Easy Homemade Twisty Baguettes

Easy Homemade Twisty Baguettes
No scale. No stress. No baguette pan required.
These are not traditional French baguettes. They are rustic, twisty, wildly forgiving, and incredibly delicious. If you can stir and wait, you can make these.

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon, dough scraper, or your hands
• Clean dish towel
• Baguette tray or parchment-lined baking sheet
• Oven

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (about 440 g)
• 3 heaping teaspoons Diamond Crystal sea salt
  • If using fine sea salt or table salt, use 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 3 heaping teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 heaping teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3 heaping teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups warm water (80–85°F, warm but not hot)

Instructions
1. Bloom the yeast In a medium bowl, add:

• 2 cups warm water
• 3 teaspoons yeast
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Whisk briefly and let sit for 10 minutes.
You should see bubbles and foam. If you do, your yeast is alive and ready to go.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, whisk together:

• Flour
• Salt
• Brown sugar

Make sure everything is evenly combined.

3. Make the dough
Once the yeast is bloomed, pour about 1 3/4 cups of the yeast water into the flour mixture.
Stir using your hands, the handle of a wooden spoon, or a dough scraper.
If the dough seems dry, add more water a little at a time until fully hydrated.
This dough should be sticky.
Sticky is correct. Sticky is good. Do not add extra flour.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently form the dough into a rough ball in the center.

4. First rise
Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let sit at room temperature for 90 minutes.
If your house is cold:

• Place the bowl in the oven with the oven light on, or
• Use the Proof setting if your oven has one

The dough should roughly double in size.

5. Preheat the oven
When the dough is ready, remove it from the oven (if proofing there).
Preheat your oven to 475°F and let it fully heat for at least 25 minutes.

6. Shape the baguettes
Generously flour your countertop.
Scrape the dough out onto the flour and lightly dust the top. Flour your hands too.
Cut the dough in half using a dough scraper or large knife.
Gently roll and stretch each piece into a rope about 14–16 inches long.
Twist each baguette a couple of times using opposite twisting motions.
These are rustic and imperfect by design.

7. Bake
Place the baguettes onto:

• A baguette tray, or
• A parchment-lined baking sheet

Bake at 475°F for 12 minutes.
Then lower the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for another 10 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.

8. Cool (if you can)
Remove from the oven and try to let them cool completely before slicing.
Good luck with that.
Serve warm with salty European butter and zero regrets.

Final notes for beginners

• Sticky dough does not mean failed dough
• Rustic bread is supposed to look rustic
• If it smells amazing and sounds hollow when tapped, you did it right