Prep Time: 15minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25minutes minutes
Total Time: 2hours hours 40minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups 420 g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp 6 g salt
- 2 tsp 7 g active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups 360 ml warm water (about 110°F / 43°C)
- 1 tsp 4 g sugar
- 1 tbsp 15 ml olive oil (optional, for a softer crust)
Instructions
- Activate the yeast
- In a small bowl, mix warm water + sugar + yeast. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine flour + salt.
- Combine dough
- Add the yeast mixture (and olive oil if using) to the flour. Stir until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the dough
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- First rise
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
- Shape the loaves
- Punch down dough and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a long baguette form.
- Second rise
- Place loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover and let rise 30–45 minutes.
- Preheat oven
- Preheat to 450°F (230°C). Place a small pan of water on the bottom rack to create steam.
- Score the bread
- Using a sharp knife, make 3–4 diagonal slashes on each loaf.
- Bake
- Bake 20–25 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Cool
- Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
