Sourdough French Baguettes

The longer you allow the acids to ferment and produce in the dough, the more sour your loaf will be. Many bakers will ferment the dough slowly in refrigeration and colder environments. However, warmer environments create a faster-fermenting cycle.  These loaves only ferment for a total of 5 hours and are not at all sour. I also slow down the fermentation process by keeping them in the fridge overnight.

You will not taste a sour aftertaste with this recipe.

To start a sourdough starter, make your own by combining equal amounts of flour and water until it passes the float test. This can take anywhere from 7-21 days. Stir together 1 cup of unbleached flour and warm water, and continue to feed this every day the same way. When you think it’s active, dollop a piece into a glass of cold water, and if it floats to the top, it’s active.

I’ve mentioned before, I like a higher flour-to-water ratio, so you can do that instead. This makes for a thicker starter, as a starter is prone to thinning out after lactic acid has developed (the bacteria that form on the top).

To buy Sourdough Starter, simply contact me to reserve a spot as I release a limited quantity at the beginning of every month.

To make French roll bread or a French baguette, please use a sourdough starter as that not only enhances the crust but keeps the bread fresh longer and the crumb moist! When making bakery-style French bread loaves at home, use a silicone bread mat to get the perforated and crisp bottoms. We love to eat this bread in this Hot Mushroom Canape recipe; however, this bread will go great as a Philly cheesesteak sandwich bread!

1. To begin, make the dough. Place all ingredients into a 5-quart Kitchen-Aid mixer. Be sure to weigh all the ingredients using a kitchen scale.
2. Knead the dough at low speed for 3 minutes. Don’t over-mix as you can overwork the dough and become too sticky.
3. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 3 hours.
4. After the resting period, shape the dough into 4-5 equal pieces weighing 15 oz each.
5. Gently pat each piece into a rough rectangle and roll it up to form a footlong baguette.
6. Place baguettes into the silicone bread mold and score the bread. Allow them to rest on the counter for an additional 2 hours.
7. Cover the baguettes with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight.
8. In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for at least an hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray the loaves with water and bake for 20-25 minutes, misting with water every 10 minutes.
10. Cool the bread before removing it from the bread pan.

Scoring tip: Some bakers will slash the bread 2-3 times downward diagonally or 3-4 times diagonally across. Traditionally, French bread is scored with slashes facing downwards.

The best bread for French toast is a super soft and fluffy crumb-like challah or brioche bread. Stale bread slices are actually preferred when making French toast. Any leftover bread, including sourdough French bread, is great to dip into an egg batter for French toast.

Once you get your hands on an authentic French Baguette recipe, you can make all kinds of recipes like French bread pizza, garlic bread, a French bread sandwich (French dip sandwich), or, if your bread goes stale, make French toast! A crusty French baguette can be sliced for a bruschetta or canape appetizer, or made into a sandwich, and for dipping bread!

A French loaf of bread is versatile, as you can bake it in a bread pan or use the same recipe to make my Sourdough Bagels! Furthermore, to make a bigger loaf of bread, simply divide the dough in half and make Italian bread! It is the best French bread recipe I’ve ever made, and there is no reason to search for others if it tastes like a Crusty French Baguette from the store!

Since French bread is a crusty type of bread, it works best as a sandwich bread or for dipping. Serve it alongside your favorite main dish, like Fettuccine Alfredo or in a toast! Here are delicious recipes with French bread that you can spread butter, jam, honey, or slice and dip in!

• French Dip Sandwiches
• Hot Mushroom Canapes
• Philly Cheesesteak
• Tomato Avocado Toast
• Grilled Chicken Melts
• Russian Tea Sandwiches
• Russian Mushroom Canapés Recipe

Many times bakeries receive par-baked and frozen bread. This means the frozen bread needs to be reheated in the oven, afterward creating a super crispy crust rather than just baking once. Today, commercial bakeries use steam-injected ovens that can create crusty loaves of bread right out of the oven!

So, are you wondering how to create steam in the oven for crusty French bread? I like to mist water using a spray bottle before and during baking time. However, you can place 3-4 ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the oven door to create a steam chamber. If you are not fond of the direct water to oven method, then place a pan filled with cold water onto the bottom of the oven instead.

Add in your favorite herbs or crunchy toppings to bring out the best of your French bread loaf!

• Jalapeno Cheddar: add 1 Tbsp of chopped jalapenos and 3 Tbsp of sharp cheddar cheese onto the top before baking.
• Italian Herb French Bread: add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp garlic powder into the dough with the dry ingredients.
• Rosemary French Bread: mist the baguettes with water and sprinkle with all 4-5 loaves with 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary mixed with 1 tsp of sea salt after scoring.
• Whole Wheat French Bread- add 2 Tbsp of vital wheat gluten when using 100% whole wheat flour.
• White Whole Wheat French Bread: Use half whole wheat flour and half white unbleached bread flour to make a 50/50 loaf.

This is how I feed my sourdough starter every time! I mix 1 heaping cup of flour and a scant cup of warm water. I like the more flour-to-water ratio. Feeding a sourdough starter with this ratio works because within the time, a starter can get runnier once the lactic acid bacteria form from the fermentation (also known as Lactobacilli).

Lactic acid bacteria, called Lactobacillus, are usually the black film that forms on the top to protect the sourdough starter from spoiling. After a sourdough starter sits in the fridge, this is common to occur and can be fixed by simply stirring it back into the starter before feeding. Some people like to drain it, but I always keep it.

Over time, your starter can appear on the thinner side, which is why I prefer the higher flour ratio. However, equal amounts of flour and water can also be mixed in. I love that this sourdough starter requires no precise formulas, making it approachable to maintain.

Tip: Wondering what to do with Sourdough starter? How To Use Sourdough Starter? You can make sourdough starter pancakes, waffles, crackers, crepes, biscuits, croissants, pizza dough, and so much more with a starter! Basically, anywhere where yeast or leavening is called for.

Wondering how often to feed sourdough starter? The sourdough starter should be fed every 2-3 weeks, even if you’re not planning to use it.  So, add your usual feeding amount to a cold starter straight from the fridge and give it a good stir. Place it back in the fridge if you will not be using it. This helps maintain a healthy and active sourdough starter.

When making discard-sourdough recipes, you can use a sourdough starter that has been refrigerated. However, if you have a sourdough starter that has been fed within the last 2-3 days, it may just pass the float test and be ready to use without bringing it to room temperature. I typically feed mine overnight for premium results.

Not sure if your starter is active? Drop a dollop of starter into a glass of cold water; if it floats to the top, it is active and ready to be used in recipes.

Most grains contain gluten; however, grains like sorghum, oats, and Amaranth are considered healthy gluten-free grains. Experiment with brown rice flour and incorporate food starches to develop a delicious loaf of sourdough bread without gluten.

My starter isn’t rising? How to keep an active sourdough starter? Can all be commonly asked questions. If your starter smells like alcohol, it is long overdue for a feeding. It is important to revive the sourdough starter with feedings because then it’ll take time to rebuild it to the active state.

If, for any reason, you weren’t able to feed your starter within 3 weeks or more, then it will have to be revived with more than one feeding. Remove your starter from the fridge and feed it 1-2 times a day until it becomes active. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 days. Black film is common in the sourdough starter that is Lactic acid bacteria called Lactobacillus, and it can be stirred back into the starter before feeding. It eventually disappears after a good stir.

Sourdough bread is made with a sourdough starter. Lactic acid bacteria from fermentation, called Lactobacillus, work like the wild yeast in a starter. The sour qualities improve the bread texture and are healthy for the gut.

Wondering how to maintain? Maintenance on this sourdough starter is actually quite simple. Every time I’m planning to bake with a sourdough starter, I like to remove it from the fridge a day in advance and feed it. To ensure that my starter is fully active, I like to feed it at least 2-3 times (once overnight, the next morning, and sometimes until the next day).

I always bring it to room temperature before using it in recipes, and it doesn’t bother me that much to have it hanging around on the countertop for a few days.

Besides activating it for recipes, you should always keep sourdough refrigerated until needed. Now, if you were using a starter with potato flakes, yeast, wine, or grape juice, then the feedings may differ.

Sourdough French bread keeps so well at room temperature thanks to the sourdough starter. If you don’t know, baking with a sourdough starter helps keep a loaf of bread moist and fresh longer. I like to bake all the baguettes of bread in one day and cool completely before placing them into a 2.5-gallon freezer bag. Freezing the bread the day of baking ensures a fresh loaf of bread when you take it from the freezer. I do this for almost all my bread when baking in bulk.

Cool your sourdough French loaf completely before storing it. Place it whole into a gallon freezer bag if freezing, or keep it in a bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days in a cool, dark place. You can then freeze it for up to 3 months or prolong the bread’s life and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Refrigerated bread is best for toast or reheated in hot sandwiches.

French bread freezes very well. If you want to replicate the take-and-bake French Baguettes simply, par-bake the loaves until the bottoms are just golden but pale. Then cool and freeze until needed; otherwise, fully bake and freeze like you would any leftovers.

To freeze French bread, bake as directed in the recipe card. Cool baguettes (Le Petit baguettes) completely, then place them into a 2.5-gallon freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months or 6 months if using a deep freezer. Avoid placing the bread bag over a frost-covered freezer shelf.

Sourdough is ready when it has been brought to room temperature with a feeding or two. Signs that the starter is active are when it foams and rises in size. Another way to test if your sourdough is active is to drop a dollop into cold water, and if it floats to the top, it is active.

Use sourdough starter in pizza crust, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, focaccia, pretzels, waffles, crackers, pancakes, or chocolate chip cookies! There are so many ways to use an active sourdough starter.

To make this sourdough recipe with yeast, omit the sourdough starter and use 1/2 tsp of dry active yeast. Also, increase the water by 1/2 cup. I decrease the liquid when using a sourdough starter since it is more in volume than yeast.