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The Easiest No Knead Baguette Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 84 reviews

This is the easiest no-knead baguette recipe that yields a crusty, golden-brown French-style baguette with minimal effort. Using a simple dough made from bread flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, and lukewarm water, the dough is left to rise slowly overnight and requires no complicated kneading. The result is a beautifully textured bread with a chewy crumb and crisp crust perfect for sandwiches or alongside your favorite dishes.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups (15 oz/426 g) bread flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon instant yeast

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/360 ml) lukewarm water

Instructions

  1. The Day Before – Mixing the Dough: In a large bowl, stir together the bread flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add the lukewarm water and use a wooden spoon or your hand to mix until a sticky dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
  2. First Rise (Fermentation): Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours until doubled in size and bubbly. You can also refrigerate it for up to 2 days after this period if needed.
  3. Preparing for Shaping: Generously flour your work surface and scrape the dough out. Gently fold the dough from the edges towards the center a few times to degas it.
  4. Dividing and Pre-shaping: Divide the dough into two equal pieces (about 375 g each), fold the sides inward and pinch, then fold top and bottom to create a chunky rectangle. Turn seam side down, cover, and let rest for 60 minutes.
  5. Shaping the Baguette: Flour a kitchen towel on a flat baking tray and dust it with flour. Turn each dough piece seam side up and fold the top and bottom sides to the center, pinching the seams together. Then roll the dough gently into a 14-inch baguette shape tapering the ends to points.
  6. Second Rise (Proofing): Place shaped baguettes seam side up on the floured towel, dust lightly with flour if sticky, and cover loosely. Let them proof for 45 to 60 minutes until a gentle finger poke holds an impression.
  7. Preheating the Oven: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F (225°C) with a rack in the center and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  8. Final Preparation and Scoring: Carefully invert the proofed baguettes seam side down onto the parchment-lined tray, gently stretch to approximately 17 inches, straighten, and then score the tops with a sharp blade or knife.
  9. Baking: Bake the baguettes for 20 to 25 minutes until crusty and golden brown.
  10. Cooling and Storage: Allow the baguettes to cool on the baking tray for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 8 weeks.

Notes

  • Use bread flour for best structure and crust development.
  • Do not skip the long fermentation; it develops flavor and texture.
  • Be gentle when handling the dough; it’s sticky and delicate due to no kneading.
  • Use a sharp blade to score the baguettes for better oven spring.
  • If dough springs back when poked, allow more proofing time before baking.
  • Cooling completely before slicing prevents a gummy crumb.
  • Store leftover baguettes in a paper bag inside an airtight container for best texture retention.

Keywords: no knead baguette, easy baguette recipe, homemade baguette, French bread, simple bread recipe, crusty baguette

Find it online: https://bitesizedbenny.com/the-easiest-no-knead-baguette-recipe/