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Baguettes: A French Treasure

Baguettes baked at home have a long French history. The baguette stands as a timeless symbol of French culture, tradition, and culinary excellence. With its crispy golden crust and soft, airy interior, this simple loaf captures hearts (and stomachs) around the globe every day.

How the Baguette Became a Daily Staple

French bakers first crafted the baguette in the 19th century, turning it into a daily essential for many households. They perfected the long, slender loaf we know and love today. French law even required bakeries to sell baguettes at set times, ensuring workers could grab a fresh loaf on their way home. For the French, bread remains serious business!

Master the Secret to Bake Baguettes at Home

What makes a baguette truly special? Bucket of Bread will guide you through a process that makes everything easy. The magic happens during the process: slower fermentation, careful shaping, and precise baking. These steps give the baguette its signature flavor and texture. Bucket of Bread gives you a wonderful twist on this classic.

Transform Any Meal with a Fresh Baguette

People don’t just tear into baguettes at the dinner table (though it’s hard to resist). You can pair them with soups, build sandwiches, or slather on butter and jam. However you enjoy it, a baguette always elevates the meal.

Bake Baguettes at Home and Bring Tradition to Your Kitchen

If you want to bake baguettes at home, start today with Bucket of Bread! The process feels simpler than you might think and incredibly rewarding. Roll up your sleeves, preheat your oven, and bring a little French tradition into your kitchen.

Marie... the Baguettes - Hurry Up!

Bucket of Bread

Baguettes Baked at Home are golden, crisp, and impossibly divine—baguettes are the ultimate bread-lover's delight. With their perfectly crackly crust and soft, airy center, every bite feels like a little piece of heaven. Whether paired with your favorite soup, turned into a gourmet sandwich, or enjoyed warm from the oven with a pat of butter, baguettes bring a touch of magic to any table. Let Bucket of Bread guide you to create your own delicious masterpiece—because nothing beats the aroma and taste of fresh, homemade baguettes.

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Equipment

1 Baking Stone Large
1 Sheet of Parchment Paper
1 Mixing bowl We're stepping away from the bucket for this one.
1 Baker's Couche Or use a cloth kitchen towel sprinkled with some of the excess flour.

Ingredients

1 Bag Your favorite Bucket of Bread Brand Dough Traditional White is best for the baguettes
1 Packet Kit Yeast
1 Tsp Table Salt
1½ Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Tbsp Lukewarm Water
1 Tbsp Honey

Instructions

Mix

Remove about 2 Tbsp of the baking mix and set aside for later.
Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
Add the honey to the water for a simple syrup. Ensure the temperature is lukewarm and add to the dry ingredients.
Mix this well until the consistency is relatively smooth with nothing dry remaining.

Rise

Keep the mixture in the bowl and cover. The dough will double in size so ensure your mix doesn't go past the halfway point of the bowl.
Every 45 mins, pull one side of the dough and fold onto itself right in the bowl. Pick it up and turn it upside down where you folded it. Do this 3 times in a warm room.
Keeping the bowl covered and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. If the dough hasn't doubled in this time, remove it from the fridge and let it continue to rise in a warm room for about 2 additional hours.

Pre-heat & Shape

Heat the oven to 500 ℉. The baking stone should be on the middle shelf in the upper left corner of the oven. A pan of water should be on the lower shelf on the right. This helps to circulate the steam better once the temperature is high. You can also have a fully saturated kitchen towel in the water to help with the release of steam (be careful).
Use some of the saved flour mixture and lightly sprinkle the counter top surface. Cut your dough into 2 even pieces for each bag of Bucket of Bread mix used.
Shape the pieces starting with the longer side of a rectangle, fold it inside itself and seal the seam with your fingers. Do it tightly and do your best not to degas the dough. Repeat two more times until you have formed a cylinder.
Ensure you seal the seams and stretch the cylinder to the length you want. Gently roll it with your hands into the baguette shape.
Use a cloth kitchen towel sprinkled with some of the excess flour and place each baguette on it with enough space between each loaf. Place them seam side up. Push the sides of the towel onto the loaves like an accordion shape. Cover and leave to proof for another 60 mins

Baguettes Baked at Home

Transfer the baguettes onto a piece of parchment paper with the seam side down. You can choose to dust off excess flour or not. If you don't, you'll have a more rustic looking loaf. Using a bread lame, sharp knife, or a razor blade, make 3 cuts, in a gentle but firm motion down the cylinder.
The oven and stone should be fully ready. Check the water levels. If you need to add more, let it heat up before baking. Slide the baguettes off of the parchment paper directly onto the hot baking stone.
Reduce the temperature to 475F. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes and bake for another 12-15 minutes at 450℉.
At this point because of varying oven characteristics, keep an eye on your baguettes. You want a nice deep golden brown color.