Sourdough Demi Baguettes

Turn the easiest sourdough recipe into demi baguettes! These mini loaves are perfect if you can’t seem to finish a whole loaf before it dries out. They freeze well, meaning you can bake once and still enjoy a fresh baguette all week long!

This post may contain affiliate links from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission to keep this site running. Only products I myself would or do use are recommended.

FYI, If you’re new to the world of sourdough, check out this post about creating a starter and this post about maintaining a starter. And before baking your first loaf, you may want to check out this post all about levains. And, if need be, check out this post about troubleshooting a sourdough starter.

I can say from experience that these baguettes are perfect for snacking on. I’ve always heard that Parisienne women carry a baguette in their bag while they’re out shopping, and I’d imagine this would be the perfect baguette to carry around. I’ve done it.

When I took these photos, I straight up took one baguette and was just tearing pieces off to munch on. While that seems like a lot of bread, I was in the worst of horrific morning sickness and this stayed down, so I ate an entire loaf myself with no regrets.

Plus, it was delicious.

I usually make a batch or two of these every couple of weeks and freeze most of the loaves for later. One will last my family of three (four now, but the baby doesn’t eat bread…yet) for 2-3 meals. And since my sourdough freezes very well, it’s perfect for having a fresh loaf every couple days instead of one loaf that eventually dries out.

Why this recipe works

This is simply a different shape of my easiest sourdough recipe, which is already so, so simple. Minimal effort (and bread making skill) required. The overall recipe tends to yield an incredibly moist loaf with a perfectly crunchy crust. I know a lot of people claim this, but that is the top comment I get on bread that I share with others—the crust is crunchy yet the bread stays moist for dayyyyyssss. And yet I have cut back on steps to make this the easiest recipe possible.

Turning that recipe into demi baguettes was simple. Just cut the loaf into roughly three sections when ready to proof and shape into tiny baguettes! I scoured the internet for ways to shape baguettes and found what has been the easiest for me (shaping sourdough is not my strength). The method shown below is simple but requires a couple extra minutes and plenty of flour for dusting.

Key ingredients & equipment

Active starter (levain). In the recipe I do walk you through how to build the levain, but you can find out more about levains (which is just active starter that’s bubbly and passes the float test) in this post here.

Warm water—roughly 80F/27C. I suggest filtered water, unless your tap water is particularly fresh and clean, such as mountain areas.

Bread flour. All-purpose flour can work, too, but bread flour is by far the superior choice here.

Salt. I suggest finely ground sea salt.

Large mixing bowl. I always use a large bowl so I don’t spill ingredients as I mix. Things can get messy!

Kitchen scale. Be sure it’s reliable. I highly suggest weighing everything for sourdough, as measuring cups can pack in the flour and cause your ratios to be wildly off. Until you’re experienced, it’s best to carefully weigh ingredients.

Thermometer. Again, be sure it’s reliable. If you don’t have one or it breaks, you can use the boiled water method: bring 2/3 cup water to a boil and add it to 1 and 1/3 cup cold water. This will give you a little more than the 375g you need, but it should be the correct temperature.

Rubber spatula. This makes mixing so much easier, as it’s all rubber and easier to clean.

How to make sourdough demi baguettes

If you’re new to sourdough baking, I suggest checking out this post here for general timing suggestions and a more detailed breakdown of the process. It may feel daunting at first, but it’s actually a simple series of steps.

1. Build a levain and let it rise until bubbly. Take 25g starter and mix with 50g warm water and 50g flour. Let rise on the counter for 8-12 hours (or in the turned-off oven with the light on for 3-6 hours), until it doubles in volume, has bubbles that break the surface, and can pass the float test (see FAQ’s below for doing a float test). For more on levains and float tests, this post here.

2. Stir active levain with warm water. I like this order of stirring because it’s the easiest. I just use an all-rubber spatula to mix the two together until mostly mixed. Don’t worry if the starter/levain isn’t fully dissolved.

3. Stir in salt. You can do this with the flour, but I like doing it here to let it dissolve fully.

4. Stir in flour until combined and no dry sections. At first, this may seem way too dry to every mix together. Just keep mixing, using a folding motion with your spatula and occasionally flattening it down in the middle to release any water or flour pockets. You can also use your hands and squish it together between your fingers. Mix until you don’t see any pockets of flour. It will be a shaggy ball.

5. Stretch and fold. Let the mixed dough rest for about 30 minutes (a little less or a little more is fine—life happens). Then, using clean, damp hands, slide your hand under one “side” of the dough and grab it gently in your fingers. Pull it up and fold it over the middle of the dough, pressing it gently. It should stretch a little past the middle of the dough. Rotate and do this at least 4 times, until all sides have been pulled up, folded over, and then pressed back into the dough on the other side.

6. Repeat 3-4 times every 30ish minutes. You’ll want to repeat the stretch and folds until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should feel tougher with each set, making it a little harder to stretch and fold each time. The goal is the pass the translucency test—pulling up a small bit of the dough and being able to stretch it until you can see light pass through it without it breaking. Early on, it always took me at least 5 sets, until my starter and technique improved.

7. Let dough rise until volume increases by about 20-50%. I highly suggest a straight-edged, bucket-style canister with measurements on the side. That will be much more accurate in figuring out how much it has risen. (Note: the photo here is for a double batch that has risen 50% —it was at 2 quarts and is now at 3).

Note: At this point, you can simply put the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days, until ready to shape and bake. This will deepen the sourdough flavor. If you plan to do this, refrigerate before your dough rises 50%, as it will continue to rise some in the fridge.

8. Pre-shape. This helps even out the structure and helps build the structure needed to actually shape the bread for baking. For demi baguettes, I always cut the dough into roughly three equal parts on a well-floured surface (you can weigh each piece but I’m lazy). Then, you can just fold each strip in half and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. This is similar to the “punch down the dough” step in many bread recipes.

9. Shape. Using well-floured hands, take the edge of the dough closest to you and, from the middle, begin to fold the edge about 2/3 of the way up (like when doing a trifold for a letter). As you fold, pat it firmly down with flat fingers to keep it in place and flatten the dough down and out (to lengthen it), and keep folding up and patting until reach the edges. Using more flour, repeat this step with the top section, folding it toward you and pressing firmly from the middle outward. Stop and squeeze the edges into a triangular shape (just pinch them and pull a bit). Continue this at least two more times, using plenty of flour, until the baguette is elongated and the ends have that rustic baguette shape. Done! Simply place on your baking surface (I place it in the parchment I plan to bake it on at this point).

10. Final proof. Here is where demi baguettes differ from classic loaves. Usually, I suggest proofing at least 8 hours in the fridge to get a good firm shape for scoring. However, demi baguettes just need 20-60 minutes to proof—enough to let them poof up a bit, since they’re so small.

11. Bake. Preheat your oven at 450F/235C. After preheat cycle is done, let it continue heating 10-30 minutes. Pop your baking vessel into the oven and bake for 20 minutes then remove the lid and bake 10-15 minutes more, until your ideal shade of golden brown. If using a sheet pan or open baguette baker, you’ll simply bake for 30-35 minutes. In that event, you can create a crispy crust by placing a cup of ice cubes in a small baking tray on the rack below where your bread will go about 5-10 minutes before the bread goes in to create steam.

12. Let cool 30 minutes. This is pretty mandatory, as the bread will turn gummy and begin to dry out if you cut it too soon.

Enjoy!

Uncut bread can last on the counter 2 days or can be wrapped un foil and frozen up to 2 months. Let defrost on the counter before serving.

Cut bread should be wrapped in foil or plastic.

Timing options:

For a full breakdown of some popular timing options, see this post.

Generally, it takes over a day to make a loaf of sourdough. How long each step takes depends primarily on ambient temperature. Rise times can vary widely on the counter, depending on the time of year and how warm/cold you keep your house. Using the oven light method (meaning oven turned off but the light turned on) is much more consistent.

Demi baguettes are more flexible, and you could actually get them done in one day if you start early enough. Since they do just fine without the refrigerated proofing, you could build your levain early, mix the dough late morning, let it ferment in the oven until mid-afternoon, then shape and bake and have it ready for dinner.

For reference, here are the typical times each step takes for demi baguettes. Feel free to try out some different Note that some are a wide range on the counter, depending on weather.

  • Levain

    • 6-12 hours on the counter (up to 18 in really cold weather)

    • 4-6 hours with the oven light

  • Stretch and folds

    • 2-3 hours (depending on how many you do and how long you wait between each set)

  • Bulk fermentation (can be slowed down using the fridge, as necessary)

    • 6-12 hours on the counter (up to 18 in really cold weather)

    • 4-6 hours with the oven light

      • Optionally, you can finish the bulk fermentation in the fridge (to deepen the sour flavor) for up to 48 hours—but be sure to only let it rise about 20-30% before refrigeration

  • Shaping and final proof

    • 30-90 minutes on the counter (refrigerated dough needs a little longer to puff up)

  • Baking

    • About 30 minutes

  • Cooling (necessary before cutting)

    • 30-60 minutes

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

What if I don’t have a baguette baker?

That’s fine! You can use a sheet pan to proof and bake. You can also do your final proof on a well-floured tea towel, creating little sections folded up between each loaf (mimicking the walls of a baguette baker). Just carefully transfer to a sheet pan after proofing. It’s recommended that the dough be well-floured before baking or that you bake on parchment, as the bread could potentially stick. And to get a crunchy crust, stick a cup of ice cubes in a baking pan on the rack beneath your bread about 5-10 minutes before baking.

How do I freeze these loaves?

Simple! Just wrap well in foil and freeze. To defrost, it’s best to leave the wrapped loaf on the counter until room temperature, but you can also defrost in the oven, still wrapped in foil, at 350F/167C for about 30 minutes, until no longer frozen. For either method, you’ll want to unwrap it once no longer frozen and bake for 5-10 minutes, until the outside has the same texture/feel as when freshly baked (I usually do 400F/205C, but I’ve done higher and lower—it’s all about watching it carefully). To tell if it’s crisped up, I usually tap it with my fingernail to see if it’s firm and not squishy.

What if it’s rising too fast?

If the bulk fermentation (or even levain) is going too fast, feel free to use the fridge! This will slow down the yeast, giving you some buffer time. However, it’s important to catch it early enough, as the fridge doesn’t stop the yeast from rising somewhat, especially for the first couple hours as it cools down.

What is the float test?

It’s so simple! You just take a very small spoonful of your levain (or active starter) and place it in a cup of room temperature water. If it floats, it’s ready to use in baking. If not, it probably needs more time. Usually, when the bubbles begin to break the surface of the levain/starter, it’s at the beginning of being ready. Once the bubbles fill the surface and it starts to sink back down, it’s at the very tail end of being usable, so watch it carefully (and time your loaf carefully).

Why do stretch and folds?

Stretch and folds build strength into your dough but in a gentle way, creating a more tender loaf. Rather than knead the bread, you’ll simply stretch and fold then let it rest, letting the sourdough work its magic to create those long gluten strands that give the classic sourdough crumb. What I love the most about stretch and folds is that they are easier to monitor than kneading (and easier on your wrists!). Even if you don’t do a full 4-5 sets (I don’t always), it builds just enough strength while still keeping the bread soft and fluffy.

What is the difference between bulk fermentation and final proof?

Both are important to sourdough on a chemical level, but the basic difference is that bulk fermentation is the longer rise that is done first, allowing the dough to build acid (which creates that sour taste) and carbon dioxide for rise and an airiness. We don’t want it to double in volume, because that would exhaust too much of the yeast, leaving none for what’s known as oven spring (the final release of carbon dioxide that makes that lovely ear or slit down the middle). If you want a stronger sour flavor, for baguettes you can put the dough in the fridge once it’s risen by 20-30% for 8-48 hours. The yeast grows very slowly in the fridge, meaning it won’t rise very much. However, the good bacteria continues to grow and create the various acids that create that sour taste.

Final proof is important because the shaping process removes a lot of the gas created in the bulk fermentation. You want to give it a chance to rest, puff up again (just a bit), and be ready for the final oven rise. With demi baguettes, there’s flexibility, and you can refrigerate after shaping, but not for more than 8ish hours or they will lose that last bit of the yeast and not rise well in the oven.

How do I shape a baguette?

For regular and demi baguettes, there are many options out there. I found an easy method that has yet to fail me (or stress me out). Simply place your dough on a well-floured surface and ideally place it with the longest side parallel to you/the edge of the counter. Use well-floured hands to pull the middle edge up and across the middle of the dough, kind of like folding a letter into thirds. Press it firmly with flat fingers as you go and work your way outward like this, until the bottom half is folded up. The goal is to help it elongate through firmly folding and pressing it. Repeat with the top, folding it down over the seam you made with the bottom section. Pinch the edges into a point to help develop the classic baguette shape. If needed, press it down so there is enough dough to grab and fold again. Repeat this process at least twice, until it is elongated and has nice pointy ends. Be sure to sprinkle more flour as needed. Flip it over onto your prepared baking vessel (I line my baguette pan with strips of parchment, but you can also generously flour it to prevent sticking). Once it’s puffed up just a bit, score and bake!

My sourdough tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making sourdough baguettes. Affiliate links provided.

Kitchen scale

Thermometer

Small spatula

Straight measuring container

Emile Henry Baguette Baker (my preferred way to bake it)

Sourdough Demi Baguette

  • prep time: about 30-40 minutes, spread out
  • rise/resting times: 9-36 hours (depending on where it rises)
  • baking time: 30-35 minutes
  • cooling time: 1 hour
  • total time: 12-38 hours

servings: 12-16 (makes 3-4 demi baguettes)

Ingredients:

for the levain

for the bread

Instructions:

make the levain

  1. Place 25g active starter in a medium jar or small mixing bowl.
  2. Zero out your scale (or the “tare” button) and add 50g warm filtered water, about 80F/27C. Stir with a small rubber spatula or spoon until mixed well*.
  3. Zero out the scale again and add 50g flour. You can use any combination of flours, but it you are just starting out, you can play it safe with all-purpose or bread flour.
  4. Mix well, ensuring there is no dry, unmixed flour and no visible lumps of flour.
  5. Set the lid loosely on top of the jar or cover with plastic wrap.
  6. Store in a spot with moderate temperature (roughly 70F/21C) for 8-12 hours, until it has doubled in volume, bubbles begin to break the surface, and it can pass the float test. Alternatively, you can place it in your turned-off oven with the light on and let it rise for 3-6 hours, depending on climate and the age of your starter. See original post for suggestions on how to time your levain and dough.

make the bread

  1. Once the levain is bubbly and active and passes the float test (see note below), you can begin mixing the bread dough.
  2. Add 100g active levain/starter to your mixing bowl. Add 375g filtered water that is roughly 80F/27C. Don’t stress if it’s a little warmer or a little cooler. Mix until starter is mostly mixed in.
  3. Add salt and stir well.
  4. Add the bread flour and mix until fully combined. Eventually, it becomes hard to stir. At this point you could use your hands or you can simply use the spatula to somewhat fold the dough together (literally scooping from the edge and folding it over the middle section). Mix until there are no pockets of dry flour. It should be a shaggy dough at this point.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let sit on the counter for roughly 30 minutes (at least 20 but no more than 40). At this point, perform the first set of stretch and folds.
  6. Stretching and folding is actually quite simple: Using a clean, damp hand, slide your fingers under one “side” of the bowl and grab that section of dough gently in your hand. Lift up gently to stretch it slightly, folding it over the middle of the bowl. It should reach the other side of the bowl or close to it. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, until you have stretched and folded all 4 “sides” of the dough. Depending on the size of your bowl, you may need to do 5-6 stretch and folds for each set. Once done, cover again and let sit on the counter.
  7. Repeat this process every 30ish minutes, for a total of 4-5 sets of stretches and folds. You’ll know the dough is ready for the next step when it is smooth, elastic, and becomes more difficult to stretch and fold. As well, you can use the translucency test: pinch a little piece of dough and pull it up until some light can pass through the middle. If light passes through without it breaking, it’s ready.
  8. Bulk fermentation. Once you’ve done 4-5 stretch and folds and the dough is smooth and can pass the translucency test, cover it and place in a warm spot (no hotter than 90F/32C) until it has risen in volume by 50%. It should begin to be wobbly at this point. To make this easier, I suggest using a straight edged vessel so you can better tell when it’s risen 50%.
  9. An ideal spot for bulk fermentation is your turned-off oven with the light turned on. However, if you don’t want it to be ready too quickly, you can use the counter. If it is rising too quickly, feel free to put in the fridge to slow down the rise until you are ready to do the shaping.
  10. Optionally, you can deepen the sour flavor by placing the dough in the fridge once it’s risen about 20-30%. It can be refrigerated (if well-covered) for 8-48 hours. You can shape and final proof straight from the fridge.
  11. Once it has risen by 50% and is wobbly (or after refrigerated fermentation–it won’t be as wobbly but should have risen nearly 50% by that point), gently dump the dough onto a well-floured surface. You can use bread flour or all-purpose. Cut dough into 3-4 equal pieces. Pre-shape it by folding each piece in half. Let sit for 10-20 minutes.
  12. Now shape the dough. If using a ceramic or cast iron baguette baker, line with strips of parchment or sprinkle generously with flour to prevent sticking. Also be sure the entire loaf is well-floured after shaping if not using parchment. If using a sheet pan, it’s recommended to line it with parchment to ensure the bread won’t stick (this all depends on the material your pan is made of).
  13. Take your first piece of dough and place it with the longest edge parallel to you/the edge of the counter. Use well-floured hands to pull the middle edge up and across the middle of the dough, kind of like folding a letter into thirds. Press it firmly with flat fingers as you go and work your way outward like this, until the bottom half is folded up. The goal is to help it elongate through firmly folding and pressing it. Repeat with the top, folding it down over the seam you made with the bottom section and pressing firmly as you go. Pinch the edges into a point to help develop the classic baguette shape. If needed, press it down so there is enough dough to grab and fold again. Repeat this process at least twice, until it is elongated and has nice pointy ends. Be sure to sprinkle more flour as needed.
  14. Flip the dough over and place seam-side down on your prepared baguette baker. If you don’t have a baguette baker, you can simply place it (well-floured) on a sheet pan to bake, with 2 inches between each loaf. Or, you can flour a tea towel and fold it up like walls between each loaf, then carefully transfer to your pan once puffed up. Let rise on the counter for 20-60 minutes, until puffed up just a bit. The timing of this final proof is very flexible, as the oven rise (known as oven spring) will make them rise plenty.
  15. While you let the baguettes proof, preheat your oven to 450F/235C. If you are not using a lidded pan, you can get a crunchy crust by placing 1 cup of ice in a baking pan on the shelf below where you plan to bake (middle rack or one rung lower) about 5-10 minutes before you plan to put the bread in. Once proofed (no more than 60 minutes), bake for 20 minutes. If using a vessel with a lid, at this point, remove the lid and bake 10-15 minutes more, until darkened to desired color. If using a non-lidded baker or sheet pan, simply bake for 30-35 minutes.
  16. Remove the bread from the pan and remove the parchment, if using. Set on a wire rack to cool at least 1 hour. Cutting a loaf before it’s cooled sufficiently does alter the texture, so be sure to time it carefully.

Enjoy!

Notes:

  • The Float test: to know if a levain is “active” and ready to use, do the float test. When the levain has doubled in volume and the bubbles begin to break the surface, take a small spoonful and place in a cup of room temperature water. If it floats, it’s active and ready to use. If your starter is relatively new, you may need to do the float test a couple times. This could mean you need to build a larger levain so that you have enough extra to do multiple float tests.
  • There is a window of when you can use a levain. It can be used when just a couple bubbles break the surface or when the surface is very bubbly. That’s why I like the float test, at least when starting out with sourdough, to know it’s ready for sure.
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