French baguettes

• 1 1 kg plain white flour (French Type 65)
• 2 550 ml water
• 3 18 g salt
• 4 250 g leaven
• 5 7 g yeast
• Total weight: 1,825 grams

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The 36 comments already posted on this recipe

• Thanks for your recommendations, jh! The baguettes turned out really well and were highly praised by my French husband!
  Posted by DD august 19^th 2023 at 13:32 n° 36
• Hi, I'm using T65 flour and would like to add some wholewheat flour to the mixture for a nice earthy taste. Would you know what is the proportion for mixing T65 and wholewheat flour?
  
  Can I use instant yeast to replace fresh yeast?
  Posted by DD august 18^th 2023 at 04:44 n° 35
• Hi, yes you can add wholewheat flour, I suggest that you start by a replacing T65 by something like 15-20% of wholewheat for a first try.
  That's OK too for instant yeast, but reduce weight of yeast by 25-50% in this case.
  Posted by jh Auteur august 18^th 2023 at 07:09 n° 34
• Last time I did my bread with Bertinet's method, my neighbor downstairs came up and complained that it's too noisy!
  It was noisy indeed but so much fun, that's why I'd like to try making the baguette with this method :)
  
  And thank you for the info about Respectus pannis! Very interesting. I understand that we could just leave the dough resting with very little kneading and it would turn out just fine but I'm surprised to read that this new movement really does rely on a very long resting time and a very little levain...
  I just received Manitoba and T65 flours; might try both your baguette and bread with respectus pannis system this weekend. Merci bcp JH!
  Posted by Frey february 10^th 2021 at 14:12 n° 33
• Merci JH!
  I come with another question; instead of using a mixer/kitchen machine, can I use Bertinet's method (slap&fold) to knead the dough?
  I understand that it will take longer than using a machine, but is it possible?
  Posted by Frey february 10^th 2021 at 09:25 n° 32
• You can, it's gonna be a bit long, and a bit tiring too, after all in the old times, bakers do everything only with their hands...
  According to that, there is in the French bakery a new movement that is growing up, for a different way of making bread: less salt, less kneading, less yeast or leaven, but much more resting time at almost ambient temperature (16-18°C), it's called "Respectus pannis" if you want to check out.
  Posted by jh Auteur february 10^th 2021 at 13:41 n° 31
• JH you're amazing. Thank you so much for keeping this site up-to-date and answering questions and putting recipes!
  I will try your baguette recipe this weekend. Super excited!
  Posted by Frey february 5^th 2021 at 10:36 n° 30
• Oups, sorry I've forgot the ultimate advice: check out https://cooking-ez.com/the-amateur-baker.php (if you haven't yet).
  Posted by jh Auteur february 5^th 2021 at 10:46 n° 29
• JH, you're the best, thank you!
  I also heard that you can keep a portion of your old dough as 'soured dough' and add it when you are making a new batch of baguette dough and this will enhance your dough.
  Is that true?
  If I'm using your recipe for 3 baguettes (500 gr) flour, how many soured dough should I keep/add from the previous batch?
  Thank you again JH!
  
  Posted by Frey february 5^th 2021 at 10:11 n° 28
• Hi Frey,
  It is, but please notice that's a different way that using leaven to make bread.
  Keeping a part of your dough, in the fridge for one night, and using it in your daily dough (usually 10-20% of the weight of normal dough), is a way of making bread.
  Using leaven in your dough (and in that case soured dough is useless) is another one, and different.
  Using soured dough is easier, but less tasty than using leaven.
  Have fun in bakery!
  Posted by jh Auteur february 5^th 2021 at 10:27 n° 27
• Hi, my sourdough (leaven?) is 100% wholemeal wheat and not rye.
  Can I still use it for the recipe without changing the weight measurement?
  Thank you!
  Posted by Frey february 4^th 2021 at 20:03 n° 26
• Hi,
  Yes, you can.
  Posted by jh Auteur february 5^th 2021 at 09:51 n° 25
• So if I understand right, I take 50% of the yeast, flour and water and make a sponge from that? I could try that, that wouldn't be difficult.
  Posted by Karen march 22^th 2018 at 19:35 n° 24
• OK for water and flour, but a lot less yeast.
  Posted by jh Auteur march 23^th 2018 at 20:33 n° 23
• If I wanted to make this with a poolish (sponge) would I just replace the leaven with the same amount of poolish?
  Posted by Karen march 22^th 2018 at 07:04 n° 22
• Recipes using leaven and recipe using poolish are different, and could no be replace simply because there is 3 main ways to use poolish : "Third" = 30% of total amount of dough, "French" = 50%, and "Vienna" = 80%.
  For this recipe you could start by a French one (50%), and see what you got?
  Posted by jh Auteur march 22^th 2018 at 17:24 n° 21
• Do you have the recipe in weights and measures?
  Posted by Yolanda january 15^th 2018 at 14:03 n° 20
• Click on the button,Measures: "USA"
  Posted by jh Auteur january 15^th 2018 at 20:03 n° 19
• I've got very god baguettes with seeds. I have pictures but I don't know how to download it. Thank you again for yours recipes!😊
  Posted by Anonymous november 12^th 2017 at 16:30 n° 18
• Bonjour😊
  I would like to add some seeds, but how many grams and do I have to add more water?
  Merci beaucoup!
  Posted by Daniela november 8^th 2017 at 22:26 n° 17
• Hello daniela,You're welcome!
  Yes, you can add seeds (very good idea btw) , about 20% of the weight of flour. Check out this recipe for some advices: seeded loaf.
  
  Posted by jh Auteur november 9^th 2017 at 16:06 n° 16
• I sow many recipes ask to leave the dough in the refrigerator for night ? is it necessary ?
  Posted by david february 18^th 2016 at 14:05 n° 15
• Not absolutely necessary, but this improve the taste of the baguettes.
  Posted by jh Auteur february 19^th 2016 at 12:38 n° 14
• Much simpler as well. Thank you again.
  
  Where the old one came from? Actually I saw a french baker in Youtube ising that method, playing the dough in a big plastic box. Is that method a traditional one?
  
  Salut!
  Posted by Paulo january 23^th 2014 at 18:27 n° 13
• Hello,
  
  The old one was coming from the web, and the new one from a great French baker who teach me.
  Posted by jh Auteur january 24^th 2014 at 08:58 n° 12
• Hello!
  
  I was using the old version, could youpls keep it for reference? thanks!
  Posted by Anonymous january 8^th 2014 at 15:27 n° 11
• Hello!
  
  Sorry, no, but this one is much better and give tastier baguettes.
  Posted by jh Auteur january 9^th 2014 at 08:43 n° 10
• Hello,
  
  Here's a new version of the recipe, more simple and more efficient.
  Posted by jh Auteur january 3^rd 2014 at 16:40 n° 9
• Is this original recipe from one of Kayser's books, Ioff so, which one?
  Posted by Brad june 19^th 2012 at 21:56 n° 8
• No, it is not the verbatim recipe. Just an inspiration from Kayser's way.
  Posted by jh Auteur june 20^th 2012 at 08:19 n° 7
• Hi, my food processor doesn't have the right attachments (only a sharp blade, no dough hook), can I still make these fabulous baguettes? I do have a bread maker. Txs..
  Posted by Anonymous november 27^th 2010 at 10:43 n° 6
• Hi,Using the sharp blade is not a good idea, I think your dough will not be good.Maybe using your bread maker, just for the kneading step, is a good idea.At last you can knead with your hands, like in the old times, but it's a bit tiring...
  Posted by jh Auteur november 27^th 2010 at 15:21 n° 5
• And lovely photos and baguettes, congratulations!
  Posted by jh Auteur may 10^th 2010 at 14:43 n° 4
• I am confused. The recipe is for normal french baguette but it calls for leaven. I thought leaven was only used for making sourdough french baguettes. Is the recipe then for normal ("white") baguette or sourdough?
  Posted by anonymous coward et bogos november 30^th 2008 at 05:16 n° 3
• Yes, you're right, usually there is no leaven in classical baguettes recipe, but sometimes there is only a small part of leaven who is there mostly for the taste (yeast is more important for dough growing).This kind of baguettes are called "French traditional baguette", and I'm suppose to call this recipe like that, but I think it's not very signifivative in translation to english.Anyway, if you want only a completely "white" baguettes, you can suppress leaven from this recipe.
  Posted by jh Auteur december 1^st 2008 at 09:35 n° 2
• At last, the french bakers secret !
  Posted by jo september 15^th 2008 at 19:52 n° 1