A French baguette is a long, thin bread made with flour, water, yeast, and salt. It is crusty from the top and chewy inside. It is served with soups, pasta, salad, or as a dipping bread. It is also used to make garlic bread or garlic cheese bread.
This is an easy recipe to make French baguettes by using a bread machine to make dough.
Ingredients
A baguette uses only basic ingredients like bread flour, instant yeast, water, and salt. It does not use oil or sugar. The water must be lukewarm as it helps the yeast to activate.
While baking the baguettes in the oven, place a little water or a few ice cubes in a tray. This creates steam and gives the baguettes a glossy texture.
Instructions
Place all the wet and dry ingredients into the bread machine container in the order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer. Select and start the dough cycle. The machine will do all the mixing, kneading, and getting the dough through its first rising phase.
Once the dough cycle is complete, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal parts. With the help of your palms, stretch the dough to a 12-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Fold it ⅔rd from the length and then overlap the other side and pinch it to seal the seams. Roll the baguette on the surface to make it smooth and about 14-15 inches long.
Step 1: Make dough in the bread machine.
Step 2: Divide the dough into two parts and shape it into long baguettes.
Place the shaped dough in a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover it with a food cling wrap or a kitchen towel. Let it go through its final rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume. It can take 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the food wrap and make cuts in the baguette dough using a serrated knife or a scoring tool. This helps the bread to rise well and not tear up when baking. Bake the baguettes for about 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown in color.
Step 3: Let is rise until it doubles in volume and then score it.
Step 4: Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 400°F
Once the baguettes are done, transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool down before slicing them with a serrated knife or an electric knife. If you cut the baguette while it is hot, it will become dense and lose its texture.
Substitutions
- Flour - bread machine flour and all-purpose flour can be used interchangeably.
- Yeast - bread machine yeast or instant yeast can be used.
Variations
French bread can be made similarly, it can be baked in the bread machine or the oven.
Soup bowls are also made using French bread dough.
Equipment
I make these baguettes often and have made them using the Zojirushi bread machine, Hamilton Beach bread machine, and Breadman to make the dough. Any large non-stick baking tray or baguette tray works well to bake the baguettes in the oven.
Storage
Baguette can be stored at room temperature in a bread box or a bread bag. It can also be frozen for later use. Check out how to freeze a baguette.
Top Tip
- Weigh the flour for consistent results. Scooping flour from a bag can add too much quantity and make the dough dense.
- While baking the baguettes in the oven, place a little water or a few ice cubes in a tray. This creates steam and gives the baguettes a glossy texture.
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📖 Recipe
Bread Machine French Baguette
Equipment
- Convection Oven
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 ½ cup Bread flour 420 grams
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Instant Yeast or Bread Machine yeast (7 grams)
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp Water (microwave 30 seconds)
Instructions
Making dough in bread machine
- Add all the ingredients (water, salt, bread flour, yeast) in the order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer.3 ½ cup Bread flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 ¼ teaspoon Instant Yeast or Bread Machine yeast, 1 cup + 2 tbsp Water
- Close the lid, select and start the "dough" cycle.
- Remove the dough from the bread machine pan just after the last knead cycle and knead it on a lightly floured surface.
Shaping dough to baguettes
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
- Gently stretch each part into a rectangle, approximately 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
- Fold the top third of the rectangle down towards the center, then fold the bottom third up over the top. Press down firmly to seal the seams.
- Using the palms of your hands, gently roll the dough to about 14-15 inches in length.
- Gently taper the ends of the log by pinching and rolling the outer edges inward.
- Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper with seams downward.
- Cover them with a food wrap or kitchen towel and let it rise for about 60 minutes until double in volume.
Baking baguettes in the oven
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Uncover and apply a few cuts using a serrated knife.
- Place the baking tray in the preheated oven at 400°F.
- Optionally, put 3-4 ice cubes in the oven and shut the oven door. This helps give a shine to the crust.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the baguettes onto a cooling rack to cool them down.
- Once cooled down, slice it with an electric knife or a serrated knife.
Notes
- Sifting flour provides the aeration needed to make soft dough.
- Weigh the flour instead of measuring with a cup for consistent bread every time. (Click on "metric" measurements)
- Read more about which yeast to use in a bread machine.
Tam says
you say in the notes a weigh the flour instead of using cups, so what is the weight of 3.5 cups bread flour? thank you.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Tam,
The weight in grams is 420 grams and is given when you click on the "metric" measurements. I have updated it in the notes too. I hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa