No Knead Bread-Baguette

When I decided to make French onion soup, I knew I needed a sliced baguette to add to it. You simply cannot have it without the bread and cheese topping! Of course, I got the idea to make my own baguette. I found this simple No Knead Bread-Baguette recipe and it sounded so easy. Well, things didn’t go quite according to plan, and I ended up using a store-bought baguette for my soup. Yup, this recipe was a big ol’ Pinterest fail the first time I tried it. It happens, but I had to give it another try. I’m new to making bread, and I used that failure as a learning experience. I’m so glad I did because I now know how to make baguettes, and they really are better when they’re homemade!

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

Recipe Author: Natalya Drozhzhin at Momsdish
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The Ingredients

How simple is this recipe? It only has four ingredients, and one of them is water. The rest are all basics you should find at any grocery store: all-purpose flour, salt, and yeast.

I have taken to making Dutch oven bread pretty regularly, so I order instant dry yeast in bulk. It’s about the same price (sometimes less) as the 4-ounce jar I find in grocery stores, but a much 4 times as much (16 ounces). I store some in a leftover yeast jar in my pantry and keep the rest in my refrigerator. It has a 2-year shelf life, so I’m not worried about any going to waste.

No Knead Bread-Baguette Ingredients
Water, yeast, all-purpose flour, and salt

The Process

This recipe took me a couple of tries to get right. The author does warn that you might need to use a little extra flour depending on its protein content. But being new to bread-making, I really missed the mark on my first try. I read the post, printed the recipe, added it to my blog posting schedule, and got to it a few weeks later. Of course, I had forgotten most of the post’s details and photos by that time…

My First Attempt at Baguette

I mixed the ingredients as instructed, using the amounts given. My stand mixer didn’t have any trouble handling the dough, but it didn’t come together. I added a 1/4 cup extra flour and got it somewhat shaggy but still not together enough. But since I didn’t check the photos in the post as I was cooking, so I didn’t realize there was a problem.

I left the dough to rise overnight and tried to shape it the next day. This is when I realized something was wrong. I managed to shape the dough, but it just melted once I had it on the sheet pan.

My first attempt at shaping the dough into a baguette didn't go so well
My first attempt at shaping the dough into a baguette didn’t go so well

I thought about trying to fix it with more flour and another overnight rise, but I knew there was no hope. I tossed this batch and almost gave up on this recipe.

My Second Attempt (Success!)

I hate to be defeated, so I gave No Knead Bread-Baguette a second try a week or so later. This time I had reviewed the photos in the post and had a better idea of what the dough should look like. And I had a plan.

I mixed the dry ingredients and slowly added the water. Instead of adding extra flour, my plan was to add just enough water to make the dough come together. Unfortunately, I added just a little too much water (2 2/3 cups) so I had to add some extra flour after all (just 3 tablespoons).

The dough came together into a ball that looked like the photos in the recipe’s post. Success! I covered it with a tea towel and let it rise overnight. Tip: I don’t have a lot of counter space, and my house is quite chilly. I put the covered bowl into my microwave to rise. The small space kept it warm enough and got the bowl out of my way.

The next day I found the dough had risen almost to the top of the bowl:

Bread dough after the first rise
Bread dough after the first rise

This time shaping the dough didn’t result in a puddle. I had legit-looking baguettes, complete with slices courtesy of a freshly cleaned spare Exacto knife refill I found in my desk.

I sprinkled them with flour and let them rise for an hour. When I checked them they hadn’t risen, and I was worried. I figured the cool temperature in my house was to blame.

Tip: I decided to pop the sheet pans into the top rack of my oven (it wasn’t on). I added a small container of boiling water on the rack below them and let them rise in a warmer space for another hour. It did the trick, and both baguettes rose significantly.

Shaped bread dough after the second rise
Shaped bread dough after the second rise

I removed the dough and container of water from the oven and preheated the oven.

Tip: Since both of my baking sheets were in use, I used a roasting pan to hold the boiling water for baking. The large size was similar to the area of a baking pan, and I felt it was safer due to the high sides—splashing boiling water around is not a good idea.

I removed the pan of water after 10 minutes and let the baguettes continue baking. They were a beautiful golden brown after another 20 minutes.

A freshly baked baguette
A freshly baked baguette

How long did it take?

I’m so glad you asked. Here’s how long I spent on my successful attempt at this baguette recipe:

  • 7 minutes to mix the dough
  • 4 minutes to shape the dough
  • 2 hours for the second rise
  • 30 minutes to bake
  • 2 hours 41 minutes total (not including overnight first rise)

The times given on the recipe are 25 minutes for prep, 40 minutes to cook, and 1 hour 5 minutes total. It looks like that doesn’t include time for either rise. If I omit that, my times would be 11 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to cook, 41 minutes total. It’s a little off, but well within the times given. I’m always okay with a recipe that takes less time than what’s stated!

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
Accurate Time(s)
Appearance
Taste
Although my first try at baguette was less than successful I did get things sorted out on my second attempt. I'm so glad I gave this recipe another try because the baguettes I made were bakery quality. The golden outsides were crispy and crusty while the inside was soft and just a little chewy. The perfect baguette! If you're new to bread-making like me, then I recommend a thorough review of this recipe's blog post. It has lots of helpful tips and photos that were the key to my success.
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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Although my first try at baguette was less than successful I did get things sorted out on my second attempt. I'm so glad I gave this recipe another try because the baguettes I made were bakery quality. The golden outsides were crispy and crusty while the inside was soft and just a little chewy. The perfect baguette! If you're new to bread-making like me, then I recommend a thorough review of this recipe's blog post. It has lots of helpful tips and photos that were the key to my success.No Knead Bread-Baguette