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Crusty French Baguettes for ABM

I found this wonderful recipe SOMEWHERE on the Internet (and I often wish that I'd had the foresight to jot down just WHO posted these things when I copied them, but only started doing that very recently, unfortunately.) Whoever you are: God bless you for a very basic recipe that almost makes me feel like I'm sitting on a bridge on the Seine. (Almost...)


1-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. cornmeal (added to baking sheet)

Add the yeast, bread flour, salt, and water in the order suggested by your bread
machine manual and process on the DOUGH cycle. At the end of the DOUGH cycle,
remove the dough from the bread machine and divide into 2 equal pieces. Form each
piece into a round, pressing to break any air bubbles. Place the rounds on a lightly
greased plate or cookie sheet, leaving room for the balls of dough to double in size.
Cover with a clean bowl or kitchen towel and let rise about 20 minutes in a draft-free but
not hot place. If your kitchen is chilly, the dough might need another 5 or 10 minutes to
double in size. If you press the dough lightly with your finger and the mark remains, the
dough is ready. If the indentation springs out again, the dough need to rise longer.
Preheat oven to 375º F. Roll each ball of dough into a rope as long as the pan you are going to bake it in (cookie sheet, French bread mold, or any other long baking pan). Sprinkle the cornmeal on the pan and place the dough into the pan. (If you are
using an open pan such as a cookie sheet, place the baguettes at least 4 inches apart
to prevent their spreading together during rising.) Let rise again, covered, until double in
size again--about 30 minutes.
When the dough has doubled, spray or paint gently with cold water. (NOTE: Or leave a pan of water in the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking.) Slit the top diagonally several times with a sharp knife or single-edge razor. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, spraying with water once or twice more. (Disregard the spraying if you placed a pan of water into the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking.)
Voila, you have baguettes!

Adapted from "The Best Bread Machine Cookbook Ever," by Madge Rosenberg

Makes 2 baguettes

Ron's note: The baguettes are a tad small for my taste, so I've taken to leaving the dough in a single ball, letting it rise twice and then baking it at 400º F. for about 25 to 30 minutes. The water instructions remain the same, though.