A French Baguette

This Bread recipe is really simple:

• 31/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 scant cups water
• 1 pkg active dry yeast

That's it for ingredients, now the process.

• Measure 3 1/2 cups of flour and 1-tsp salt an put it aside in med mixing bowl.
• Put yeast and 1-tsp sugar together in Large mixing bowl.
• Heat your water to 105 degrees F.
• Pour ONLY 1/4- cup over yeast mixture set in warm place 10-minutes or till frothy
  

Now you need to get your Electric-Mixer ready and you will need you Dough-Hook Beaters, I have always used the hand held electric mixers when making this bread.

• Add flour mixture and the rest of your water to the Large mixing bowl with your Frothy Yeast Mix and on low to med speed mix until dough is soft.. add more flour if dough still looks to wet...but 31/2 cups is usually just perfect
• Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10 mins, have plenty of flour to keep surface and hands floured as dough will sometimes get sticky
  
• Place dough in large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 Hour

While your waiting get a lg baking sheet (preferably dark) and grease it. Also you will still need to keep some flour around as you will be kneading the dough once again. Now clean up your mixing bowls & mixers before the dough left on them hardens like rock.

• When dough has doubled flour your hands and work surface.
• Punch the dough in the center while in the bowl you had it in to rise
• Roll dough out onto floured surface and knead 1-2 minutes until very elastic
• cut dough evenly in 2
• place half the dough between the palms of your hands and roll back and forth to form a fairly even 2-3 " thick cigar shaped loaf about 12 -15 inches long, repeat with other half of dough DO NOT roll it on a board
• Place loaves 3-4 inches apart on baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap, let rise 15 minutes

Heat oven to 475 degrees F. while dough is rising . Make sure you have oven rack down low and a rack at center of oven. On lower rack while oven is heating place a glass baking dish with approx 1-2 cups water and 1 tsp salt. This creates steam which will help to make the Baguette Crusty. If your lucky enough to have a steam infused gas stove you can skip the dish of water.

• Okay, it's been 15 mins, remove the plastic wrap from your baking sheet, check to make sure oven is at 475 degrees F. and place baking sheet on center rack for 15 Minutes
• Bread should be Browned and sound hollow when you check it., carefully remove water dish, turn oven off and leave bread inside for another 8-10 mins before removing..this also helps to make the crust crustier! Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
  

ENJOY