The Ultimate Homemade Baguette

Published March 1, 2000.

Why bother making baguettes at home? Months of testing and research resulted in a homemade baguette recipe that was actually worth the trouble.

The Problem

Is it possible to make the ultimate baguette at home? We wanted ours to have a thin, shattering crust of the deepest golden brown, an open, airy texture, a light, moist crumb, and fully developed flavor.

The Goal

The Solution

After traveling a long and winding road, we learned that it is possible to make such a baguette at home. We also learned that we had a lot to learn about bread making, including some new techniques and terminology.

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America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.