic French Baguette recipe on my computer. And we made our first homemade organic bread in a long time! This simple from scratch French Baguette recipe is so easy! And we both said to ourselves, we should be making this all the time again!
So, here we are with our organic French Baguette recipe that I am now sharing with you guys. This homemade organic bread uses only three ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry: organic all purpose flour, organic yeast, and fine sea salt. So, we are no longer scared of baking organic homemade bread, and we’ll be making this organic French Baguette recipe all the time now.
FAQ's
Can you make baguettes without a baguette pan?
Yes, you can definitely make baguettes without a baguette pan. My simple from scratch French Baguette recipe only requires that you have a baking sheet and parchment paper. You can roll the dough out with your hands, and transfer it to the baking sheet.
How do you get the perfect crust on a baguette?
Getting the perfect crust on a baguette has to do with oven temperature and steam. Professional bakeries (most of them) have bread ovens which can get up to 1000°F or higher! That’s double the heat that a home oven even has the capability to do!
So, when you are baking baguettes at home, you need to use the hottest setting your oven has. For most, that is 550°F. Second, you can create steam in your oven by doing two things.
You can place a bowl with water on the bottom rack of the oven while your oven preheats. This will help create steam within the oven. And, then you can also get a spray bottle and fill it with water. When your baguettes hit the oven, spray them and the oven with the spray bottle before closing it. This helps create the perfect crust.
How long with a French baguette stay fresh?
French baguettes are best the day they are made. But, they will keep for 2 to 3 days after that. The crust will soften most likely, as you’ll have to store them in an airtight container to avoid them drying out. But, they are still great if you toast them up!
Ingredients for Simple French Baguettes
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
Red Star Organic Instant Yeast
Why go organic?
You may be wondering why I push organic ingredients for everything, even savory and healthy dishes. Organic ingredients go beyond just health and wellness, and contribute so much to the taste and flavor of a recipe. So, if you think that you're making something healthy and buying fruits, veggies, or meats so maybe you don't need to spend the extra to go organic here – let me sway your thinking.
Organic ingredients are made in a more pure way, therefore using no additives, no GMOs, and minimal ingredients. This really allows the true ingredients to shine – and because of that their flavor shines through. Therefore, organic ingredients are more flavorful than their non organic counterparts. So, just because it's already a healthy recipe, or you're already buying good for you ingredients – it doesn't mean you can skip organic! Trust me here, and make the switch. Your body and your taste buds will thank you!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
This simple from scratch French Baguette recipe uses only a few organic ingredients, and it's easy to make at home!
Ingredients
20 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) organic instant yeast
1/4 cup warm water
510 grams (4 cups) organic all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups cold water
Directions
- To make the dough: In a large bowl, add the yeast and warm water and stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
- Add the flour, sea salt, and cold water and mix the dough with your hands just until it’s mixed. It should feel wet and look shaggy. Cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 12 hours. (I usually make this dough at night, then plan to roll it out the following morning).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To roll out the dough: Lightly flour around the sides of the bowl and pull the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal portions.
- Create a ball with a smooth top by pulling the dough under itself. Turn it seam side up, then fold two of the sides into the middle and pinch the seam shut, it will be a rectangle shape at this sage.
- Flip it so it is seam side down. And gently, with the palms of your hands, roll the dough out until it is about 14-inches in length. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough.
- Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel, and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 550°F.
- Score each baguette by taking a razor blade and cutting slits on a diagonal, you should have about 5 to 6 scores on each baguette.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- High Altitude – Bake at 550°F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Tip – For an extra crispy crust, you can add a bowl of water on the bottom rack of your oven while preheating. You can also fill a spray bottle with water and spray the baguettes and oven right when they go in. This will help create more steam, which will make a crispy crust.
Did you make this recipe?
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