Pap Steve Cooks: Same-Day Baguettes

(Same-Day Baguettes. The Pan Makes It Foolproof.)

Listen up, crew. We’re using the KitchenAid Classic with the dough hook. We’re also using the perforated baguette pan that turns “pretty good” into “shut-the-front-door good.” This one right here is the keeper for same-day baguettes.

The Gear That Matters for Baguettes

KitchenAid Classic stand mixer with dough hook (you already know)
A perforated baguette pan. The holes on the bottom give you that pro-level crust, and the shape holds every time.

Three golden same-day baguettes in a perforated baguette pan on a granite counter — Fresh outta the oven. This pan has earned its spot in my kitchen.

Underside of a baked baguette showing the dotted crust pattern from the perforated pan — See those little dots? That’s the pan’s holes doing their job on the crust.

Ingredients (don’t change a damn thing)

2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2¼ to 2½ cups warm water (I use the full 2½ every time – wet dough = big holes)
Flaky salt for the top

KitchenAid + Perfect-Pan Instructions

Throw flour, yeast, sugar, and kosher salt in the KitchenAid bowl. Do a quick mix on low with the dough hook.
Mixer on speed 2, slowly pour in 2¼ cups warm water. After 45 seconds it’ll still look shaggy – keep going. Bump to speed 4 for 15 seconds, then add extra water a tablespoon at a time until it’s a sticky, shiny mess. Knead on speed 2 for exactly 2 minutes. Done. Arms saved. (Note you may need to use a spatula to work the flour off the sides and into the path of the dough hook)
Cover and walk away 30 minutes (bowl in the oven with just the light on).
Uncover, run mixer on speed 2 for 20–30 seconds to do the stretch-and-fold for you. Cover again, 60-minute nap.
Preheat oven to 450°F and get your perforated baguette pan ready.

(Seriously, a good pan makes all the difference. The holes on the bottom give you that pro-level crust and the shape holds perfect every time. No more flat sidewalk baguettes.)
Flour the counter like you’re hiding a body. Gently dump the bubbly dough out, divide into 3 with a bench scraper.
Take each piece, give it a couple gentle twists and stretches lengthwise, and lay it right in the channels of the baguette pan. Sprinkle flaky salt on top because we’re not animals. Let them rise 15 more minutes while the oven preheats to 450°F, then bake 25–30 minutes (start checking at 25) until deep golden and hollow-sounding.
Optional pro move: put a cast-iron skillet with a cup of water on the bottom rack for steam when the loaves go in. Same 25–30 minutes at 450°F, and you’ve got golden, crackly, hollow-sounding perfection.

Pap Steve’s Final Verdict on Same-Day Baguettes

★★★★★ (and the extra star is 100% because of that pan)
I’ve made these on a plain cookie sheet – they’re good. I make ‘em in THIS perforated baguette pan and suddenly the neighbors are leaving thank-you notes in my mailbox.

Now quit stallin’. Fire up the KitchenAid, and get ready for your family to start callin’ you “Chef Pap.”

Game’s on in two hours and these baguettes wait for no man.

Got leftover baguette? Slice it thin and make my smoked mussels crostini with garlic butter and chili crisp. It’s one of our family’s favorite appetizers.