My Baguette

Ingredients:
4cups flour
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water (about 75 degrees F)
Oil for bowl

Directions:
1. In a bowl mix together the flour and salt.
2. In another bowl, combine yeast, warm water and 1/2 the flour/salt mixture. Using your hands, mix until it forms a dough. Then, cover with a dish cloth and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. It should triple in size. Here is what mine looked like after the 3 hours:

(I did not add enough flour/salt mixture so mine didnt form a dough 100%)

3. Gently incorporate the rest of the flour/salt mixture using your hands.

4. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 min. It should be supple and elastic when you stop kneading.

5. Lightly oil a bowl. Place dough in bowl. Cover with a dish towel, let sit 1 hour. It should double in size.

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Knead again. Then cut dough into 3 parts and form each part into a long baguette. Place on a baking sheet, let sit for at least 20 min. Here is what mine looked like:

7. Place a bowl of water in the oven. Bake baguette for 25 min or less. Remove water bowl after 15 min. Here is my finished baguette! :)

Be careful with the hot water bowl on the bottom of the oven. I am REALLY clumbsy and burned myself like 9 times, 2 of which were with hot water from this bowl. My bread only baked like 23 min and it was still slighty more crispy then desired. Now I also have an oven from like the 1970's and seems to cook faster then most....so just watch the bread like the last 5 min.

My kids LOVED this bread! So enjoy, we sure did. :)