Sourdough Baguettes Recipe | Super simple and delicious | Foodgeek (2024)

A fresh baguette is pure happiness. A thin and super crusty and crispy crust. A light and fluffy interior begging for lots of excellent produce, meats, and cheeses. When you ferment the dough for a long time, the taste of the baguette becomes a beautiful experience. This is my recipe for sourdough baguettes.

Baguettes are the perfect companion for almost any kind of dish. They are great with cheeses, vegetables, and meats of any sort.

My personal favorite is a Vietnamese sandwich called Bánh Mì. It’s a French baguette with various fillings, usually a protein like marinated pork, grilled chicken, tofu, or meatballs. Afterward, you top it with pickled daikon and carrots, fresh chilies, and coriander or cilantro leaves.

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The history of baguettes

Creating a recipe requires a lot of research. I research many different things. Methods for mixing, shaping, and baking. What ingredients are common, which are uncommon, and how did the item come to be? Did it take decades or even centuries to develop it from a different version, or did someone come up with it in a bakery or hotel kitchen?

I often find that historians disagree on how something came to be. In the end, all that’s left are a bunch of theories.

Baguettes are no different.

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Napoleon, metro workers, or the French revolution?

One such story goes that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the bread given to soldiers to be long and thin to fit in the soldier’s pockets.

Another story goes that when they started building the metro in Paris in 1898, workers were brought in from France to work on the project. Because of a violent outbreak between two groups of workers, they asked bakers to bake bread that could be torn instead of cut so that knives could be outlawed.

Yet another story goes that baguettes were part of inciting the French revolution. It’s been said that it infuriated the French peasants to see the nobility eating crusty white bread while they were starving.

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What about the modern baguette?

The origins of the modern baguette are not well known either. Still, it’s been said that the baker who is known for inventing the croissant, Austrian-born August Zang, facilitated the baguette because he brought the steam oven to France. Steam is needed to make the super crusty exterior of the baguette.

No matter how they came to be, baguettes are lovely and delicious.

Sourdough Baguettes Recipe | Super simple and delicious | Foodgeek (4)

The dough in this sourdough baguettes recipe

Vitals

Total weight1290 grams
Pre-fermented flour10%
Hydration70%
YieldThree medium baguettes

Dough

The dough for a classic french baguette is only white flour, but if you want a bit more grit and taste, you can add up to 20% whole grain flour without a problem.

The hydration is 70%, but I recommend that you start at 65% to make sure your flour can take that amount of water. The shaping will be close to impossible if the dough is too wet. The 2.2% salt brings out the taste of the wheat.

The inoculation is 22.2% which is in the normal range of 20%, which gives you a total fermentation time of around 5 hours at 21ºC/70ºF. If your kitchen is colder, you should use a higher inoculation; you should use a lower inoculation if it’s vastly warmer.

WeightIngredientBaker's Percentage
675gbread flour100%
450gwater66.7%
15gsalt2.2%
150gstarter (100% hydration)22.2%

If you want to change quantity, hydration, inoculation, or play around with the formula, you can do so here in my Bread Calculator.

Sourdough Baguettes Recipe | Super simple and delicious | Foodgeek (5)

Tools for this sourdough baguette recipe

The complete list of tools needed to make sourdough baguettes:

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The conclusion of this sourdough baguettes recipe

This recipe delivers in all the ways I think are essential for a beautiful baguette?

  • A thin and crispy crust
  • A wonderfully soft and fluffy interior
  • A well-developed taste
  • Wonderful oven spring with defined scores in the final baguette

In all those respects, these sourdough baguettes deliver. It’s a joy to eat it and look at it. What more do you want? They are scrumptious.

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Please share this recipe for sourdough baguettes on social media

This is my recipe for crispy sourdough baguettes. If you like the recipe, please consider sharing it with like-minded bread lovers on social media.

If you make it and post it on Instagram, please tag me as@foodgeek.dkso I can see it. That would make me very happy.

Easy Sourdough Baguettes

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: French

Keyword: baguette, baguettes, sourdough

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: French

Keyword: baguette, baguettes, sourdough

Servings: 3 baguettes

Calories: 858kcal

Author: Sune Trudslev

Nutrition Facts

Easy Sourdough Baguettes

Amount Per Serving (1 baguette)

Calories 858Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 1951mg85%

Carbohydrates 173g58%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 28g56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Super crispy and lovely baguettes are the perfect accompaniment for any dish or maybe the most wonderful lunch bread. This sourdough version is the absolute best.

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Ingredients

  • 675 g bread flour
  • 450 g water divided
  • 15 g salt
  • 150 g sourdough starter fed and grown to its peak

Instructions

Mix the dough

  • To the bowl of your stand mixer add: 675g bread flour and 15g salt

  • Mix with the paddle attachment on one until it’s been incorporated.

  • Then add: 150g sourdough starter, and 400g water.

  • Mix with the paddle on one until everything has been incorporated.

  • Then switch to the dough hook and mix for 5 minutes on 3. While the dough is mixing, add as much of the reserved 50g of water as needed to make the dough tacky but not sticky.

  • Check for a windowpane by pulling a little piece of dough out and see if it’s strong enough to stretch the dough so thin that you can see the light through it. If it fails, mix in increments of 2 minutes until it passes.

  • Instead of using a stand mixer, you can also knead the dough by hand until you get a windowpane. It will probably take 10 to 15 minutes.

  • When the windowpane passes, move the dough to a see-through bulking container.

  • Wet your hands and level the dough. Then mark the top of the dough with a whiteboard marker.

  • Then let the dough grow by 25 to 50%.

Shape the dough

  • Then divide the dough into 3 equally sized pieces and dust the top with flour.

  • Flip the dough over, roll it up into a tight log and do the same for the other two.

  • Let them rest on the counter for 20 minutes, and then proceed to the final shaping.

  • Grab a log and stretch it out to double the size you want the final baguette to be.

  • Fold the right side into the middle and fold the left side into the middle.

  • Then, going down the length of the baguette, fold the back towards the front, about to the middle. Then flip it 180° and then go down the baguette again, folding the back towards the front, all the way over.

  • Then work the baguette across the table, pushing it forwards or backwards at the bottom of the dough, to work the baguette to the exact length that you want it.

  • Then flour the pan with rice flour and add the baguette to the pan or you can also use a piece of parchment paper on the pan if you feel like the dough is a bit too wet. Continue with the other two the same way.

  • Then sprinkle rice flour on top of all the baguettes and add them to a bag big enough to hold the pan.

  • Put the dough in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but up to 48 hours.

Bake the baguettes

  • When you want to bake, heat your oven to 230°Celsius/450°Fahrenheit/Gas mark 8. I didn’t use fan-assist or convection, but you can.

  • Add a pan to the bottom of the oven used for steaming.

  • I have a baking steel in my oven, which I heat it for an hour. You can bake when the oven says it’s hot enough.

  • When the oven is hot, boil a kettle of water.

  • Then grab the baguette pan from the fridge and sprinkle the top of the baguettes with rice flour.

  • Score the baguettes with three long, slightly overlapping scores, grab the pan and add it to the hot oven.

  • Pour the kettle of boiling water into the pan at the bottom and quickly close the oven.

  • Bake for 8 minutes and then oven the oven and remove the steaming pan.

  • Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes more until the baguette is golden brown and super crisp.

  • Remove the pan from the oven and put the baguettes on a wire rack, and let them cool down, or you can serve them immediately.

Video

Sourdough Baguettes Recipe | Super simple and delicious | Foodgeek (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of best baguette? ›

One of the secrets of a great baguette is to start with a sponge (a mix of flour, water, and yeast), which gives the yeast time to mature and combine with the other ingredients, creating the mildly sour and nutty flavors and chewy texture.

What is the difference between a French baguette and a sourdough baguette? ›

Traditional baguettes are made with commercial yeast as the leavening agent. However, sourdough baguettes use active sourdough starter (which contains wild yeast) as the leavening agent.

What is the secret to good sourdough bread? ›

Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Making Sourdough
  • Use your sourdough starter at its peak. ...
  • Moisten the surface of the dough before baking for more rise. ...
  • Handle with care: be gentle with your dough. ...
  • Use sifted flour to make your sourdough less dense. ...
  • Soak your flour beforehand for a lighter loaf. ...
  • Just add water for softer sourdough.

What is the difference between artisan baguette and French baguette? ›

Standard baguettes, baguettes ordinaires, are made with baker's yeast, and artisan-style loaves are usually made with a pre-ferment (poolish) to increase flavor complexity and other characteristics. They may include whole-wheat flour or other grains such as rye.

Which flour is best for baguettes? ›

Overall, the ideal flour for baguettes should have a moderate protein content, a fine texture, and should be of high quality. While traditional French type 55 flour is the ideal choice, a combination of all-purpose and bread flour can also work well in its place.

Why are baguettes so much better in France? ›

French Baguettes are so good

First and foremost, the flour used in France is of very high quality. But the major difference between French and an American baguette is the fermentation process. Most French bakers use a poolish process, which consists of a mix of yeast and water that's allowed to ferment overnight.

Are sourdough baguettes healthy? ›

Bread made with whole grains provides a higher nutritional value as well as helps to control cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Similarly, sourdough baguettes are packed with nutrients due to the wild yeast used in the dough and the slow fermentation process.

What kind of bread is Panera baguette? ›

Panera French Baguette offers a wealth of meal preparations, from appetizers and sandwiches to the ideal pairing for a soup or salad. Scored and baked to perfection, this French bread baguette has a thin crust. Available as a whole loaf, this dairy free bread is vegetarian.

What is a Louisiana baguette? ›

This thin-crusted variety of French Bread—more commonly known as the Baguette, Po' Boy Loaf or Sunday Cap Bread—is fundamental to the New Orleans gastronomy. Each version of the French bread is slightly different. The baguette is the traditional 18-inch loaf that is served in many New Orleans restaurants.

How do you make sourdough bread more flavorful? ›

HOW TO MAKE A MORE SOUR SOURDOUGH
  1. Maintain your starter at a lower hydration level. This means using a higher ratio of flour to water. ...
  2. Use whole-grain flours, which the acid-producing bacteria love.
  3. Keep the hooch or brown liquid layer that forms on a hungry sourdough starter instead of pouring it off.

Why do you put honey in sourdough bread? ›

Honey: Honey adds a sweetness to this dough and helps balance any sour flavor that comes through from the fermentation process. If you are looking for whole wheat bread without the honey, try this recipe. Salt: Salt enhances the flavor and helps tempers the fermentation.

What is the best flour for sourdough bread? ›

What Is Bread Flour? Bread flour (or baker's flour) is a high protein, white flour that is milled specifically for baking bread and sourdough. You'll get the best results for your sourdough bread from using bread flour. The most popular bread flour in the US is King Arthur Bread Flour.

What are the three types of baguettes? ›

Of the four main types of baguettes — baguette ordinaire, baguette moulée (moulded baguette), baguette farinée (floured baguette), and baguette de tradition (traditional baguette) — the baguette de tradition is the true artisanal loaf, calling on the skills of the baker as outlined in the Bread Law.

What do Parisians call a baguette? ›

Its full name is la baguette de tradition française and is sometimes called une baguette traditionnelle, or simply une tradition / une traditionnelle.] Deux baguettes classiques, s'il vous plaît. | Two regular baguettes, please. Deux baguettes tradition et une baguette classique, s'il vous plaît.

What bread is closest to a baguette? ›

Ficelle – a type of French bread loaf, made with yeast and similar to a baguette but much thinner.

What is the perfect baguette tradition like? ›

A French baguette de tradition is obliged to respect a number of rules. For example, it cannot be frozen in any way while being made (such as freezing pieces of dough), nor may it contain any additives or enhancers that might be used to facilitate or shorten one or several stages in the cooking process.

What makes baguette unique? ›

A baguette is a long, thin type of bread that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length, crisp crust on the outside and soft inner core.

What is unique about baguette? ›

4. It has only four ingredients. Made with just flour, water, salt and yeast, the traditional French baguette accompanies every meal. However it's eaten at any hour of the day and can be found everywhere from the dining table of the President at the Elysée to school kids' backpacks for their afternoon snack.

How do you get the golden crust on a baguette? ›

Use steam: To create steam in your oven, place a tray of hot water on the bottom rack of your oven or spray water on the sides and bottom of the oven right before putting the bread in the oven. The steam helps create a crisp crust on the bread.

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