Really Basic French Bread Recipe
This is as simple as bread gets. The flavor doesn’t come from a lot of ingredients, but from time. A long, slow, overnight rise in the refrigerator does all the work, developing a complex flavor while you do nothing. The other key is a hot, steamy oven, which creates that signature thin, crackly crust.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (~95-105F)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix the Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, instant yeast, and salt.
Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix with a spatula or your hands until a shaggy, sticky dough forms and no dry flour remains. The dough will be wet; this is correct.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. During this time, perform two sets of “stretch and folds”: reach into the bowl, grab a portion of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3-4 times. Do this once after 30 minutes, and again at the 1-hour mark.
The Long, Cold Rise
After the hour at room temperature, place the covered bowl directly into the refrigerator. Let it rest for at least 12 hours, and up to 3 days. The longer it rests, the more developed the flavor will be.
Shape and Final Proof
The next day, turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press it into a rectangle and shape it into a long, thin baguette form.
Place the shaped loaf on a piece of parchment paper. Let it sit at room temperature, uncovered, for about 1 hour to take the chill off and rise slightly.
Prepare the Oven
About 30 minutes into the final proof, arrange one oven rack in the middle and another on the lowest level. Place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the middle rack. Place an old metal pan (a broiler pan or cast-iron skillet works well) on the bottom rack.
Preheat your oven to 450F.
Create Steam and Bake
Once the oven is preheated, score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor blade, making 3-4 diagonal slashes.
Carefully slide the parchment paper with the loaf onto the hot pizza stone. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the metal pan on the bottom rack to create a burst of steam. Immediately close the oven door.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden-brown and the internal temperature registers 205-210F.
Cool Completely
Turn off the oven and crack the door open, leaving the bread inside for 5-10 minutes to help the crust set.
Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This resting period is critical for the interior texture.
Really Basic French Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water ~95-105F
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
- Mix flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl.
- Add warm water and olive oil, mix until shaggy dough forms.
- Cover with plastic wrap, rest 1 hour at room temp, performing stretch and folds at 30 min and 1 hour.
- Refrigerate covered dough for 12-72 hours.
- Shape cold dough into baguette on floured surface, transfer to parchment.
- Rest shaped loaf 1 hour uncovered at room temp.
- Place pizza stone on middle rack, metal pan on bottom rack, preheat oven to 450F.
- Score loaf with diagonal slashes.
- Slide loaf on parchment onto hot stone, add 1 cup boiling water to bottom pan.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until deep golden-brown (internal temp 205-210F).
- Leave in cracked oven 5-10 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Longer refrigeration develops better flavor.
