French Style Baguette

This is my kind of bread!!! I made this yesterday for Sunday dinner.  We ate it with Lasagna and it was delicious.  It's super easy and very fast.  It makes 2 cute little loaves.  The loaves would be perfect to make bruschetta with......I guess I'll have to find a recipe for that. 

(Pictures and recipe courtesy of http://www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com/)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 1/2 Tbs. (2 packages) dry yeast

2 tsp. sugar

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

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.

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. (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook)

Cut in half and then shape into 2 baguettes. To make them smooth and pretty, roll each half of dough into rectangle and roll up lengthwise. Pinch the edges to seal and place on lightly greased cookie sheet (or silpat) with seam down. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Once the dough is done rising, with a very sharp knife (I like to use a serrated blade), gently make a slash down the length of each baguette. (Make sure you don't cut too deep so it doesn't deflate your dough) 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. 

***Don't butter the baguette after you take it out of the oven.  It will make the crust a little softer and I think it's meant to be crispy.