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How many times have you seen something on Pinterest and thought you just had to make it… and then you didn’t. Happens to me too! Boy am I happy I actually made this one though! You are going to love this! Fresh, crusty on the outside, soft on the inside french bread… need I say more? This is as good as it sounds. Really. Go make it. Hurry!
30 Minute Crusty French Baguettes
2 cups warm water
1 packet yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups flour {I used better for bread flour in one batch and it was my favorite}
So easy to make.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix very warm water and sugar and yeast. Stir till the sugar is dissolved. Let sit till you see signs of life, aka. bubbles.
- Add flour and salt to the liquid mixture. I used close to 5 cups of flour. You want to add enough that the stickiness is gone.
- Knead the dough till it’s elastic-y.
- Split into 4 parts. Roll into 4 long ropes and twist 2 of the ropes together to form 2 separate loaves.
- Transfer to a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Add to oven and bake till the tops are golden brown.
- The “secret” to this recipe is adding 4 cups of ice to a cake pan and placing it on the rack under the bread. This is supposed to help make the crust crunchy and the dough soft. Do not add the ice directly to the oven as it has broken many ovens.
Thanks!!
Anytime! Hope you enjoy it!
Hi,
About how long do you bake this for?
I’m one of those cooks that doesn’t go by time… but by color 🙂 I cook them till they are a golden brown which is about 15-20 min!
Right? Just keep an eye on it, tap it when gorgeous color…if hollow sounding, all done!
Just ran across this recipe in some of my e-mails from last year that I had saved! Heather, my family loves quick and easy ideas and this bead recipe is definitely what I could bake for them! Thanks!
It’s bread, but it “ain’t” like any French Baguettes I ever made. For one thing a proper baguette would involve a poolish and at least two raises. As for the ice, you would do better suggesting the addition of boiling water in pan immediately after putting the loafs on the oven stone. I personally use boiling water doused on the sides of the oven for the first two minutes of the bake. The bread you are baking looks very good and I’m sure is going to be easy for those who have never made this type loaf before, but without the use of a good poolish it will be lacking in taste.
Hi “M”!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m sure your recipe for making bread is awesome too! Although this one isn’t a perfect replica of the original it sure is easy and it tastes delicious! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it after you make it. I bet you will agree that it is a quick, easy and tasty solution to French bread for busy weeknights!
Yes, regarding the taste & water (i added it un-iced to the pan below during preheating).Does need at least 1 rise, but beautiful to work with! For rustic “look”, no egg wash, but scored and had flour on the rolling pin…REGARDLESS-better homemade than store bought if possible, whatever the process, as far as I’m concerned! Many thanks to you!
So glad you liked it!