French · Breads & baking

Crusty baguettes

Name: Crusty baguettes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 26 min
Total time: 15 h 56 min
Yield: 3 baguettes
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 3/4 cups (450 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (355 grams) cool water; 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; Neutral oil, for the bowl; 1 cup boiling water, for steam

Three slender French loaves with deeply golden crackly crusts and chewy, open crumbs.

About 16 hrTotal

About 1 hrActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 3 baguettes

Equipment

A similarly sized 13 × 18-inch rimmed pan works; smaller pans make a thicker pizza.
Best starting point
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet · 43100
View at Amazon
Another workable path: A similarly sized 13 × 18-inch rimmed pan works; smaller pans make a thicker pizza.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We compared exact half-sheet geometry, uncoated material, reinforced construction, heat limit, care, stable model identity, and the exact Amazon destination. Manufacturer specifications establish model 43100 and its UPC, while America's Test Kitchen reports comparative cooking and handling results. Kwilt has not baked with this pan.
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet · 43100: Its 13-by-18-inch footprint gives this soft dough the intended thickness, and the uncoated aluminum supports browning on the oiled bottom. Trade-off: Hand washing is recommended, and acidic tomato left on uncoated aluminum can discolor or pit the surface over time.
Another workable path: Use another rimmed half sheet only if its outside dimensions are close to 13 by 18 inches. A smaller pan makes a thicker pizza and needs its own bake adjustment.
Sources
Nordic Ware product details
America's Test Kitchen result
Nordic Ware model and UPC registry
Amazon exact product listing
Sturdy metal steam pan
Bread lame or sharp blade

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 3 baguettes

3 3/4 cups (450 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (355 grams) cool water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Neutral oil, for the bowl
1 cup boiling water, for steam

Instructions

The evening before baking, stir flour, cool water, yeast, and salt until no dry pockets remain. Cover and rest 20 minutes, then use a wet hand to lift and fold the dough over itself eight times. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate 12 to 18 hours.
Turn the bubbly cold dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide into three equal pieces. Gently pat each into a rectangle, fold the long edges toward the center, pinch the seam, and rest seam-side down for 15 minutes.
Working from the center outward with cupped hands, roll each piece into a 14-inch log without pressing out every bubble. Set seam-side down on a , leaving space between loaves. Cover and proof 45 to 75 minutes until noticeably puffy but not doubled.
Heat oven to 475°F with an empty sturdy metal pan on the lowest rack. Use a razor or very sharp knife held at a shallow angle to make four overlapping lengthwise cuts in each loaf. Put the baguettes in the oven, carefully pour boiling water into the lower pan, and immediately close the door; keep face and hands clear of the steam.
Bake 10 minutes, remove the steam pan only if safe, reduce to 450°F, and bake 14 to 18 minutes more until deeply golden and at least 205°F inside. Cool on a rack for 45 minutes. Freeze any loaf not eaten that day and re-crisp at 375°F rather than storing it airtight, which softens the crust.

FranceFrance

From the table

About this recipe

The baguette is France’s familiar long, narrow daily loaf. Its modern identity rests on a lean dough, elongated shaping, angled scoring, steam, and a thoroughly baked crackling crust rather than on an elaborate ingredient list.

The baguette is France's familiar long, narrow daily loaf, prized less for a complicated ingredient list than for the transformation of flour, water, yeast, and salt through fermentation, shaping, scoring, and steam. This overnight version leaves most of the work to time and uses a regular sheet pan; the result need not look bakery-perfect to deliver a crisp crust and chewy interior for sandwiches, soup, or a bread basket. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Combine the strongest long-fermentation and no-knead success patterns in a sheet-pan method, retaining scoring and steam as the identity-bearing skills while removing specialty molds, couches, and intensive kneading.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe