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A homemade baguette is a true treat! Better yet, this recipe requires only four simple ingredients and absolutely no kneading.
Baguette is perfect for every occasion. From soups to salads to hearty roast dinners, fresh baked bread is always welcome on our table.
Baguette making can be an extremely time consuming process, but with this no-knead recipe you will cut corners without compromising taste. We are obsessed with the chewy inside and crispy exterior. It’s just like the baguette we had on our last family trip to Paris!
What is Baguette?
If you have eaten at a French restaurant, it’s likely you have tried this iconic bread. Simply put, a baguette is a long, thin loaf of French bread that is characterized by a crisp crust and chewy center. The ingredients are pure and simple, consisting of water, flour, salt and yeast.
How Do You Make Baguettes From Scratch?
This method is the easiest way to make baguette and happens to also be my personal favorite. Follow these simple steps to nail the loaf each time:
- Mix the dry ingredients together and add water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight (up to 20 hours) on the countertop in a well oiled bowl.
- Generously flour your hands and your baking sheet.
- Form dough into baguette shape (about 12 inches long) and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Follow this video tutorial for tips on shaping the dough.
- Bake in the oven for ten minutes with a pan of boiled water resting on the bottom rack. Remove the water and bake until golden brown.
DON’T PANIC! The dough will be really sticky and that’s perfectly OK. To make handling it easier, make sure the work surface is really well-floured or wet your hands periodically throughout the shaping process. I also love using a dough scraper for easier handling.
Tips for the Best Baguette
- Use the right flour. Try using flour with higher protein content to get the best texture. A couple of my favorites include King Arthur or Bobs’ Red Mill. Any Canadian brand will typically fit the bill.
- Score the top with a very sharp knife. Scoring, or slicing, the top of your baguettes isn’t just for decoration. When you initially shape your bread, you are creating a very taut surface. When you pop your baguette into the oven without scoring the top, the heat causes a burst of gas called an “oven spring” that can rupture the top of the bread and destroy its shape.
- Freeze and reheat your baguette. I like to bake a couple loaves of bread at once and freeze a couple for later. Reheat them in the oven and they will be just as good as freshly baked bread!
- Make sure your yeast is fresh. This common mistake happens to the best of us. Over time, active yeast deactivates and loses its ability to make your bread rise and fluff. Always check the label to make sure it’s not expired!
- Don’t skip the steam bath. The steam bath is crucial to making the outside of your bread crusty. It’s well worth the extra step!
How to Shape The Baguette
Serving Baguette
I probably don’t have to tell you too much about how to enjoy baguette, but here are some of my favorite ways to serve it.
- European-style butter or high-quality olive oil. Pulgra and Kerrygold are delicious options you can find at most grocery stores.
- Smoked Salmon Dip. This 15-minute recipe is super easy and features an instructional video with yours truly and my husband, Tim! 😉
- Slathered with Raspberry Jam. Our recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients and our boys are hooked on it.
- Alongside a steaming bowl of borscht. It’s sorrel season! Pair a toasty piece of baguette with our schavel borscht.
- Make a steak sandwich. C’mon, you deserve one!
- Serve up some bruschetta. Nothing says summer quite like bruschetta made with farmer’s market tomatoes.
FAQ
Why are my baguettes flat?
When shaping the baguettes you will need to use ample flour to successfully shape the baguettes- have a well floured surface and hands, and keep folding the dough until you get a tight, skinny log/baton shape. Watch this tutorial on shaping the dough.
Why is the dough sticky or wet?
Rest assured it is normal for the dough to be very sticky and wet as this is a high hydration dough. More flour is added when shaping the dough-you will need to have well floured hands and surface when shaping the baguettes.
What if my dough is rising faster than 12-20 hours?
This dough needs ample time to rise because not a lot of yeast is called for. The longer it sits, the better the final texture and taste. You may find that the dough rises much faster if you live in a warmer, humid climate. In this case, the rising time may be closer to 12 hours- you can place the dough into the fridge for the remainder of the rising time, if desired.
Why is the crust so hard?
Baguettes are known for their crispy, golden exterior. If you’d like to soften the crust, wrap your baguettes in a clean kitchen towel after baking.
How many baguettes does this recipe make?
This recipe will easily yield 2-6 baguettes, depending on the size of baguette you prefer!
Recipe
No Knead Bread-Baguette
Print Pin
Servings
12 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Homemade baguette is a true treat! Better yet, this recipe requires only four simple ingredients and absolutely no kneading.
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (depending on a brand, you may need to add more flour)
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp salt
US Units – Metric
Instructions
The night before, combine all ingredients together. First mix the dry ingredients together and then add water. Mix the ingredients until the dough comes together. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let it sit for 12-20 hours on the countertop.
The following day, the dough should be wet, sticky and bubbly. Generously flour your hands and the baking sheet.
Take the dough (if it sticks, apply more flour to your hands) and form a baguette shape. You will easily get atleast 2-3 baguettes. For tips on shaping the dough, watch this tutorial. Place it on a baking sheet and sprinkle a generous amount of flour on it. Score the top with a sharp knife and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 °F. You will need to have 2 shelves in an oven. Fill a deep baking pan with 2 cups of hot boiled water, and place it on the lower rack, inside your oven. This will make the bread crispy on the outside. Place the bread on the middle rack. Remove water from the oven after 10 minutes. Keep on baking the bread for another 30 minutes or until golden crispy brown.
Nutrition Facts
No Knead Bread-Baguette
Amount Per Serving
Calories 230 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Sodium 392mg16%
Potassium 73mg2%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 7g14%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted August 11, 2020
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NatalieSep 2, 2024 Mine turned out a little flat, but I did not adjust for altitude since I am over 5k feet. I will next time. The taste and outside is perfect. I will be making this again.
Natalya DrozhzhinSep 2, 2024 I'm thrilled to hear the taste is perfect, and next time they'll be even better with some adjustments! Enjoy!
MJSep 2, 2024 I have tried to make baguettes for 10 years. Finally with your recipe I was able to make perfect baguettes. What a treat! I used bread flour and I did end up pulling the dough, instead of kneeding. I also proofed the yeast first and put the bowl in my oven for proofing in case my kitchen was too cold for the yeast. I played the texture by ear, and I pulled and added enough flour I shaped them. The baguettes will be a little flat once they’re shaped but that’s why we let them rise. I let them rise using the proof setting on my oven. Really delicious, perfect baguettes.🥖
Natalya DrozhzhinSep 2, 2024 Wow! After ten years, you finally found the one! I'm happy our recipe helped you achieve the perfect baguette!:) Thanks for sharing your tweaks and tips, and hope you enjoy baking this baguette many more times!
Rebecca CorwinAug 31, 2024 Hi, I’ve used your recipe before and I love it
But I’m making it again now and I started the dough at 10 and it’s already tripled in size. Do I make the bread now or do I still have to wait the 12-20 hours?Natalya DrozhzhinSep 2, 2024 Hi! I’m so glad to hear you love the baguette recipe. If your dough has already tripled in size, it’s a good sign that it's risen well, and you might not need to wait the full 12-20 hours. The extended fermentation time is usually for developing deeper flavors and achieving a better texture, so you can pop it in the fridge and allow it to continue fermenting in there if you wish.
LauraAug 30, 2024 Your nutrition information shows saturated fat. Where is the sat fat coming from if this is made with flour, water, yeast and salt?
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 30, 2024 Hey Laura, We have a third party that calculates the nutrition information since that is not my area of expertise. From my understanding, I think it may come from the yeast.
GloriaAug 28, 2024 Very disappointed. I followed the recipe to a tee, used King Arthur flour, let it sit for 20 hours, compared my dough to the pictures looked the same. They are as flat as a pancake. What a waste of ingredients
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 29, 2024 Hey Gloria, I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with how the baguettes turned out. Did the baguettes flatten after baking or before?
SarahAug 24, 2024 This dough sticks to literally anything. I have never had to flour my hands and work surface so much in my life. The things are still sticky and won't make tight loaves at all. Please read the comments on this one before you make it guys. I'm going to have a bunch of terrible flat bread to force myself to eat later. Thanks for the waste of supplies!
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 26, 2024 Hey Sarah, I’m sorry to hear you had such a tough time with the dough! I'm curious what type of flour you used? Usually that makes the biggest difference.
FrédérikAug 23, 2024 Hi! I haven't tried the recipe yet, do you think this would work well with Five Roses enriched ap flour?
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 23, 2024 Hey, I recommend a high protein flour such as Bob's Red Mill or King Arthurs for best results, but we have had others use a variety of flours with great success.The flour amount may need to be adjusted though to get the right consistency. Happy baking and I look forward to hearing back from you!
Taylor manceAug 21, 2024 I had high hopes for this recipe but I couldn't even bake it.
I expected the dough to be wet;I've made baguettes before with no issue so I don't really understand what I did wrong . I followed all directions and when I went to shape the dough, it was way to wet. I spent 15 to 20 minutes trying to get it a bit more dry so that I could break it into 2 to 3 pieces but it stayed super wet no matter how many teaspoons of flour I put on.
I was about to give up but figured I should try it in my stand mixer. That didn't work either so I just gave up!:(Natalya DrozhzhinAug 21, 2024 I'm sorry it didn't work out as hoped Taylor. I'm curious what type of flour you used? That usually makes the biggest difference.
Violetta SochkaAug 20, 2024 Excellent recipe! This is my go-to for baguettes. They turn out perfectly and are definitely a crowd pleaser 🙂
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 20, 2024 Thanks for sharing your repeated success! I happy you found your go-to recipe and that everyone loves them!
BeccaAug 20, 2024 Made this recipe for dinner last night and it was amazing! I want to try making it into sandwich bread, have you every tried putting the dough in loaf pans to cook?? Just curious if you think it would work.
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 20, 2024 I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it last night- nothing beats fresh bread for dinner! I personally have not tried making it in a bread pan, -it could work, but would take some experimenting to get it just right. If you try it, I'd love to hear back from you. Otherwise, we have other bread recipes on the blog you might like for sandwiches. 🙂
Pamela DeansAug 17, 2024 My dough was almost like a porridge. I added so much flour just to stop it being so darn sticky. I am waiting for it to cool to see if it cooked all the way. 3 cups of water for me was way too much. How come it was so wet?
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 18, 2024 Hi Pamela, I would love to know what brand of flour you use. It would be great for the recipe notes to have this feedback.
PattiAug 11, 2024 So I just took my baguettes out of the oven and they look and smell fantastic. I used Pillsbury bread flour and added almost an extra cup. They looked a little flat but puffed up in the oven. Amazing
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 12, 2024 Oh I'm so glad to hear it worked out! Enjoy your delicious baguettes!
Pamela DeansAug 17, 2024 I had to add almost an extra cup myself. It was impossible to work with, without the extra flour. I think it was a misprint or something. My baquettes were almost flat. I had to proof the 3 tines to get them to keep the shape and that was only buying adding so much more flour. But, that being said. My husband said this bread tastes just like bakery bread. Taste is spot on.
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 18, 2024 Hi Pamela, it really depends on the brand of flour. Did you use Bobs Redmill? I am happy the outcome was still great.
See AlsoSugar Cookie Truffles
PattiAug 11, 2024 They are in the oven now but I added almost an extra cup of flour and they are still flat. I’m not having high hopes
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 12, 2024 Hey Patti, I would recommend to keep folding the dough with the extra flour until you get a tight, skinny log/baton shape. We have a video tutorial under the FAQ on how to shape it. But I'm sure the bread will taste great even if it's a little flat. Keep me posted!
HicksAug 11, 2024 Not recommended. The hydration levels are way out of proportion. After an overnight proof on the counter you've made a poolish. Not a dough that will shape without an insane amount of extra flour. Not sure how this has such a high rating on Google.
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 12, 2024 I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. This recipe has been a great success for many - hence the high rating. But there are multiple factors that could affect the dough, so I wish I had more details to help figure out what went wrong!
Ann TurnerAug 10, 2024 I tried this recipe even though I'm not good with dough. I just three loaves out of the oven and after a quick taste I really like it. I followed the recipe but I did take the loaves out of the oven 8 minutes early. Totally fine. Thank you.
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 12, 2024 Hey Ann, I’m so glad you gave the recipe a try! It sounds like you may be more gifted in baking than you give yourself credit 😉 Thank you for sharing your success! Enjoy your loaves, and happy baking!
NataliAug 10, 2024 my dough was extremely wet and impossible to work with. I followed the instructions exactly. I don't know where it went wrong, but I am very disappointed
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 12, 2024 Hey Natali, I'm sorry to hear the dough was difficult to work with. Sometimes, even small differences in flour type or humidity can affect the dough’s consistency. Did you by chance try adding extra flour to make it easier to work with? I'd love some more details so we can troubleshoot together, and if you're willing to try it again, I'm here to help!
SaraAug 8, 2024 This recipe is awful. Don’t follow it. My dough was so watery and slimey no matter how much flour I added to try to fix it. I shouldve read the comments instead of wasting my time.
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 9, 2024 I'm sorry to hear that your experience with this recipe didn't turn out as expected. Baguette dough is meant to be more wet and sticky in comparison to other bread dough. I'm curious what flour you used, typically adding more flour makes the dough much more manageable to work with. Let me know if I can help troubleshoot in any other way!
CindyAug 8, 2024 Baking the baguettes now 😋 will let you know
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 9, 2024 Can't wait to hear back from you!
LondonerAug 8, 2024 Hi, I enjoyed making this recipe frequently last year with excellent results. This year I’ve come back to it and like other posters have found the dough, after the first prove, can be poured out of the bowl it’s so wet.
I’m wondering, have you changed the ratio of flour to water in the last year?
I don’t remember it being as basic as 2 parts flour to 1 water.
Can you let me know what it used to be, as that worked better with my ingredients and set up etc.The dough I’ve just worked has had an extra half cup in each baguette while shaping, and they are still flat and couldnt be worked into a tight shape.
Thank you
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 8, 2024 Hi Londoner, I didnt think we changed the recipe. Looked back all the way to 2018 and the recipe has been exactly the same. I wonder if in the summer the its just warmer and it changes the texture. If you used metric measurement, we had a typo in the grams conversion. It was 870grams but it should have been 750grams. I use Bobs Redmill bread flour and the recipes comes out great. Hope this helps to narrow down the situation. Thanks
JanAug 8, 2024 Hi Natalya
I'm looking forward to making your for the marinara sauce, zucchini boats and the baguette. I'm wondering if I can use whole wheat flour in the baguette recipe instead of the AP flour?Natalya DrozhzhinAug 8, 2024 That all sounds delicious Jan! I hope you enjoy your meal! In regards to a whole wheat baguette, we have a recipe for that on our blog that I would recommend following in place of this one. Here it is: https://momsdish.com/recipe/2…
ShelbyAug 7, 2024 Hello! I only have instant yeast on hand. Does this change the rise time? Thanks!
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 7, 2024 Hey Shelby, It shouldn't make much difference in this recipe, since there's a small amount of yeast. But happy baking! I hope you enjoy that delicious bread soon!
Emma EvansAug 6, 2024 Hi! This looks amazing! Would I be able to make this in a Dutch oven?
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 6, 2024 Hi Emma, Do you mean like a large loaf vs. baguette shape?
MashaAug 3, 2024 Is it ok to use bread flour instead?
Also the recipe says to leave it for 12 - 20 hours. What am I looking for? How do I know if its done at 12 or should let it sit for longer? Thank uNatalya DrozhzhinAug 5, 2024 Hey Masha, Yes, you can totally use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Regarding the fermentation time, the main thing to look for is the dough has doubled in size. This recipe doesn't use much yeast, so a longer rise time is required for ideal flavor and texture. If your kitchen is warm, the dough might be ready closer to the 12-hour mark. In cooler environments, it might need the full 20 hours. I hope this helps, and happy baking!
ToniJul 29, 2024 My baguettes are flat 🙁 as a novice bread maker, I found this recipe to kind of vague when it came to how much flour to use and the consistency of dough I need.
It says to use 750g of flour but “could be more depending on the flour I use”? Not sure what to do with that information. I also used generous amounts of flour when forming the dough but it was still very much a glob so maybe I needed to add more flour at the beginning next time. I’d also like to know how much flour is a generous amount ://
I’ve followed other recipes for other types of bread and they came out fine. I will keep trying though and hopefully we can make better baguettes :)))
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 29, 2024 Hey Toni, I'm sorry to hear your baguettes turned out flat, but I appreciate your honest feedback. I personally use Bob's Red Mill flour and have great success with this recipe, along with many others, but I understand that's not the case for everyone. Factors like flour type, humidity, and even how you measure ingredients can affect dough consistency. I’ve noted that more flour might be needed, as it varies with each situation. The dough is higher hydration and can be sticky, so using a generous amount of flour while shaping helps. The exact amount needed can differ based on your working surface and how you handle the dough.
We aim to provide as much detail and helpful tips as possible on the blog, but sometimes it’s challenging to give a precise amount of extra flour that might be needed depending on the situation. I hope this kind of helps clarify some things, and feel free to reach out with any more questions or suggestions!
Alina YousifJul 24, 2024 Thanks for the delicious and easy baguette recipe!
Not sure why a handful of people are complaining about slime (you add more flour while shaping the loaves) and before the dough rests you can always add a little more flour as needed ….
Anyways mine did not come out flat. They were perfect and tasty! My new go to french loaf recipe.Natalya DrozhzhinJul 24, 2024 Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad to hear your baguettes turned out perfect and this recipe is your go-to! Enjoy!
DeS RispoliJul 23, 2024 Just made it. So simple. Great directions. The only thing I did was to broil for 8 min to get extra brown. Also it’s rather tasteless alone. I wonder what I can add to make the bread taste yummy without butter?
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 23, 2024 I'm glad to hear that you found the directions simple and that broiling worked well for you! I could eat bread plain, - I love it! However, if you'd like to enhance the flavor of the bread without using butter, you can experiment with herbs and spices, seeds, cheese, etc. Enjoy!
IanJul 21, 2024 Why do you give ingredients by volume, cups, when weight is the bakers way to measure and is far more precise?
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 22, 2024 That's a great question! I use mostly use volume measurements in my recipes because they are more familiar and accessible for many home cooks, especially in the U.S. However, our recipes do have a metric conversion option.
AaronJul 19, 2024 So, I do everything by weight. I find I'm far more consistent when I do that. The reference I used said 1 cup of water was = to 240g. Also 1 cup of AP flour was (on average) 125g. 720g water to 750g AP flour. That's a 96% hydration. Apparently baguettes usually have a Hydration of 65%-75%. Trying to salvage my dough now, but I'll definitely aim to keep the water in that % range next time I try this.
DavidAug 4, 2024 I always much prefer to use weigh things for baking. It's so much easier and more accurate to just weigh thinks in grams than to try and measure them out. thanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 19, 2024 Thanks for giving me more info, and you're right this is a high hydration dough. It's easier to work with if it's less hydration. You could try incorporating more flour gradually until it reaches a workable consistency. But I hope you give it another try and let me know if I can help in any other way!
AaronJul 19, 2024 Is there a video that shows how to shape the slime? Looks like the dough in the video is way less wet.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 19, 2024 Hey Aaron, Slime, no lol but baguette dough yes. :). I'm assuming you're having some issues with the dough? Can I get some more specific into, so I can help troubleshoot?
STEVE CARL PHOENIXJul 19, 2024 Looks fandabidozy!! 🙂
If frozen, at what temp, and for how long do you reheat them in the oven, please?Natalya DrozhzhinJul 19, 2024 Thank you! I'm glad you think it looks fandabidozy! 😊 To reheat frozen baguettes, preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the frozen baguettes directly on the oven rack or a baking sheet and bake for about 15-25 minutes, or until they are heated through and crispy on the outside. Enjoy!
