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Quick and Easy Baguette Recipe

dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, vegetarian and vegan Makes 2 30cm baguettes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Proving time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 325 g bread flour
  • 4 g fast action dried yeast
  • 5 g table salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 175 g tepid water

Equipment

  • 1 baking sheet plus 1 tea towel

Method
 

  1. Tip the flour into a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the yeast to one side of the flour and the salt to the other (you don’t want them to touch as the salt will kill the yeast), then pour in the oil, honey and water
  2. Bring together and then knead until you have a smooth and bouncy dough. This will take 5-10 minutes
  3. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to double in size (this will take an hour or two depending on how fresh your yeast is and the temperature of the room)
  4. Meanwhile prepare your shaped tea towel – you want a clean tea towel, dusted with flour where you’ve made two furrows to hold the baguettes (see photo)
  5. Knock back the dough and divide into two. With your fingers push each piece of dough into a rectangle which is approx. 30cm x 15/20cm
  6. With the long side towards you, bring the bottom edge up to the middle of the dough and press down to seal, then bring down the top edge to meet the middle and then press down again. Turn this dough cylinder over and lightly roll, slightly tapering the ends to give a proper baguette shape.
  7. Lift the dough baguette up and place in the tea towel furrow. Make 3 or 4 slashes on the top of each one to make it look even more like a baguette. Repeat with the other baguette and then cover with another tea towel and leave to rise for half an hour (if these instructions don’t make sense watch my videos on Instangram!)
  8. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Centigrade Fan.
  9. Carefully move the proved baguettes to a baking sheet dusted with flour.
  10. Just before adding the baguettes to the oven, pour a small glass of water into a baking tray that’s been heating at the bottom of the oven (this creates steam to give a better, crustier baguette)
  11. Bake the baguettes for about 20 minutes and then check – if they’re golden and nicely risen and sound hollow when tapped they’re cooked, otherwise continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes
  12. Once baked, cool on a wire rack and keep wrapped in a tea towel until ready to eat.
  13. These baguettes are best eaten on the day they’re made, but don’t worry I’m sure you’ll easily get through them!