Guides
Sourdough baguettes with four ingredients
Flour, water, starter, salt. A long warm bulk does the work, and a steamy oven gives you the crackly crust and open crumb of a proper baguette, no commercial yeast in sight.
Mix and autolyse
Combine flour, water, starter and salt into a shaggy dough, then rest it 20 to 30 minutes before kneading - this autolyse lets the flour hydrate so the dough kneads up smooth and stretchy with far less work. Knead to a smooth, fairly firm ball; adjust with a little flour or water only if needed.
Bulk with folds
Leave warm for 6 to 8 hours, doing a set of stretch-and-folds every 1 to 2 hours. Dough temperature sets the pace: a warm kitchen (24 to 26 C) ferments noticeably faster than a cool one, so go by the dough - it should grow by about half, feel airy and alive, and show bubbles at the edges.
Divide and shape
Divide into 3 equal pieces and pre-shape each into a loose log; rest 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Then shape each into a baguette, sealing the seam well, and lay them seam-down in the folds of a floured couche or cloth so they hold their shape.
Short final proof
Proof just 20 to 40 minutes on a greased, lightly floured sheet while the oven heats. Baguettes like a short final rise: stop when a lightly poked dent springs back slowly but not all the way. Over-proofed baguettes spread flat.
Score and steam-bake
Preheat to 240 C (convection) with an empty tray on the lower rack. Score each baguette with long, shallow diagonal slashes held almost flat to the surface, load them quickly, and pour half a cup of hot water onto the hot tray for steam. Shut the door at once to trap it.
Bake until deep gold
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until deeply golden, opening the door for the last few minutes to vent the steam and crisp the crust. It's done when the base sounds hollow when knocked. Cool on a rack so the crust stays crackly and the bottom doesn't steam soft.
Patience instead of yeast
A baguette has nowhere to hide: it's almost pure flour and water, so the fermentation and the bake are everything. This version keeps the dough on the drier side (around 56% hydration) because it makes the long strands easier to shape, and it leans on a slow warm bulk with regular folds to build the structure. The reward is a thin, shattering crust and an airy interior.
What you need
Makes 3 baguettes. A baking stone helps, but an upturned tray works too.
Shaping, the one skill here
Shaping is the part worth practising. Gently flatten each piece, fold it in thirds, then roll it from the centre outward with light pressure to lengthen it, sealing the seam. Don't degas it completely; you want to keep some of those bubbles. A floured couche or the folds of a tea towel hold the shape during the short final proof.
Steam is what makes the crust
The shattering, blistered crust of a real baguette is built in the first ten minutes by steam. Moisture in the oven keeps the surface soft just long enough for the bread to spring and the cuts to bloom, then it sets into a thin, glassy shell. The easy home version: heat an empty metal tray on the oven floor while it preheats, and pour in half a cup of hot water the moment you load the bread so it flashes to steam. A few spritzes from a spray bottle on the oven walls add more. Keep the door shut for the first ten minutes, then crack it open for the last few so the trapped moisture escapes and the crust crisps and browns.
Cool it, then eat it fast (or freeze it)
A baguette is a same-day bread: its thin crust and lean crumb stale within hours, which is exactly why French households buy bread daily. Cool it fully on a rack so the bottom doesn't go soft, then eat it the day you bake. To stretch it, freeze the cooled baguettes whole in a bag and refresh straight from frozen in a 200 C oven for 8 to 10 minutes, which crisps the crust back up. A few hours old and going soft? A quick spritz of water and 5 minutes in a hot oven brings the crackle back.
FAQ
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