Small Batch Baguette Bread Recipe (Made with 1 CUP of Flour)
This mini baguette bread uses one cup of flour and bakes up beautifully browned with a thick, crunchy crust, an airy yet soft interior, and is perfect for sandwiches and snacking!
Ingredients
- 120 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup, aerated and loosely scooped, plus more for dusting)
- 3 grams diamond crystal kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 3 grams instant yeast (1 teaspoon)
- 96 grams warm water 90°F (⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon)
Instructions
- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the center, add the warm water, and mix with a dough whisk or fork until a sticky dough forms. Gather the dough into a messy ball in the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- First fold. With a damp hand, grab the top edge of the dough and stretch it away from the bowl. Then fold it down over the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Repeat two more times until you've gone all the way around the dough. Flip the dough over so the seam side faces down. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Second fold. Repeat the same folding process as before, going all the way around the bowl. Flip the dough so the seam side is down. Cover the dough and let it rest until it doubles or triples in size, becoming quite bubbly and airy, about 1 hour.
- Preheat. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the center position and a covered Dutch oven inside.
- Shape. Dust the top of the dough in the bowl with flour, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the now top side of the dough lightly with flour, just enough to keep it from sticking. Loosely stretch the dough into a rectangle with the long side facing you.Fold the top third of the dough down and use the heel of your hand or your fingertips to seal the edge. Lift the dough and rotate it so the folded edge is now the side closest to you. Again, fold the top third of the dough down and seal the edge. Finally, fold the top edge of the dough down to fold the dough in half, sealing the two edges together against the counter.
- Taper. Roll the dough forward so the seam is underneath. Give the dough one quick roll from the center out to even it out, then taper the ends by rolling the ends with your hands angled so your pinkies are against the counter.
- Final rest. Dust a clean kitchen towel with flour and gently lift the baguette onto it. Pinch the towel so that it stands up on either side of the length of the baguette to hold it in shape. Cover the baguette with plastic wrap or place it inside a large plastic bag to prevent it from drying out. Let the baguette rise for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F with a covered Dutch oven inside. Fill a small spray bottle with water, get out your lame, and clear a space to put the Dutch oven when you take it out to put the baguette inside.
- Score. Fill a small spray bottle with water and get out a sharp paring knife or lame. Use the dish towel to gently roll the baguette onto a half sheet of parchment paper so it lies diagonally corner-to-corner. Use the knife or lame to score the dough vertically down the length of the baguette. Quickly spray the baguette all over with water and use the parchment paper sling to transfer it into the hot Dutch oven. Spray with more water and cover immediately.
- Bake. Bake for 10 minutes covered (don't peek!), then remove the lid and bake until the internal temperature reaches 195℉, about10 minutes more. If your baguette needs a bit more color, remove it from the Dutch oven, place it directly on the rack, and bake it for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Cool. Transfer the fully baked baguette to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.
The dough will naturally elongate as you work through the folding process. Dust in extra flour as needed to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
Make sure the baguette isn't longer than your Dutch oven or baking vessel. It needs to fit inside!
Optional: Use binder clips to loosely secure the towel in place, providing room for the baguette to expand as it rises without spreading out too much.
Let the baguette cool completely before slicing it. If you slice it before it has cooled, the steam still trapped in the bread will turn the starches to mush. Luckily it's a small bread, it cools pretty fast!
RECIPE NOTES
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- How to measure properly: If you are measuring with cups, it is super important that you measure the ingredients properly. See my guide to measuring as accurately as possible by volume for how to do this. If you measure with cups/teaspoons and the recipe did not turn out right, that is likely why. Try again!
- A Cold Rise: Gluten firms up in the fridge. If you find the sticky dough is too hard to handle at room temperature, you can pop it in the fridge after the last set of folds for anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days prior to shaping and baking. It will be much easier to shape. Let the dough rest at room temperature in the floured towel for 1 hour after shaping and before scoring and baking.
- Climate: If your kitchen is particularly warm (75°F+), you may want to let the baguette do the final rise in the fridge so it doesn't overproof.
- Dutch oven alternatives: For other baking vessel options, refer back to the blog post. If using another covered baking vessel or inverted baking dish on top of a sheet pan, you'll still want to preheat them before baking the baguette.
- How to freeze: Place baked baguette in an airtight bag in the freezer with as much air pressed out as possible. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for 7-10 minutes.