Really Basic French Bread
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
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
Dough will be wet - this is normal.
Longer refrigeration develops better flavor.
Longer refrigeration develops better flavor.