How to make French Baguette Dough in one minute!

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Prep 1 min  Rise 1 hour   Bake 25 mins   Eat 1:26

There is nothing better than the scent of fresh baked bread throughout your house and after mastering this method, you will be able to make French Baguette dough in one minute.  Really!

Come fall, bread baking ramps up at our house to go with appetizers, soups and stews.  I’ve made these loaves so many times, but it didn’t take me long before I mastered making fresh French Baguette dough in one minute.  Total time to bake time – One hour!    Making fresh French Baguettes does not have to be difficult.   Yes, you can take longer, but why wait!  Follow these easy steps that I’ve developed using a food processor and a 3-loaf baguette pan It may seem like a lot of directions, but in making bread, a picture is worth a thousand words.   Before you know it, the steps will come easy to you and your dough will be ready in only a minute.  Really!

Ingredients in Bowl

Place all your ingredients in the food processor bowl.   Place the yeast (use Rapid Rise if you are in a hurry for your loaves) and sugar together and place the salt on the other side of the bowl.

Add warm water to yeast to activate it.  Look at the bubbles telling you it’s working.

Add warm water to yeast to begin to activate it. I don’t proof my yeast separately, (the process of first dissolving yeast in warm water) because if the yeast date is current, I’m confident it will work and this step saves time.

With the motor running, Tracie adds warm water through the tube, just until the dough comes together.

Tracie really wanted to learn to make these baguettes and stepped right up to help make them in our Soups and Stews Cooking Class.  We used warm/hot (to the touch) tap water.  Do not use boiling water, which will kill the yeast. I cannot give you an exact measurement for the water. The amount of water needed will depend upon your climate conditions and ingredients.

Dough comes together in a ball.

You know the dough is ready when it comes into a ball.  It should be moist and sticky to the touch, not too dry.  If you add too much water, add more flour until the dough ball forms.   Once it is the right consistency, let the dough process ten or more seconds to knead the dough, hands free!

Brush the bowl with olive oil.

Brush a bowl with olive oil and brush your fingers with the oil before handling the dough.

Plop the dough into the bowl. Remove the blade.

Turn the bowl over into the bowl and the dough will plop right out.   Use your oiled fingers or a spatula to remove any loose bits of dough from the bowl.

Shape the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

With your oiled fingers and the oily sides of the bowl shape the dough into a ball, by tucking the dough under the ball.  Then cover with plastic wrap.

Leave the dough in a warm spot to rise until doubled.

You can leave the dough to rise for as little as 45 minutes or all day.  The minimum time will depend on how warm your kitchen is.  (I once made bread on a sailboat in the tropics, the perfect environment for rising dough.) The longer the dough rises, the more flavor it develops.  If you let the dough rise a long time, punch it down when you walk by and let it rise up again. You can make the dough in one minute and go to work or do an errand, make it the night before and when you come back your dough will have risen and will be ready to shape and bake into fresh French Baguettes.  It will take you one more minute to shape your loaves, so do it when you first get home from work.  Then by the time you are ready to cook dinner, you can slide the tray into the oven and have fresh baked French Baguettes for dinner.

Brush the 3-loaf pan with plenty of olive oil to prevent loaves from sticking.

Look for a baguette pan with a perforated bottom   As you can see, mine is well worn, proving they will last forever!

Plop the dough onto a floured surface on the counter.

Use a rubber spatula to loosen the sides of the dough from the bowl and then turn it over onto a floured surface.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces.

Divide the dough so it is ready to roll out and shape into loaves.

Roll the dough in the flour and shape into 3 long loaves.

Your loaves don’t need to look perfectly shaped, as the yeast will grow them into smooth loaves.

Place the dough into the 3 loaf pan and cut diagonal slices along the top with a serrated knife.

The step of cutting diagonal slices is to give the bread room to grow as it rises and bakes. Make quick short slices through the top only.

Brush the tops with water.

Brushing the top of the bread with water prevents a skin from forming and gives your bread a nice crust.  Once your loaves are ready, cover them loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.  You don’t want anything to stick to the dough, which will deflate the air in them, when you pull it away.

The loaves Tracie is holding have doubled in size from the rising process and are ready for the oven.

Let rise until doubled, which may take as little as 20 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.  Don’t bake before rising properly, as you want the air in the bread to make the bread more spongy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a hot preheated 400 degree oven.

Baking is the exciting part of making French Baguettes.  You will smell when the loaves are done.  Your house will have that wonderful scent of fresh baked bread.  The loaves will sound hollow when you knock on them. The color of the loaf is a question of taste.  Do you want a thin or thick crust ? If you want a thick crust you can bake them longer.   You can underbake them if you want to put the loaves back in the oven, for a quick refresh sometime later or the next day.   Place them directly on the oven rack at a lower 300 degree temperature for this.

Let baguettes cool and then devour!

Tracie was so excited to learn how to make her own French Baguettes and has now mastered the art.  I admit, I am hesitant to teach people to make this delicious bread, because, well it’s so good, it can be addictive.  So this recipe comes with a warning to beware – use willpower, since now you know how easy it is to make great French Baguettes.

Now that you’ve learned to make French Baguettes, try these recipes to go with them. Italian Caponata,  Bruschetta with Homemade Ricotta Cheese, Roasted Eggplant Salsa = Indian Baingan Ka Bharta, Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade or just enjoy dipping your baguette slices in a fruity olive oil or with some artisan cheese.  Also, now that you’ve learned how to make bread, try out my One-Minute Pizza Dough. 

Print this Recipe

French Baguettes

Oven Temperature 400°

• 4 cups flour
• 1 Tbs yeast or 1 package (could use Rapid Rise)
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• maybe 2 cups + or – warm water
• 1 Tbs olive oil

1. Measure flour and place in food processor.  Add in yeast and sugar on one side, salt on the other.  Pour about 1/2 cup warm water over the yeast to activate it and let it sit for 20 seconds to absorb the water.

2. Turn machine on and combine all ingredients. Then with the machine running, pour warm water through the tube slowly, just until you see the mass form into a ball.  Then dribble in another Tbs of water.  Let the machine go for 10-20 seconds to knead the dough.

3. Look inside.  The dough will be in a ball and appear moist and a little gooey.  If it is not in a ball, add more flour.  If it appears too dry, add a little more water and process.

4. Brush olive oil onto a mixing bowl and onto a baguette pan.  Dump your ball of dough into the mixing bowl.  Wet your fingers with oil if you need to touch the dough to prevent it from sticking.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (about one hour).

5. Once risen, flour counter and place dough on the counter. Divide dough into 3 pieces for a 3 loaf pan or 2 pieces for a 2 loaf pan.  Roll each one into the shape of a baguette and place in the barrels of the pan.  Cut diagonal slices into each baguette with a serrated knife. Brush water on top of each baguette carefully so you do not deflate the bread. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until it is doubled.

6. Bake in a 400° oven for 20-30 minutes – until the bread sounds hollow when knocked on and it reaches the desired color.  The browner, the more crunchy the crust.

Servings: 24   84 calories per serving

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5 from 1 vote

French Baguettes

Make these French baguettes once and the mystery of baking bread will be gone forever. Over time, making them will become second nature. I cannot give you a measurement for the water or specific time for the rising. The conditions of the world around you will dictate this - moisture in the air and temperature. I make my bread dough in a food processor. It takes only a minute to mix up the dough and another 30-60minutes to rise. The longer you let the dough rise, it will develop more flavor. So start it in the morning if you wish and bake it in the evening. Or do it all last minute. You can also put the dough in the refrigerator overnight and let rise before shaping and baking

Prep Time1 minute min

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Rising1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 26 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

Servings: 24

Calories: 84kcal

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 Tbs yeast or 1 package could use Rapid Rise
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• maybe 2 cups + or - warm water
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Instructions

• Measure flour and place in food processor.  Add in yeast and sugar on one side, salt on the other.  Pour about 1/2 cup warm water over the yeast to activate it and let it sit for 20 seconds to absorb the water.
• Turn machine on and combine all ingredients. Then with the machine running, pour warm water through the tube slowly, just until you see the mass form into a ball.  Then dribble in another Tbs of water.  Let the machine go for 10-20 seconds to knead the dough.
• Look inside.  The dough will be in a ball and appear moist and a little gooey.  If it is not in a ball, add more flour.  If it appears too dry, add a little more water and process.
• Brush olive oil onto a mixing bowl and onto a baguette pan.  Dump your ball of dough into the mixing bowl.  Wet your fingers with oil if you need to touch the dough to prevent it from sticking.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (about one hour).
• Once risen, flour counter and place dough on the counter. Divide dough into 3 pieces for a 3 loaf pan or 2 pieces for a 2 loaf pan.  Roll each one into the shape of a baguette and place in the barrels of the pan.  Cut diagonal slices into each baguette with a serrated knife. Brush water on top of each baguette carefully so you do not deflate the bread. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until it is doubled.
• Bake in a 400° oven for 20-30 minutes - until the bread sounds hollow when knocked on and it reaches the desired color.  The browner, the more crunchy the crust.
• ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com

Nutrition

Calories: 84kcal