Instructions

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  1. In a large bowl, combine the water, starter, and 3 cups (360g) of the flour, mixing until smooth.

  2. Stir in the salt, sugar, yeast, and gluten, then an additional 1 1/2 to 2 cups (180g to 240g) of flour. Stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding only enough additional flour as necessary; a slack (sticky) dough makes a light loaf.

  3. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes in a stand mixer; or 8 to 10 minutes by hand, on a lightly greased work surface. You may also knead this dough using the dough cycle on your bread machine; once it's finished kneading, transfer it to a bowl to rise, as directed below.

  4. Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

  5. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into six pieces (for thin baguettes) or three pieces (for thicker Italian loaves).

  6. Shape each piece into a 16" long loaf, and place the loaves, at least 4" apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets, or in lightly greased baguette pans (French loaf pans). If you're using baguette pans, make the loaves 15" long.

  7. Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until they're nice and puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F.

  8. For a classic look, make three diagonal slashes in each loaf, cutting about 1/4" deep. For taller, rounder baguettes, don't slash.

  9. Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes, or until they're a rich golden brown. Note: For extra-crusty baguettes, add steam to your oven as detailed in "tips," below.

    If you baked in baguette pans, remove the loaves from the oven and unmold. Turn off the oven, return the loaves (without the pan) to the oven, and crack the oven door open a few inches. If you baked on a parchment-lined baking sheet, simply turn off the oven and crack the oven door open a few inches. Letting the loaves cool right in the turned-off oven helps preserve their crunchy crust. 

  10. Remove the sourdough baguettes from the oven, and cool them completely on a rack. Store any leftovers in a paper bag for a day or so; paper will preserve their crunchy crust better than plastic. Freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Don’t have any starter? Here’s a recipe for homemade sourdough starter. If you're making it from scratch, you'll need to feed it for 5 to 7 days before it’s ready for baking. Want a head start? Purchase our classic fresh sourdough starter — it’ll be ready for baking soon after it arrives at your door. Looking for tips, techniques, and all kinds of great information about sourdough baking? Find what you need in our sourdough baking guide.

  • For extra-crusty crust, add steam to your oven as follows: While the oven is preheating, place an empty cast iron frying pan on the oven rack below the stone. If possible, adjust stone and pan so that the pan isn't directly under the stone, making it easier for steam to reach the baking bread. Once you’ve placed the bread in the oven, pour about 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron frying pan. Steam will billow from the pan upwards to envelop the baking bread; be sure to wear good oven mitts to shield your hands and arms. Quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.
  • Want to make just three baguettes instead of six? Cut all of the ingredients except the yeast in half, leaving the yeast at 1 teaspoon. Three baguettes bake up beautifully in our baguette baker. They'll need to bake for about 25 minutes with the cover on and another 5 to 10 minutes after you remove the cover.
  • If you feed your sourdough before using, the loaves will rise better; but if you're in a hurry, unfed sourdough will simply lend its flavor, while the yeast in the recipe takes care of the rise.
  • If desired, brush risen loaves with 1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water just before baking, and sprinkle with Pizza Seasoning, artisan bread topping, or the toppings of your choice. While totally untraditional, this does add flavor and color to the crust.
  • The more yeast you use (and the more vigorous your starter), the faster your dough will rise. But speed can come at the expense of flavor; it's only over time that sourdough dough produces the lactic and acetic acids so critical to its taste. For the most pronounced flavor, you can try eliminating the packaged yeast entirely, understanding that your rising times will probably be considerably longer than those listed here. We suggest, if you feel your starter is nice and vigorous, to try making the bread with 1 teaspoon of yeast; and if you like those results and are willing to experiment, dropping the amount of yeast down until you reach your favorite combination of flavor and rising times.

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