This soft French baguette recipe makes two soft and chewy loaves. Your house your house will smell ah-mazing while they bake!
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🥖An easy yeast recipe
This soft French baguette is such a great recipe for beginner bread bakers. All you need is flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water. The dough can be kneaded by hand, or in a stand mixer. As soon as you have mastered this recipe, the sky is the limit for yeast dough recipes!
What to try next, how about cinnamon rolls, no knead focaccia bread, or dinner rolls. Working with yeast is not very hard once you get used to the feel of what the dough should be like when it's done. If you need more help with working with yeast, check out my post on baking with yeast!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Dry active yeast - use whichever type of yeast you are comfortable working with.
- Water - the water needs to be warm to touch for the yeast. If it's too hot, the yeast will die, if it's too cold, the yeast won't bloom. Anywhere from 100°F-110°F (37°C-43°C) is the perfect temperature.
🔪Instructions
To start the dough, add yeast, sugar and water to a large bowl or to a bowl of a stand mixer. Let yeast bloom for a few minutes, and then add salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix to combine.
Add in ¼ cup of flour at a time, and knead until the dough comes together and cleans the bottom of the bowl. You may need to use less or more flour as bread making depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Place dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm environment until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn dough onto lightly flour dusted bench. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut in half, vertically, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll each half of the dough up tightly, beginning at the 12 inch side.
Place loaves onto a parchment lined baking sheet and make diagonal slashes in the them. Cover and let rise until doubled, approximately 30 minutes. Mix egg yolk with water and brush onto loaves, and then bake for 20-25 minutes at 375°F (190°C), or until golden brown.
✔️Expert tips
- Make sure the water isn't too warm or too cold for the yeast. It should be ideally between the temperatures of 100°F-110°F (37°C-43°C).
- Working with yeast is dependent on with weather and temperature in you kitchen. That's why I gave a variance of flour amounts needed for this recipe.
- The soft French baguette loaves are perfect for charcuterie boards. They are great spread with soft cheese, or topped with meats.
- Serve as a side with dinner, like pizza rice casserole, cheesy chicken noddle casserole, or spicy Italian sausage penne!
💭FAQs
After bread has cooled, store it in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to 2 days. It won't be as chewy or moist as it was on the day it was baked, but you can toast it or nuke it in the microwave.
The baguettes can be stored in the freezer in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then bring them to room temperature to warm.
Yes, this recipe can be used to make one large loaf instead of two. It may need to bake for a little longer though.
🔖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
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Soft French Baguette
Ingredients
- 1 cup water warm
- 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2½-2¾ cups flour plus more for dusting
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add yeast, sugar and water to a large bowl. Let yeast bloom for a few minutes, and then add salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix to combine.
- Add in ¼ cup of flour at a time, and knead until the dough comes together and cleans the bottom of the bowl. You may need to use less or more flour as bread making depends on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Place dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm environment until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough onto lightly flour dusted bench. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut in half, vertically, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles.
- Roll each half of the dough up tightly, beginning at the 12 inch side. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Make diagonal slashes in the loaves, then cover, and let rise until doubled, approximately 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix egg yolk with water and brush onto loaves. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Baguettes are best consumed the day they are baked.
Jim kirwan
What purpose do the slashes serve?
Nina
Hi Jim! Scoring the bread gives the gas the bread creates, a place to escape. Without the slashes in the bread, ruptures and lumps could form on the bread from where the gas was trying to escape.
Rita
Wanted a nice baguette for my charcuterie board and this recipe was the perfect addition to salty olives, soft cheeses and meats.
Nina
Hi Rita! I use it for charcuterie boards all the time too 🙂
Sofie
I tried it for a cheeseboard and everyone loved it! Great recipe.
Nina
Thanks Sofie! I am so glad you liked it 🙂
Supriya Kutty
Looking delicious and healthy. I love making food and baguette is one of them, I usually make it on weekends and I have my own recipe to make it. I like your method as well. I will try it and let you knew. Thank you for sharing.
Nina
Thank you! yes, please let me know 🙂