Recipe · Baguette · Same-Day
75% Hydration Same-Day Baguette
A real baguette comes from a brief mix, gentle folds, and a steamy bake hot enough to blister the crust. The shape is honest, the score lines open as the dough springs, and the inside stays light.
Total time
5 hours
Active
60 minutes
Hydration
75%
Difficulty
⌬⌬⌬
At 75%, you get real artisan crumb without fighting the dough. It's wet enough for visible holes in the cut loaf, dry enough that you can shape it on a lightly floured counter without the dough sticking to everything.
Same-day means start to finish in roughly four to six hours. The recipe leans on commercial yeast at a higher percentage and a warm bulk fermentation. You won't get cold-ferment depth, but the loaf is on the table the day you decide to bake.
Ingredients
900g total dough. Yields 3 baguettes, ~270g each baked.
| Ingredient | Grams | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 506 g | 100% |
| Water | 380 g | 75% |
| Salt | 10.1 g | 2% |
| Instant yeast | 4 g | 0.8% |
Schedule
- Hour 0Mix flour, water, yeast. Autolyse 20 minutes.
- Hour 0:20Add salt, mix until smooth.
- Hour 0:30First fold.
- Hour 1:00Second fold.
- Hour 1:30Third fold.
- Hour 2:00Bulk ferment until visibly puffy.
- Hour 3:30Divide into 3 portions, pre-shape, rest 20 minutes, final shape, proof 45-60 minutes.
- Hour 5:00Score each baguette with three to five diagonal cuts. Slide onto the preheated stone. Bake at 475°F with steam (a tray of boiling water on the lower rack) for 24 minutes until deep golden.
Method tips for this style
Pre-shape gently after the bulk ferment, rest for 20 minutes, then final-shape with light tension. Score the loaf with a curved lame held at a shallow angle so the cuts open in long, asymmetric ears.
What to expect
A balanced open crumb with visible holes and a chewy texture. The crust is thin but sturdy, and the flavor is a clean read on the flour and ferment.
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