You will absolutely love this bread for its incredible flavors and textures. We will prepare together a stunning rustic bread and a classic French baguette all from one single bread dough. The crunch of the crust on this homemade bread is more satisfying than almost any crusty bread you can buy.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
There is something truly special about baking your own bread, and my recipe for Rustic Bread or Baguettes is one of my all-time favorites. It’s a recipe I’ve perfected for making either a large, hearty loaf of rustic bread or 3-4 beautiful, slender baguettes. The other wonderful thing about this bread dough is that it’s a fantastic canvas for your creativity. The recipe notes you can add caraway seeds, which I love, but you could add other herbs or spices to make it your own (though that would be a modification from my recipe as written). I’ve even included my special instructions for baking bread on a grill, which gives it an amazing smoky flavor, but it’s just as delicious from a regular oven. Let’s get started on this baking adventure!
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Read lessFor my Rustic Bread or Baguettes recipe, the ingredients are simple but specific. I use bread flour, which has a higher protein content and is essential for creating the strong gluten structure we need for a chewy crumb and sturdy loaf. You’ll also need a little confectioners’ sugar, which helps the active dry yeast get going, and of course, salt for flavor. I also list caraway seeds as an optional ingredient; I personally love the flavor they add to this rustic bread. We use lukewarm water (about 90 to 100°F) to activate the yeast properly. When you’re mixing, this bread dough should not be too sticky. If you find it’s sticking to the bowl after a couple of minutes, I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of bread flour and processing a bit more. That usually solves it.
Patience is key for my Rustic Bread or Baguettes. The real magic happens during the rising and deflating process. First, we let the bread dough rise in a warm place until it doubles, which takes about 1.5 to 3 hours. But we don’t stop there. After this first rise, I have you deflate the dough right in the bowl by folding it over on itself a few times. Then, you let it rise *again* until it doubles, which takes another 1 to 2 hours. I note in my recipe that this deflation process is best repeated at least 3 times, and even more is better! This entire process builds incredible flavor and a beautiful, airy structure in your final homemade bread. You can even stretch this rising time out, letting it happen at room temperature, as long as the total rising time (with all deflations) stays under 24 hours.
When it’s time to shape your Rustic Bread or Baguettes, I have a very specific technique. A key part of my instruction is to work on a surface (like your countertop) that has *no flour* on it. This is important. The slight tackiness of the bread dough against the clean counter helps create surface tension. For both the loaf and the baguettes, I use a bowl scraper. I place the scraper at a slight angle against the bottom of the dough and push, which rolls and stretches the dough at the same time. I repeat this a few times, turning the dough 90 degrees each time, to form a tight loaf or compact dough balls (which will become the baguettes). This technique is crucial for getting a good “oven spring” or rise during baking bread.
Once your loaf or baguettes are shaped, the final rise, or proofing, is next. This step is critical, and the timing is very specific and different for each shape. If you are making the single loaf of rustic bread, you’ll let it proof in its floured basket in a warm place for about 30 minutes. My recipe clearly states not to go much longer than that. However, if you have shaped the dough into baguettes, the proofing time is even shorter: no more than 15 minutes. This shorter final proofing time is intentional and helps the baguettes keep their shape and get that classic, chewy texture when baked.
The secret to that amazing, crackly, crusty bread is steam! My recipe for Rustic Bread or Baguettes explains how to do this in both an oven and on a grill. For oven baking bread, I have you preheat the oven to 450°F with a small heatproof bowl of water on the bottom rack. Just before the bread goes in, you add ice cubes to that bowl. This creates a burst of steam. I even suggest adding more ice cubes during baking for an even crispier crust. This steam is essential; it keeps the surface of the bread dough moist at the beginning, allowing it to expand fully before the crust sets and gets that beautiful, deep-golden brown color.
Before the Rustic Bread or Baguettes hit the hot oven, we have to score them, which means cutting the top. This isn’t just for looks, though it does make the bread beautiful! Scoring is a key step that guides where the bread will expand during baking bread. Without these cuts, the expanding loaf would just burst open in random, less attractive places. I use a very sharp razor or knife to make 4-6 cuts on the top of the rustic bread loaf or 2-4 cuts on the top of each baguette. This controlled “opening” allows the bread to rise to its full potential (what bakers call “oven spring”) and helps create the characteristic “ear” you see on artisan homemade bread.
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