Baguette Bread

Submitted by Julie Twitchell

I forgot to post this with all the other bread recipes from last week. This was my first attempt at making this recipe. It was not quite what I expected. I expected a crunchy crust and this was soft. It is a good recipe though. My family really liked it. When I make it again, I will cut back a little on the salt. Here is where I found this recipe. Their picture is much prettier than mine. They have a ton of recipes.

• 1 1/2 Cup warm water
• 1 1/2 TB dry yeast (2 pkg)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 1/4 Cup flour
• 2 tsp. salt(I think I would cut back to 1 1/2)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes--foam should form on the top.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Gradually add the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough becomes a smooth ball and knead for 5 minutes. You can also use a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook for 5 minutes.
4. Cut dough in half and then shape into 2 baguettes. To make them smooth and pretty, roll each half of dough into rectangles and roll up lengthwise. Pinch the edges to seal and place on lightly greased cookie sheet( or silpat) with seam down. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
5. With a sharp serrated knife, gently make a slash down the length of each baguette. This will give it that authentic look. Pour water in a cookie sheet and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Half way through, brush the bread with melted butter. Be very careful opening the oven door. That is a lot of heat and steam. I actually thought I had singed my eyelashes. Thank goodness I did not. Just open the door for 5 seconds before pulling the pan out to butter.

Cook's Note: My dough was really too sticky to roll out like the recipe states. I think next time, I will add just a little bit more flour in the beginning. And my slash down the center didn't go very deep. Maybe it would have worked better if the dough wasn't so sticky. I might just leave that part out next time:)