If you’re afraid of baking yeast breads, try this recipe. It’s super simple to make these baguettes and will build the confidence you need to expand your baking repertoire!
Basic Baguette
Servings
3 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour plus more for rolling the dough
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Stir in the water, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough and shape into a ball, adding more flour to the surface and your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Cut the ball into thirds.
- Roll out each ball into a long baguette (about 1½ inches wide by 7 or 8 inches long) and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the baguettes are golden brown.
- Serving Suggestion
- Serve these baguettes with Eggplant Caponata for a delicious appetizer or snack.
- Cook’s Tip
- This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to add flavorful ingredients during the first step of mixing. I’ve had great success with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, and pine nuts. Or try walnuts, cranberries, and 2 tablespoons honey—delicious! If you’d rather, shape the baguettes, top with the ingredients, and then bake to get baguettes that look like those shown in the photo.
- Nutrition information per serving (based on 8 servings): Calories: 187.5, Total Fat: 0.9g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 292.6mg, Total Carbohydrates: 37.8g, Dietary Fiber: 1.2g, Sugars: 0.5g, Protein: 6.2g
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