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French

La Baguette Tradition

The baguette tradition is France’s most iconic bread and the legal standard against which all French breadmaking is measured. The Décret Pain of 1993 legally defines the baguette de tradition française as containing only four ingredients: wheat flour (type 55 or 65), water, salt, and yeast or levain, with no additives, improvers, or ascorbic acid permitted. This legal protection distinguishes the baguette tradition from the baguette ordinaire, which may contain additives. The dough hydration runs 68-72%, higher than many bread doughs, yielding the characteristic open, irregular crumb (mie) with large and small alveoli distributed asymmetrically. Mixing follows the méthode sur autolyse: flour and water are combined and rested 20-30 minutes before salt and yeast are added, allowing gluten to develop passively through hydration before mechanical working. The dough receives an intensive short mix (pétrissage intensifié) of 4-5 minutes at first speed followed by 6-8 minutes at second speed, or a longer slow mix (pétrissage lent) favoured by artisan bakers for superior flavour development. Bulk fermentation (pointage) lasts 1-2 hours at 24-26°C with one or two folds (rabats), or 12-18 hours retarded at 4°C for cold-fermented versions. Division targets 350g for a standard baguette (65cm finished length). Shaping (façonnage) begins with pré-façonnage into a rough cylinder, 15-20 minutes bench rest, then the definitive shaping: the dough is folded in thirds, sealed with the heel of the hand, then rolled under the palms to achieve the tapered ends (bouts) characteristic of the form. Final proof (à l’apprêt) takes 60-90 minutes in a linen couche dusted with flour. Scoring (grigne) consists of 5-7 overlapping diagonal cuts at 30° angle, each overlapping the previous by one-third, made with a lame held nearly parallel to the dough surface. Baking occurs at 240-250°C with steam injection for the first 12-15 minutes (to gelatinise the surface starch and create the shattering crust), then dry heat for the remaining 10-12 minutes. The finished baguette should sing — crackling audibly as it cools — with an ear (l’oreille) of caramelised crust lifting along each score line.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour baguettes (350 g each, approximately 65 cm finished length)
Total3–4 hours (or overnight with cold fermentation)
Sourced0of 4 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

1 kg
Wheat flour, type 55 or 65
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
680–720 ml
Water
cold for cold-fermented method, ambient for same-day
Your own market
20 g
Fine sea salt
added after autolyse only
Your own market
7 g
Dried yeast or levain starter
no additives, improvers, or ascorbic acid permitted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II

The Method

1
Combine flour and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix briefly until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 20–30 minutes at room temperature (autolyse). The dough will appear shaggy at the start and smooth and cohesive by the end of the rest.
2
Add salt and yeast to the autolysed dough. For the pétrissage intensifié: mix 4–5 minutes at first speed, then 6–8 minutes at second speed. For the pétrissage lent (artisan method, superior flavour): mix entirely at first speed for a longer, slower development. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the bowl walls and holds a smooth, slightly tacky surface.
From the canon — Pétrissage (kneading) is the mechanical process by which flour, water, and other ingredients are transformed from a shaggy mass into a cohesive, elastic doug… Pétrissage →
3
Transfer to a lightly floured container. Bulk ferment (pointage) at 24–26°C for 1–2 hours, performing one or two folds (rabats) during this period — or retard the covered dough at 4°C for 12–18 hours for the cold-fermented method. The dough is ready when it has noticeably increased in volume and feels airy but not over-relaxed under the hand.
4
Divide the dough into four pieces of 350 g each. Fold each piece loosely into a rough cylinder (pré-façonnage). Place on a lightly floured surface, cover, and bench rest 15–20 minutes. The pieces are ready when the surface tension has relaxed and they flatten slightly without tearing.
5
This is where the baguette lives or dies. For definitive shaping (façonnage): take one rested piece and fold it in thirds along its length, pressing each fold firmly with the heel of the hand to seal. Roll under the palms, applying gentle outward pressure, to extend the dough to approximately 65 cm with tapered ends (bouts). Repeat for each piece. The surface must be taut and seamless; any tearing or slack indicates insufficient bench rest or excessive force.
From the canon — Façonnage (shaping) is the act of transforming a fermented dough mass into its final form before baking, and it is arguably the most tactile, skill-dependent… Façonnage →
6
Transfer the shaped baguettes to a linen couche (heavy, unbleached) generously dusted with flour, seam side up, pulling the fabric into ridges between each baguette to support the form. Proof (à l'apprêt) 60–90 minutes at room temperature. The baguettes are ready when they have puffed visibly and spring back slowly — but not fully — when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
7
Preheat the oven to 240–250°C with a baking stone or heavy steel on the middle rack and a shallow tray on the rack below. Transfer the baguettes to a peel or board, seam side down. Working within 10 seconds of scoring, make 5–7 overlapping diagonal cuts with a lame held nearly parallel (30–40°) to the surface, each cut at a 30° angle to the long axis and overlapping the previous by one-third. The cuts should be swift and decisive; hesitation causes the blade to drag and the cuts to seal.
8
Slide the baguettes onto the hot stone. Pour water into the tray below or inject steam to generate a moist oven atmosphere. Bake with steam for 12–15 minutes — the surface starch gelatinises and the crust forms — then remove the steam source and continue baking in dry heat for 10–12 minutes. The baguettes are done when the crust is a deep amber throughout and the loaves feel hollow and light when tapped on the underside.
9
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool uncovered. A correctly baked baguette will crackle and sing audibly as it cools, and an ear (l'oreille) of lifted, caramelised crust will run along each score line. Silence and a flat, pale surface indicate insufficient steam or underbaking.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Stoneground French type 65 flour from a single mill; wild levain culture maintained over multiple generations; 18-hour cold ferment (pointage retardé); baked on a deck oven with direct steam injection.
02
Estate — French type 65 flour (commercially milled); fresh compressed yeast with a 12-hour cold ferment; baked on a preheated baking stone with a pan of boiling water.
03
Market — French type 55 flour or strong bread flour; dried yeast; same-day 1–2 hour bulk ferment; baking stone or heavy steel with steam tray.
04
House — Any bread flour at 68% hydration; dried yeast; same-day fermentation; standard oven tray lined with parchment — the Décret ingredients are still observed, the result is honest everyday bread.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. After autolyse, the dough is smooth and cohesive where it was shaggy — gluten has developed without mechanical working.
◇Touch. After bulk fermentation, the dough feels airy and increased in volume; a fold reveals visible gas pockets throughout.
◇Touch. After bench rest, a rested piece flattens gently under the hand without tearing — it is relaxed enough to shape definitively.
◇Touch. After final proof, a fingertip pressed lightly into the dough springs back slowly and only partially — neither snapping back (under-proofed) nor collapsing (over-proofed).
◇Sight. After baking, an ear (l'oreille) of lifted caramelised crust runs the length of each score line and the crust is deep amber throughout.
◇Sound. A tap on the underside of the finished baguette returns a hollow sound; cooling loaves crackle and sing audibly on the rack.
◇Where it lives or dies. The definitive shaping (façonnage) — folding in thirds, sealing under the heel, and rolling to tapered ends — determines the crumb structure, crust tension, and final form; it cannot be corrected at any later stage.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

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The whole pairing
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Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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