These foolproof baguettes are the easiest homemade bread recipe ever. Ready in 30 minutes flat, it yields two hearty loaves that are deliciously soft on the inside with a crackling outer crust.
Soft and flaky on the inside, crisp and crusty on the outside. I swear to you this is the best baguette recipe ever.
And they can be made last minute.
Goodbye pre-planning and hours of rise time.
This recipe is like the best (not anymore!) kept secret on the planet.
It’s perfect for beginner bakers and as an easy introduction to from-scratch bread making.
They’re perfect for tearing into and chewing alongside your favorite pasta, your favorite cheese, your favorite soup, or for something as simple as slapping on a slab of your favorite butter.
These baguettes are perfect, especially when you stop and take in their simplicity.
Plus, it only uses five (yes, 5) everyday ingredients you probably already have in stock.
Ingredients
To make this homemade bread, you’ll need:
- Water– Very warm water so it doesn’t kill the yeast.
- Yeast– Dry active yeast. One packet or a 2 1/4 tablespoons.
- Sugar– To activate the yeast.
- Salt– For flavor.
- Flour– All purpose flour. Don’t substitute a different flour because it will change the amount of protein in the flour which changes the texture of the bread.
How to Make
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk the warm water, yeast, and sugar together.
Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven or in another warm spot in your kitchen for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, stir in the salt and then add the flour a half of a cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft, but not sticky.
Knead the dough until elastic, about 8 minutes.
At this point, cut the dough into four even pieces and roll each of them into four long, thin ropes.
Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf. Repeat to form a second loaf.
Transfer both onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry), or let it rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven.
Fill a large bowl with 3-4 cups of ice.
Open your hot oven and place the baking sheet with the baguettes inside, then toss the ice cubes on the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the door.
Do NOT open your oven for 15 minutes (the steam for the ice is what creates the crunchy out the steam for the ice is what creates the crunchy outer crust).
Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
Serve warm with butter or with a dipping sauce of your favorite seasoned olive oil.
Storing Leftover Baguettes
Storing leftover homemade bread is a bit different than storing store bought bread since your homemade baguettes won’t have preservatives added to keep them fresh.
To store them, wrap them well in foil so no air is touching any part of the loaf and then place the foil wrapped loaves in a plastic bag.
For shorter term storage, you could put them in a bread box or paper bag.
How do I know when my bread dough is elastic?
To check to see if your dough is elastic, just tear off a chunk of dough off and stretch it between your fingers.
If the dough tears the gluten is developed enough. Keep kneading!
But, if the dough stretches and just thins out then you are done and can move on to the next step.
How can I tell if the yeast is activated?
You will know the yeast is activated if it gets bubbly and foamy while it sits.
If it doesn’t discard the mixture and start again.
Why didn’t my yeast activate?
It could be due to a couple reasons:
- the yeast was old and died.
- water was too hot or too cold
Tips and Tricks
- Check to see that the yeast has bubbled before mixing in the flour.
- The dough should be soft but not sticky or dry. To make sure you get the right consistency, don’t shortcut by adding all the flour at once. Do it a little at a time.
- Kneading the dough is key. You want the dough to be stretchy and supple but not over or underworked.
Other Bread Recipes
This foolproof baguette recipe is an easy introduction to homemade bread. Make them and enjoy the simple goodness of freshly baked, warm bread.
Looking for other bread recipes? Try these:
- Cheesy Beer Bread
- 40 Minute Hamburger Buns
- Crusty Dutch Oven Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Slow Cooker Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
- Oatmeal Pull Apart Dinner Rolls
- Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
- Homemade English Muffins
If you’ve tried this FOOLPROOF BAGUETTE RECIPE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Crusty 30 Minute Foolproof Baguettes
Ingredients
- 2 cups very warm water
- 1 packet yeast or 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-4 cups of flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven for ten minutes. Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft, but not sticky. Knead the dough until elastic.
- Cut the dough into four even pieces. Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes. Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf. Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf. Transfer both onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry), or allow it to rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven.
- Fill a large bowl with 3-4 cups of ice. Open your hot oven and place the baking sheet with the baguettes inside, then toss the ice cubes on the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the door. Do NOT open your oven for 15 minutes (the steam for the ice is what creates the crunchy outer crust). Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
- Serve warm with butter or with a dipping sauce of your favorite seasoned olive oil.
Notes
- Check to see that the yeast has bubbled before mixing in the flour.
- The dough should be soft but not sticky or dry. To make sure you get the right consistency, don't shortcut by adding all the flour at once. Do it a little at a time.
- Kneading the dough is key. You want the dough to be stretchy and supple but not over or underworked.
Nutrition
recipe originally published December 4, 2015
Tamana says
Hi there,
Beginner baker here. Was looking for a quick easy recipe to do with the kids and stumbled across this. It looked legit and foolproof, but I was proven otherwise. I had to experiment with immense amounts of flour compared to the recipe given. But once I figured out the correct amount of flour to use, it made delicious bread, hence my 3 stars.
Thanks!
Deborah says
Wow – I don’t usually have success with a recipe the first time around. But this was amazingly easy and quick. I was able to whip up a nice loaf (I halved the recipe) in the evening before bedtime!