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Same Day Baguette

A recipe for French Baguette that takes four hours altogether with the same texture and flavour of the traditional overnight recipe.
3 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Course breads
Cuisine French
Servings 2 Baguettes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cups lukewarm water
  • 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Approximately 1/2 cup ice cubes for the oven

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the yeast and lukewarm water together in a large bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes till frothy. Stir in the flour and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then mix in the salt and knead the dough till it is smooth and supple. This is somewhat wet dough so I would suggest kneading by hand to get a good feel for the dough. Add more of flour, just a little at a time, to make the dough manageable. Too much flour will change the texture of the Baguette.
  • Use a bench scraper to scrape and fold the dough at the beginning while kneading when it is sticky. A little flour, if necessary, and further folding/ kneading will make the dough stick less and smoother. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat uniformly. Cover loosely and let it rise for about 45 minutes till double in volume.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press it out lightly (do not deflate) into a rectangle. Fold the longer side of the rectangles towards the middle. Now fold the shorted sides to the middle. With seam side facing down, place the dough back in the bowl. Cover loosely and let it rise for about an hour, till double in volume.
  • Divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into an approximately 14-inch rope. Place the ropes, with enough space in between them, on a floured piece of parchment on a large wooden peel or rimless baking sheet. Lift the paper between the ropes to form pleats. Place two tightly rolled kitchen towels under long edges of paper. This creates supports for the dough ropes allowing them to rise withut spreading outwards.
  • Alternately, you can buy special cloth “couches” or a Baguette pan like I have. Cover loosely and allow to rise for another 50 minutes to an hour. About 20 minutes or so before you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 475 degrees with a baking stone or upside-down rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Place a cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack.
  • When ready to bake, remove dishtowels and pull the parchment paper flat. Don’t do this if using a Baguette pan. Using a sharp thin knife or scoring blade/ lame score four diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Transfer the parchment paper and loaves or place the Baguette pan on the heated stone/baking sheet. Pour ice cubes into the cast iron skillet and close the ove. This will create steam allowing the bread to completely rise before forming a crust.
  • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes till deep golden brown in colour. Cool and serve, preferably slightly warm.