Baguettes are arguably the best bread out there for charcuterie boards or for dipping in soups and stews. They’re crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. I’ve been wanting to make a traditional French baguette made with sourdough for quite a long time and am so happy that this recipe worked so well.

If you remember anything from my sourdough focaccia recipe, you’ll know that I love easy and simple recipes. I also like experimenting with the process to see how hands off I can be with the bread and still get a great bake. These baguettes are no different. I created them using my standard sourdough loaf recipe and some additional shaping. I am so happy with how they turned out, though I do plan to work on my loaf forming skills in the future!

This bread is best eaten day of, but

Recipe For A Mild Sourdough Baguette

This recipe is great for those who don’t love an intense sourdough flavor or for baking in the summer when fermentation happens quickly.

• 100g of Sourdough starter
• 400g of luke-warm water
• 500g of bread flour
• 12g (3 tsp) of salt

Recipe For A More Intense Sourdough Flavor

This recipe is exactly the same as Steph’s Sourdough Bread Recipe. This is best for the lovers of sourdough flavor or in the winter months to give your dough an extra boost of yeast.

• 300g of Sourdough starter
• 300g of luke-warm water
• 400g of bread flour
• 12g (3 tsp) of salt

The Process

1. Mix all of your ingredients in a large bowl. It’s best to mix the starter and water first, then add the flour and salt together.

Knead, Rise, and form the sourdough:

1. Once combined, knead every 30-45 minutes between 3 and 4 times, as Steph outlined in her recipe. (results in 1.5 to 2 hours of kneading and sitting)
2. Allow dough to rise, covered, for 3-5 hours (depending on the time of year) or until dough has doubled in size.
3. Knead once more and form into 3-4 equally sized baguettes (depending on your desired size) cover in a thin layer of olive oil on a cookie sheet before allowing it to sit for another 2-4 hours.
   • I formed my baguettes on a floured countertop, rolling the dough as I formed it. Once I was happy with the shape, I moved the baguettes to an oiled cookie sheet.
4. Once they have had time to do a final rise, cut slits into the loaves and move on to baking.

Baking Sourdough Baguettes:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees
2. Place the pan with your baguettes into the oven on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf, add another pan with a few handful of ice cubes to keep the baguettes hydrated.
3. Cooking should take about 30-35 minutes, but keep an eye on them and remove when they are a golden brown color.
4. Once removed from the oven, place the baguettes on a wire rack to allow for proper cooling.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! – Hailey

Check out Steph’s most recent article on a delicious pasta recipe, too!