A homemade baguette is a true treat! Better yet, this recipe requires only four simple ingredients and absolutely no kneading.

Baguette is perfect for every occasion. From soups to salads to hearty roast dinners, fresh baked bread is always welcome on our table.
Baguette making can be an extremely time consuming process, but with this no-knead recipe you will cut corners without compromising taste. We are obsessed with the chewy inside and crispy exterior. It’s just like the baguette we had on our last family trip to Paris!
What is Baguette?
If you have eaten at a French restaurant, it’s likely you have tried this iconic bread. Simply put, a baguette is a long, thin loaf of French bread that is characterized by a crisp crust and chewy center. The ingredients are pure and simple, consisting of water, flour, salt and yeast.
How Do You Make Baguettes From Scratch?
This method is the easiest way to make baguette and happens to also be my personal favorite. Follow these simple steps to nail the loaf each time:
- Mix the dry ingredients together and add water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight (up to 20 hours) on the countertop in a well oiled bowl.
- Generously flour your hands and your baking sheet.
- Form dough into baguette shape (about 12 inches long) and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Follow this video tutorial for tips on shaping the dough.
- Bake in the oven for ten minutes with a pan of boiled water resting on the bottom rack. Remove the water and bake until golden brown.




DON’T PANIC! The dough will be really sticky and that’s perfectly OK. To make handling it easier, make sure the work surface is really well-floured or wet your hands periodically throughout the shaping process. I also love using a dough scraper for easier handling.
Tips for the Best Baguette
- Use the right flour. Try using flour with higher protein content to get the best texture. A couple of my favorites include King Arthur or Bobs’ Red Mill. Any Canadian brand will typically fit the bill.
- Score the top with a very sharp knife. Scoring, or slicing, the top of your baguettes isn’t just for decoration. When you initially shape your bread, you are creating a very taut surface. When you pop your baguette into the oven without scoring the top, the heat causes a burst of gas called an “oven spring” that can rupture the top of the bread and destroy its shape.
- Freeze and reheat your baguette. I like to bake a couple loaves of bread at once and freeze a couple for later. Reheat them in the oven and they will be just as good as freshly baked bread!
- Make sure your yeast is fresh. This common mistake happens to the best of us. Over time, active yeast deactivates and loses its ability to make your bread rise and fluff. Always check the label to make sure it’s not expired!
- Don’t skip the steam bath. The steam bath is crucial to making the outside of your bread crusty. It’s well worth the extra step!
How to Shape The Baguette
Serving Baguette
I probably don’t have to tell you too much about how to enjoy baguette, but here are some of my favorite ways to serve it.
- European-style butter or high-quality olive oil. Pulgra and Kerrygold are delicious options you can find at most grocery stores.
- Smoked Salmon Dip. This 15-minute recipe is super easy and features an instructional video with yours truly and my husband, Tim! 😉
- Slathered with Raspberry Jam. Our recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients and our boys are hooked on it.
- Alongside a steaming bowl of borscht. It’s sorrel season! Pair a toasty piece of baguette with our schavel borscht.
- Make a steak sandwich. C’mon, you deserve one!
- Serve up some bruschetta. Nothing says summer quite like bruschetta made with farmer’s market tomatoes.
FAQ
Why are my baguettes flat?
When shaping the baguettes you will need to use ample flour to successfully shape the baguettes- have a well floured surface and hands, and keep folding the dough until you get a tight, skinny log/baton shape. Watch this tutorial on shaping the dough.
Why is the dough sticky or wet?
Rest assured it is normal for the dough to be very sticky and wet as this is a high hydration dough. More flour is added when shaping the dough-you will need to have well floured hands and surface when shaping the baguettes.
What if my dough is rising faster than 12-20 hours?
This dough needs ample time to rise because not a lot of yeast is called for. The longer it sits, the better the final texture and taste. You may find that the dough rises much faster if you live in a warmer, humid climate. In this case, the rising time may be closer to 12 hours- you can place the dough into the fridge for the remainder of the rising time, if desired.
Why is the crust so hard?
Baguettes are known for their crispy, golden exterior. If you’d like to soften the crust, wrap your baguettes in a clean kitchen towel after baking.
How many baguettes does this recipe make?
This recipe will easily yield 2-6 baguettes, depending on the size of baguette you prefer!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (depending on a brand, you may need to add more flour)
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- The night before, combine all ingredients together. First mix the dry ingredients together and then add water. Mix the ingredients until the dough comes together. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let it sit for 12-20 hours on the countertop.
- The following day, the dough should be wet, sticky and bubbly. Generously flour your hands and the baking sheet.
- Take the dough (if it sticks, apply more flour to your hands) and form a baguette shape. You will easily get atleast 2-3 baguettes. For tips on shaping the dough, watch this tutorial. Place it on a baking sheet and sprinkle a generous amount of flour on it. Score the top with a sharp knife and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F. You will need to have 2 shelves in an oven. Fill a deep baking pan with 2 cups of hot boiled water, and place it on the lower rack, inside your oven. This will make the bread crispy on the outside. Place the bread on the middle rack. Remove water from the oven after 10 minutes. Keep on baking the bread for another 30 minutes or until golden crispy brown.
My first attempt so used 1/2 the quantities and made two loaves using bread flour. They turned out perfectly, fluffy inside and crunchy crust, one for now and one for the freezer. My new go to bread recipe 🙂
Hi Dianne, I'm happy to hear it's your new go-to recipe. Enjoy!
My grand-daughter (9 yr old) and I made the baguette following your recipe and it turned out great. The texture was perfect and the flavour delicious. Just one question: Why was the crust so hard? I don't think I overcooked it because it wasn't very brown, just beige. It would also be nice if it was a bit brown.
Hi Estelle, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the baguettes. A hard crust could mean the temperature in the oven was too high. Perhaps your oven needs a lower baking temperature next time you make these.
This recipe is so simple and so delicious.
Thank you for this.
Hi Markeeta, I'm glad you gave it a try and found it delicious!
If I have to leave my dough to rise longer than 20 hours.. what will happen? I’m talking like…. 24-26 hours instead of 20
Hi Tayla, A few extra hours is totally fine! Enjoy!
To check, for one portion are ingredients using gram measurements decided by 4?
Also what is the least amount of time you are able to allow dough to rest before baking if you are for time.
Appreciate your sharing.
Hi Sarah, I'm not sure what you mean with your first question, can you please rephrase it? I would recommend at least 12 hours to allow the dough to rest. I hope this helps.
This was my first try at making baguettes & they turned out crunchy & delicious.Absolutely love this recipe & I thank you for sharing it.
Hey M.McStravick, That's so great that they turned out perfect! I'm so happy you shared your feedback.
I did not have problems with a "too wet" dough. However, the bread did not turn out as I had hoped. The crust was not flaky, but hard, and the inside was too dense.
Hi Birgit, I'm sorry to hear the baguettes didn't turn out. I'm curious what flour you used?
I have just taken the bread out of the oven, couldn’t wait to tast, crunchy on the out side soft in the inside, delicious!
Just one question, how can I store the bread once cooled down?
Baguettes typically are consumed in a day. If you hang onto them longer I suggest freezing them. Then thaw and toss in oven at 350 f for 20 minutes. Baguettes are not like most breads and should be “excused” from the day old process of sandwich bread. They really don’t “keep” well. They will not mold or turn funky, but they will not be what you hoped for.
Hi Zuel, I'm so happy to hear it turned out delicious! I like to store my bread in a bread box or wrapped in a paper bag for 2-3 days.
I can concur with comments that this dough is very wet and sticky, im used to baking with wet dough as i make Sourdough Bread, but this definitely needs more flour, it's very hard to shape right into a baguette, i used the metric measurements and you could easily add another 50g of flour into this or reduce the water slightly to make it more manageable.
Luckily i have a baguette tray that holds 3 so they will keep there shape nicely.
Hi Dayle, Thank you for your feedback! I hope the baguettes turned out delicious!
Tried this recipe for my first time. The flavor and texture was exactly what I was looking for. After letting the dough set overnight, I finally read the part about having fresh yeast. I checked mine and realized it expired in 2000. Haha. Tells you how often I bake bread. After baking they did turn out somewhat flat like a ciabatta bread of sorts. It still was full of little air pockets and delicious. I will agree with some of the reviews that it was a bit salty, which I rather enjoyed. My cook time was only 20 minutes after removing the water pan from the oven. I feel that the tap water and environmental factors do play a little part on flavor and texture. Overall, I am happy with this recipe and will purchase fresh yeast for the next bake!
Hi Andy, I love your honest feedback - it made me chuckle. I sure do hope you enjoy these baguettes again soon, but with fresh yeast! 🙂
The dough is way too fluid and requires a lot of flour to be able to handle and shape it. I'd suggest looking for a better recipe that gets the hydration right in the first place.
There is way too much yeast for a 20 hour room temperature ferment.
Baking at 450 °F for 10+30 minutes will result in burnt bottoms.
I’m a baker and totally agree with you. The dough is far to wet, and needs too much additional flour to hold its shape.
Will not use this recipe again.
Hi Dave, I appreciate your insight and feedback.
These came out incredible. The house smelled heavenly while baking. It was my first time making baguettes and they worked out beautifully. The only thing I would change, is adding more salt. I found the bread to be a bit tasteless. Otherwise, this was the perfect recipe.
Hey D, Thanks for sharing! I'm glad the bread worked out for you!
What type of yeast should I use? Active dry or instant rising?
Hi MT, I used active dry yeast. I hope this helps. 🙂
This is my third time making the baguettes. They are absolutely delicious. My only complaint is that the dough is so sticky, it's very hard to mmanipulate and shape into baguettes. I think next time I will only use 2 1/2 cups of warm water.
Today, I made 3 baguettes. when I let them rise they were overflowing on my baguette pan. There was nothing I could do. They spread into each other. Oh well I'll try again next week.
Exactly what happened to me.
Taste ant texture eas ok, but they were flat, no matter what.
Hi Chantale, The dough is supposed to be sticky - I use flour when shaping them to help with the stickiness. In regards to the baguettes overflowing - sometimes the temperature or humidity of the house affects the rise. I hope the baguettes turn out better next week! 🙂
I missed oiling the bowl as it was not in the instructions at the end (I just found it above on the page. Does it make a difference? Can I oil it at a later stage?
Hi Bobby, It'll work out without oiling the bowl - the dough might just stick a little more to the bowl. 🙂 Enjoy!
Such an easy recipe with ingredients! I used bread flour enriched, unbleached, that is for pizza crust, rolls, etc. dry active yeast, let it rise overnight~ was spilling over the bowl by morning! Had to add a little more flour to make it shape up. Used baguette loaf pan with holes. Did the steam bath 10 minutes. Crispy on outside. Dense bread like quality on inside. Not quite the baguette one gets professionally. But for a first timer, I am satisfied
Hi MC, I'm happy it worked out the first time and hope you make the baguettes again soon!
this baguette recipe was SO GOOD!! it is my first ever making bread/baguettes. i halved the recipe to see how it would turn out and i think i am ready to make a full batch. the recipe is super easy to understand. love it!
Hi Leni, So happy to hear you had first-time success! Enjoy!
Does the 2 cups water have to be boiling or can it just be hot? Didn’t know if it made a difference….
Thanks!
Hi Stacey, You would want the water very hot, as close to boiling as possible. I hope this helps!
Wouldn’t that hot water almost boiling kill the yeast?
Hi Tina, The boiling water is for the steam bath in the oven. For the baguettes, lukewarm water is used. I hope this brings some clarification!
This recipe did not work for me. The dough was way too sticky to even handle. I read the recipe notes and was prepared for a sticky dough but I couldn’t even form/shape it. I added a full extra cup flour when attempting to shape the dough. I am sad this didn’t work for me
I found this to start with but actually I just doused it in flour on top and constantly washed the old sticky dough off my hands and within no time I managed to shape them. I wouldn’t mix in the extra flour but by using it to to shape and stop my hands sticking it did go into the dough and work!
Hi Danielle, I'm sorry to hear that! It is a high hydration dough and is sticky but should still be workable. We hope to add more tips and updates in the future to make this recipe a success for even more people!
Can you let it sit for more than 20 hours.
Hi Zach, A little over 20 hours should be fine, but how long are you planning to let it sit?
HI natalya, our all-purpose-flour is not used for bread making can i use bread flour insted
Regards Tina from australia
Hi Tina, Yes, you can use bread flour! Let us know how they turn out.
I used instant yeast and in three hours it’s has risen 3-4x the size. Does the wait time differ with instant yeast?
Hi Robin, it should still be the same. The baguette dough just needs do its magic, create bubbly dough. In the warmer weather months you may not need 20 hours but its a good idea to let it sit.
What kind of yeast does this recipe require and do I need to activate the yeast? This is my first attempt at making bread and using yeast.
Hi Ann, You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. There's no need to activate it in this recipe. I'm looking forward to hearing how they turned out!
Hi there. Made your recipe today after starting it yesterday. Followed exactly but used white string bread flour and added some ordinary all purpose. The texture seemed a little titght and I think the time in my oven was a bit too long. Any ideas about the texture? Thank you.
Hi Susan, I'm not sure what you mean by "tight." My best guess would be you may have overcooked it if you followed the other steps correctly. I hope this helps!
Hi. Can you use Type 000 flour? Thank you.
Hi Tiffany, I have not tested with that type of flour. This recipe is very forgiving as long as the constancy is right. Please let me know if you do try it. Enjoy!
Can you make the dough and freeze it and pull it when you need it
Hi Karisha, I would recommend freezing the baguettes after baking them, instead of freezing the dough. However, if you plan to freeze the dough, shape the baguettes first and then defrost them in the fridge before baking. I hope this helps.
What do you store the bread in when freezing?
Usually, a ziplock bag. Enjoy!
This recipe was so easy and delicious. I made it for a small dinner party and we devoured all 3 loaves. I will keep making this every week!
Hey Rebecca, That's so great! I'm happy this recipe was such a success.
This is a really easy and delicious recipe. I made 3 large baguettes and probably should have made 4 smaller ones. I will definitely make this weekly!
Hi Rebecca, Four smaller baguettes is a good idea!
I am making this recipe right now, but I realized I forgot to let the dough rest after shaping it. Will it still turn out ok?
Hi Emma, I'm not sure since I always rest the dough before baking it. Hopefully it'll work out for you though. Keep us posted!
How big is a serving? I just looked at the nutrition facts, it is not listed.
Hello Chantale, A serving is about 1/6th of a baguette. Hope this helps!