The baguette is the most demanding of the classic French breads: it requires a high-hydration dough, a long fermentation, careful shaping, and proper scoring. The reward is a loaf with a shattering crust, a soft, airy interior with large holes, and a flavor that's simultaneously mild and complex. Making a proper baguette at home is one of the most satisfying challenges in bread baking.
The Dough
A proper baguette dough is 65-68% hydration with about 2% salt and 0.6-0.8% yeast. The hydration is high — the dough will be sticky and difficult to work with initially. This is intentional: high hydration produces the open, airy crumb that characterizes a good baguette. If the dough is easy to work with, it's probably too dry.
The fermentation is typically done in two stages: a bulk fermentation of 2-3 hours at room temperature (with stretch and fold every 30 minutes for the first 1.5 hours), followed by a cold retard overnight in the refrigerator. The cold fermentation develops flavor and makes the dough easier to shape the next day.
Shaping the Baguette
Baguette shaping requires practice. The dough is divided into 300-350g pieces, pre-shaped as cylinders, rested 20-30 minutes, then finally shaped by rolling under your palms on a lightly floured surface. The key is to start from the center and roll outward, applying even pressure to create a consistent thickness from end to end. The ends should be tapered, slightly thicker at the center.
After shaping, the baguettes are placed in a baguette pan (a long pan with grooves that support the dough as it proofs) or on a baking sheet with a rolled towel underneath to provide support. They proof for 45-90 minutes at room temperature, until noticeably increased in volume and slightly jiggly when the pan is shaken.
Scoring and Baking
The baguette is scored at a 45-degree angle with 5-7 diagonal cuts, made with a sharp razor or lame. The cuts should be shallow (2-3mm deep) and made in one confident stroke from top to bottom. The slash opens along the score line during baking, allowing the bread to expand along the score rather than splitting unpredictably.
Bake in a preheated oven at 230-250°C with steam (a pan of boiling water on the oven floor). For the first 10 minutes, keep the oven door closed to retain steam and heat. After 10 minutes, remove the steam pan and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 15-18 minutes total. Cool on a wire rack — the baguettes should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.