Recipe: Baguettes!

Today we made baguettes with our friend Julia. Here's how you can too...

Assemble your ingredients. (This recipe makes 2 baguettes.)

• 2 envelopes of active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons of honey (we used creamy raw honey)
• 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt (we used coarse kosher sea salt)
• olive oil, for greasing the bowl
• cornmeal, for dusting the pan
• 4 ice cubes

Pour yeast into a bowl.

Add half a cup of warm water.

Add your honey.

Stir.

Let it stand 5 minutes. This is how it will look.

 In a separate bowl, combine your flour...

 ...with your salt.

Stir.

Pour in your yeast mixture.

Mix your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients. We used our hands.

Gradually add 1 cup of warm water to the dough. You may not need the whole cup of water. We didn't. I think we used about 3/4 of a cup.

 If the dough is sticky...

...add a little more flour.

 Dust your cutting board with flour and start kneading your dough.

Using the heels of your hands, flatten the dough, then fold. Flatten. Fold. Do this for 2 to 6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

 Use the thumbprint test. Stick your thumb in (not this deep) and if your dough rises back up, you're done kneading.

Grease your bowl with a olive oil. You don't need very much. Put your dough in the bowl. Cover your dough with a dishcloth and go do something else for 25 to 30 minutes.

 When you come back, it will look like this.

Put it on your cutting board and give your dough a good punch!

 Divide your dough in half. You're making two baguettes.

Fold each baguette in to the middle, then seal the seam. (You want air in the baguette.) Turn the baguette over, seam side down, and repeat the folding and sealing. Do this until you've formed a nice long baguette 12 to 14 inches long.

 Put a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet, and sprinkle a handful of cornmeal onto the parchment paper.

 Spread it evenly.

 Put your baguettes on the baking sheet. Then cut diagonal slits (1/2 inch deep) in the top of the baguettes.

Cover the baguettes for 25 minutes and go do something else, including preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put 4 ice cubes in a pan. 

Put your baguettes on the middle rack, and your ice cubes on the bottom rack.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Let cool.

Aren't they gorgeous?!

And they taste delicious!