Crazy Easy Crispy-Crust French Baguette
JojoM
Affordable French baguette with a simple sponge, chewy crumb and shatteringly crisp crust—perfect for everyday sandwiches, soup dunking or cheese boards.
🥖 Crazy Easy Crispy-Crust French Baguette
This affordable French baguette recipe uses a simple sponge method to build gluten and flavour with minimal kneading. You’ll get a crisp, blistered crust and a chewy open crumb—perfect for dipping in soups, loading with cheese, or simply tearing apart warm with butter.
💡 Why This Method Works
Most baguette recipes require long kneading or special equipment, but here, the sponge (a pre-fermented flour-water-yeast mixture) does the heavy lifting early on. This means you get great structure, flavour, and extensibility—without over-mixing.
Instead of chasing a perfect ultra-thin windowpane, aim for a “medium windowpane”: translucent and stretchy, with some small tears. Let time, fermentation, and steam do the rest.
🔪 Chef Tips for Better Baguette
- Water temperature matters. In warm kitchens, use cooler water to keep the dough temperature around 24–26°C.
- Don’t over-knead. Stop once smooth and elastic; let rest and stretch-folds build strength.
- Shape gently. Retain gas in the dough and build surface tension by folding and rolling from the centre out.
- Steam equals crust. Use a preheated tray and water spritz to boost oven spring and create a blistered crust.
- Don’t slice too soon. Cool on a wire rack to let the crumb set properly—hot bread = gummy crumb.
🌿 Optional Herb Variation
Fold dried rosemary or herbes de Provence into the final dough for a rustic twist—perfect with cheese or olive oil.
❄️ Cold Proofing for More Flavour
You can shape your baguettes, then chill them overnight in the fridge. Bake them straight from chilled the next morning—no need to bring to room temp. Expect a more developed flavour and colour.
🔁 How to Refresh Baguette
Baguette is best eaten the same day—but you can reheat it in a 180°C oven for 5–10 minutes to revive the crust.
📸 What to Expect
The crust should be crisp and golden with a rustic, flour-dusted look. Inside, you’ll find a chewy, slightly glossy crumb with irregular holes—perfectly French.
❓FAQ
Do I need to pass the windowpane test?
Not strictly. Because we use a sponge, the dough already has strength. Medium windowpane is enough.
Can I bake this on a regular tray?
Yes! A perforated baguette tray helps, but a parchment-lined baking sheet also works great.
What if I don't have a lame?
Use a very sharp serrated knife or razor blade—score quickly and at a slight angle.
💬 User Comments
“Crust turned out super crispy even in my small oven!” – Lara
“Overnight fridge proof = amazing flavour. Never buying baguette again.” – Miguel
“First time making baguette and it actually worked. Crumb was soft and chewy!” – Anne
Crazy Easy Crispy-Crust French Baguette
JojoMAffordable French baguette with a simple sponge, chewy crumb and shatteringly crisp crust—perfect for everyday sandwiches, soup dunking or cheese boards.
Chef's Tips
Use cool or room-temperature water to prevent the dough from over-fermenting in a warm kitchen.
Mix only until the dough is smooth and elastic; let the sponge and resting time develop gluten for you.
Proof just until slightly jiggly and airy—over-proofed baguettes will bake flat and pale.
Bake on a preheated tray or stone with plenty of steam for maximum oven spring and blistered crust.
For extra flavour, cold-proof the shaped baguettes in the fridge for up to 12 hours and bake straight from chilled.
Tools Used
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Ingredients
Sponge (First Dough)
Final Dough
Optional Herb Variation
Instructions
Make the Sponge
- 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and instant dry yeast until dissolved.
- 2
Add 250g strong bread flour and whisk until you have a smooth, thick batter with no dry pockets.
- 3
Cover the bowl and leave at warm room temperature for about 45–60 minutes, or until the surface is bubbly and slightly domed.
Mix the Final Dough
- 1
Tip the bubbly sponge into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Add the remaining 500g bread flour, salt, sugar and softened butter.
- 3
Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together, then increase to medium and knead for 6–8 minutes, or knead by hand until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 4
If using herbs, sprinkle them over the dough halfway through mixing so they are evenly distributed.
First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
- 1
Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl.
- 2
Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 45–60 minutes, or until slightly puffy and about 60–70% larger in volume.
- 3
If the dough feels tight, give it one or two gentle stretch-and-folds during the rise to strengthen the gluten.
Divide and Pre-shape
- 1
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently flatten it into a rough rectangle, keeping as much gas as possible in the dough.
- 2
Use a dough scraper or knife to divide the dough into four equal pieces for standard baguettes, or more pieces for mini baguettes.
- 3
Lightly shape each piece into a loose log, cover with a cloth and rest for 15–20 minutes to relax the gluten.
Shape the Baguettes
- 1
Working with one piece at a time, flatten it gently into a rough rectangle.
- 2
Fold the top edge down to the centre and seal with the heel of your hand, then fold again towards you and seal once more to build surface tension.
- 3
Roll the log from the centre outwards to your desired baguette length, tapering the ends slightly.
- 4
Place each baguette seam-side down on a perforated baguette tray or a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between them.
Final Proof and Scoring
- 1
Cover the shaped baguettes lightly with a cloth or cling film and proof for about 30–40 minutes, or until noticeably lighter and slightly jiggly when the tray is shaken.
- 2
Towards the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a baking tray or stone inside and a metal pan on the bottom rack for steam, if your oven doesn’t have a steam function.
- 3
Just before baking, dust the baguettes generously with flour for a rustic look.
- 4
Using a sharp knife or bread lame, make 3–5 diagonal slashes along each baguette at a shallow angle, overlapping the cuts slightly. Score with quick, confident movements.
Bake with Steam
- 1
Place the baguette tray on the preheated baking tray or stone.
- 2
Quickly spray the oven walls with water or pour a cup of hot water into the empty metal pan to create steam, then close the door immediately.
- 3
Bake for 30–35 minutes, spraying again after 10–15 minutes if desired, until the baguettes are deep golden, crisp and sound hollow when tapped on the base.
- 4
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing to allow the crumb to set.
Comments & Reviews
Anne
11/15/2025
First time making baguette and it actually worked. My shaping still needs practice but the crumb was soft and chewy.
Miguel
11/15/2025
Did an overnight fridge proof and the flavour was amazing. Definitely cheaper and better than store-bought baguette.
Lara
11/15/2025
Loved how simple this sponge method was. Crust turned out super crispy even in my small oven!
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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 slice baguette (about 50g)
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
