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
- 3 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 3 grams instant yeast (4 grams active dry yeast)
- 96 grams warm water
Instructions
- Mixing. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a mixing bowl. Pour the water into the middle of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Gather it into a messy, sticky ball in the bottom of the bowl. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- First set of folds. 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, so you've gone all the way around the dough. Flip the dough over so the seam side faces down. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Second set of folds. Repeat the same folding process as before, going all the way around the bowl. Flip the dough so the seam side is down. Cover and rest 1 hour. The dough will double or triple in size and become quite bubbly and airy.
- At the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 450°F with a covered Dutch oven inside.
- Shaping. Dust the top of the dough in the bowl with flour, then turn it out onto a lightly floured countertop. Dust the now top side of the dough lightly with flour, just enough to keep it from sticking to you. 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. 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.
- Tapering. 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. Make sure the baguette isn't longer than your Dutch oven or baking vessel — it will need to fit inside!
- 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. (Optional: Use binder clips to loosely secure the towel in place, providing room for the baguette to expand as it rises). Cover the baguette with plastic wrap or place it inside a large plastic bag to prevent it from drying out. Let it 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.
- Scoring. Use the dish towel to gently roll the baguette onto a half sheet of parchment paper so it lies on a diagonal corner-to-corner. Score vertically along the length of the baguette. Quickly spray the loaf all over with water and transfer into the hot Dutch oven, spray with more water, and cover immediately.
- Bake. Bake for 10 minutes covered (don't peek!), 10 minutes uncovered, and then an additional 2-3 minutes directly on the rack if your baguette needs a bit more color.
- Transfer the fully baked loaf to a cooling rack and let cool before slicing.
RECIPE NOTES
- 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 second set of folds for anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days prior to shaping and baking. It will be much easier to shape while it's cold. Let it rest at room temperature in the floured towel for 1 hour after shaping and before scoring and baking.
- 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.
- 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. (See blog post for other baking options).
- For other baking vessels, refer back to the blog post!