Every time I taste freshly-baked bread I wonder why I don't bake it more often. Then I look around at the counter, bowls and hands covered in a gloopy mess and I remember. This baguette recipe from Dan Leader makes three delicious crusty loaves. I didn't get them to rise as much as I thought they should, and one of mine was a bit misshapen, but otherwise I declare the experiment a success! I even kneaded the dough by hand when I usually go with the less messy mixer method.
The hands on work for this project is minimal, but you need almost a full day waiting for the dough to rise at each stage. It's called a 4-hour baguette, but it took more like 6 hours for me from first mix to first bite. Still, that was only about an hour of hands-on time, with delicious results.
And, you can't beat the ingredients list. Flour, water, yeast & salt. That's it. Baking bread is magic in that way. The simplest ingredients turn into something so fantastic with just mixing and time.
Aside from the basic ingredients, you need a few other items to make this work. A kitchen scale is a big help because baking works better when ingredients are weighed. You'll also need parchment paper, a baking stone or inverted baking sheet, a cast iron pan, and a pair of scissors.
