I’ve been making this simple baguette recipe for over a year now, and it’s finally time to share it with you. Seriously, this one is wildly simple. The toughest part is remembering you want it the day before you want it. Even if you only remember the night before, a 12-hour ferment in the fridge still works pretty great.
So, mark it in your calendar this Friday morning. Get up about 10 minutes earlier than normal, prep the dough, get it in the fridge, and you’ll have fresh mini baguettes to enjoy all weekend long.
Grab some great butter and cheese, prepare your favourite soft-scrambled eggs, or maybe even pick up some tinned fish to enjoy this with.
Let’s bake!
Prep: 15 minutesBake: 18 minutesServings: 8 mini baguettes
*Note: You can cut this recipe in half if you need to feed one or two people
Ingredients
* 900 g wheat flour
* 100 g whole wheat flour
* 8 g active dry yeast
* 750 g water
* 20 g kosher salt
Equipment
* Large mixing bowl
* Dough scraper
* Bench knife
* Parchment paper
* Pizza stone or baking sheet
* Small cast-iron pan (for steam)
* Razor blade or sharp knife (for scoring)
* Kitchen scale
Method
Step 1: Make the Dough
* In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
* Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds, resting the dough for 20 minutes between sets.
* One set = with a wet hand, grab a corner of the dough, pull up, and fold it over onto itself. Rotate and repeat for 3–4 corners.
* Wrap the bowl with cellophane and place it in the fridge to ferment for 24 hours.
Step 2: Shape the Baguettes
* Preheat your oven to 485°F with either a pizza stone or a baking sheet inside. Place a small cast-iron pan on the rack below to preheat as well.
* Using a dough scraper, knock the dough out of the bowl and place it on a clean work surface.
* Using a bench knife or a dough scraper, cut the dough in half down the middle, and then cut each half into approximately four equal pieces (doesn’t have to be exact).
* Clear a spot in the middle of your workstation and generously dust it with flour. Dust your hands lightly to start, and add more if you find the dough sticking too much.
* For each of the eight pieces, shape the baguette by folding small edges of the dough over onto itself towards the middle from each side. Then roll the dough gently, making sure to taper the ends. This gives the baguette its signature shape.
* Place each baguette on a sheet of parchment paper and cover with a clean cloth to let proof for ~20 minutes.
Step 3: Score and Bake
* Score the baguettes with a razor blade or sharp knife.
* Using a pizza peel, slide them (with the parchment) onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet. If you don’t have a peel, use the back of a baking sheet — lay the parchment on it and slide the whole thing onto the stone or tray.
* Just before baking, pour ¾ cup of water into the preheated cast-iron pan to create steam. This should make about ~8 minutes of steam.
* Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown.
Step 4: Cool & Serve
* Let the baguettes cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. I should say 30 minutes, but who are we kidding? You’re barely going to wait 10.
Enjoy!!
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