Crusty Baguettes

These baguettes take under four hours from start to finish and are impossibly soft on the inside and crusty on the outside.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1

Resting Time 4

Total Time 4

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Servings 2 baguettes

Ingredients

1½ cups water 115°F
1 tsp active dry yeast
3¼ cups organic, all purpose flour plus more for sprinkling on work surface
1½ tsp salt
¾ cup ice cubes amount will vary depending on the size of your ice cubes
cooking spray

Instructions

Pour warm water into bowl of mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Whisk and let rest for 10 minutes, or until it becomes foamy.
1½ cups water, 1 tsp active dry yeast
Add the salt to the flour and mix, then slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer fitted with the hook attachment on low. Let the dough rest uncovered in the mixing bowl for 15 minutes.
3¼ cups organic, all purpose flour, 1½ tsp salt
Knead for 10 minutes on low, or 15 minutes by hand.
Spray bowl with cooking spray, and place dough inside. Cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
cooking spray
Punch down the dough, knead for another 10 minutes on low or 15 minutes by hand and return to bowl to rise again for another hour or so.
Punch down the dough, and shape into two baguette loaves. You can use a baguette pan or you can fold parchment paper into a similar shape. Let rise for one hour.
Score diagonal slashes into each loaf, and place ice cubes on a baking sheet on a lower rack in the oven.
¾ cup ice cubes
Bake your loaves at 475°F for 22-25 minutes.
Let the bread rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

How much flour you'll need will depend on environmental factors, so your total amount needed may be more or less.

The ice cubes melting and creating steam are what will make your bread nice and crusty, and how much ice you'll need will depend on their size and shape. You'll need roughly a cup and a half of ice.

Keyword baguette, bread, french loaf