Easy French Bread Recipe Crispy Baguettes You Can Bake At Home

I mix flour water yeast and salt and the kitchen smells warm and clean. This easy french bread recipe gives a crackly shell and a soft center. We start simple and we get bread from scratch with a calm pace and sure hands. Baking Bread Recipes guide me like small notes that I tuck in my apron. I lean on a cast iron pan for steady heat and steam. The dough rests and I shape two slim loaves that feel light and alive. A Bread Dough Recipe looks strict yet I trust the feel more than the clock. I score the tops and hear the blade whisper. Heat lifts the loaves and the room goes quiet for a moment. This reads like a Baguette Recipe French bakers would nod at and still it stays friendly. You can pull this on a weeknight with a 1 hour bread recipe plan or stretch the rise for deeper taste. When the loaves cool I tap the crust and it sings.

Table of Contents

• 1 Key Takeaways
• 2 Easy French Baguette Recipe
• 3 Ingredients for French Baguette
• 4 How to Make French Baguette
• 5 Tips for Making French Baguette
• 6 Making French Baguette Ahead of Time
• 7 Storing Leftover French Baguette
• 8 Try these Bread next
• 9 French Baguette
• 10 Nutrition

1 Key Takeaways

• Simple dough with flour water yeast and salt
• Steam gives crisp crust and tender crumb
• Hands guide the shape and the score
• Bake hot and cool well before slicing
• Recipe by Elena at Elena Cooks with a friendly tone

2 Easy French Baguette Recipe

I chase warm bread with a steady plan and a light mood. This easy french bread recipe sits on my counter and keeps me calm. I say easy french bread recipe again as the dough comes together and the room smells like a small bakery.

We use plain tools and sure hands. I write for Elena Cooks and I bake in my own kitchen and I learn from each loaf. On the site I share what works with a clean style so you move with me and you win with me.

You get a crackly shell and a soft middle. A simple french bread recipe fits a busy day. A quick french bread recipe fits a slow weekend too. Visit Elena Cooks at https://www.elenacooks.com for more loaves and small wins.

3 Ingredients for French Baguette

Bread flour I choose strong flour for rise and chew and a clear wheat taste

Warm water I use water near body temp so the yeast wakes up and the dough feels alive

Instant yeast I add a small spoon for lift and a steady rise that stays kind

Fine sea salt I add salt for structure and for clean depth

Olive oil I add a light film to the bowl so the dough turns with ease

Ice cubes I keep a cup ready for steam and for a thin crisp shell

Cornmeal I dust a peel or a sheet so the loaves slide and keep shape

Cast iron pan I heat the pan and use it for steam that lifts the crust

4 How to Make French Baguette

Step one mix I stir water and yeast then add flour and salt and bring a shaggy dough that clings and feels soft

Step two rest and fold I let it sit then I fold the edges in three rounds to build strength and keep an open crumb

Step three rise I cover the bowl and let the dough puff until light to the touch

Step four pre shape I split the dough and set two loose logs and give them a short rest

Step five shape I roll each log into a slim baton and seal a seam and set seam side down

Step six heat I warm the oven very hot and place a stone and a cast iron pan inside

Step seven score I make long shallow cuts to guide the spring and to set the look

Step eight bake I slide the loaves in add ice to the hot pan bake until deep gold then cool on a rack

5 Tips for Making French Baguette

Soft dough gives open crumb so I hold back on flour on the board and keep a light hand

Steam helps crust so I use ice in a hot pan and keep the door shut for the first stretch

Score with a sharp blade and keep the angle low so the ears lift and look neat

A beginner friendly french bread recipe grows with you so take notes and trust your touch

6 Making French Baguette Ahead of Time

I mix the dough in the evening and chill it and the rest gives sweet grain notes and a fine crumb

Next day I shape and bake and the schedule suits work and family life and the loaf still sings

For a no mixer french bread recipe I use a bowl a spoon and folds and the dough thanks me for the gentle path

7 Storing Leftover French Baguette

I keep the loaf in a paper bag on the counter for one day and the crust stays crisp

For day two I warm slices in the oven and the shell wakes up and the crumb turns soft again

For longer storage I freeze slices and reheat and this easy french bread recipe still pays off with quick toast

8 Try these Bread next

9 French Baguette

Easy French Bread Recipe Crispy Baguettes You Can Bake At Home

I mix flour water yeast and salt and the kitchen smells warm and clean. This easy french bread recipe gives a crackly shell and a soft center. We start simple and we get bread from scratch with a calm pace and sure hands. Baking Bread Recipes guide me like small notes that I tuck in my apron. I lean on a cast iron pan for steady heat and steam. The dough rests and I shape two slim loaves that feel light and alive. A Bread Dough Recipe looks strict yet I trust the feel more than the clock. I score the tops and hear the blade whisper. Heat lifts the loaves and the room goes quiet for a moment. This reads like a Baguette Recipe French bakers would nod at and still it stays friendly. You can pull this on a weeknight with a 1 hour bread recipe plan or stretch the rise for deeper taste. When the loaves cool I tap the crust and it sings.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

Keywords: 1 hour bread recipe, Baguette Recipe French, Baking Bread Recipes, Bread Dough Recipe, Bread From Scratch, Cast Iron Bread Recipes, easy french bread recipe

Servings: 2 baguettes

Author: Elena

Ingredients

• Bread flour 500 g
• Warm water 360 g about body temp
• Instant yeast 2 g about half a teaspoon
• Fine sea salt 10 g
• Olive oil a touch for the bowl
• Ice cubes for steam
• Optional cornmeal for the peel or sheet
• Optional cast iron pan or Dutch oven for steam

Instructions

1. Make the dough Mix water and yeast in a large bowl then add flour and salt and stir with a spoon until a shaggy mass forms
2. Rest ten minutes then knead by hand three minutes or fold in the bowl until smooth and slightly tacky
3. First rise Cover and let the dough puff until airy about sixty to ninety minutes in a warm room
4. Strengthen Do three rounds of stretch and fold every twenty to thirty minutes if time allows this builds structure and keeps the crumb open
5. Pre shape Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter shape two loose logs rest fifteen minutes
6. Shape Roll each log into a long baton press a seam shut and set seam side down on a floured towel or baguette tray
7. Second rise Cover and let the loaves grow by half about thirty to forty five minutes the dough should spring back slowly when poked
8. Heat the oven Set to high heat 245 C place a cast iron pan or tray on the lower rack for steam place a baking stone or a heavy sheet in the middle
9. Score Move the loaves to parchment or a peel dust with flour make three to five long slashes at a shallow angle
10. Bake Slide the loaves onto the hot stone pour a cup of ice into the hot pan close the door
11. Bake fifteen minutes with steam then vent the oven remove the steam pan and bake ten to fifteen minutes more until deep golden
12. Cool Move to a rack wait at least thirty minutes the crumb sets and the crust stays crisp
13. Serve I love a slice with butter and a pinch of salt or torn with soup
14. Store Keep leftovers in a paper bag for one day revive in a warm oven for five minutes

Notes

I bake on a stone for strong bottom heat. No stone works too use a thick sheet. For more tang mix the dough the night before then chill and bake next day. Steam helps the crust set slow and thin I use ice in a hot pan. For more open crumb keep the dough softer and avoid heavy flour on the counter. Recipe by Elena for Elena Cooks at https://www.elenacooks.com.

10 Nutrition

One slice sits near one hundred sixty calories and brings steady energy for soup or salad

Protein stays modest and fat stays low and the focus stays on grain and water and time

I add butter or olive oil when I serve and I smile at the balance and the joy