Classic French Baguettes

Begin by placing yeast at the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Next, add water and stir to combine, then incorporate salt into the mixture. After that, gradually add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough becomes thick, sticky, and pulls excess flour from the sides of the bowl. Allow this process to take 5 to 10 minutes.

Subsequently, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a turned-off oven until it has doubled in volume, taking 12 to 14 hours. At this stage, the dough should be bubbly and quite sticky.

Proceed by preparing a baking sheet with a silicone mat, dusting it generously with cornmeal. Then, use a floured spatula to transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface, and dust it with flour once more. With your hands now coated in flour, shape the dough into a rectangle and cut it into four equal pieces.

Dust one piece of dough with flour, then stretch it out with your floured fingers into a log approximately 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in circumference. Gently place the log onto the prepared baking sheet, and if desired, wipe off any excess cornmeal with a damp paper towel. Repeat this process with the remaining dough pieces, reserving one to bake later or preparing another baking sheet for simultaneous baking.

Dust the baked loaves lightly with flour, and then cover them with a piece of plastic wrap that has been dusted with flour. Let the loaves rise, covered, until they have doubled in volume, taking 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Subsequently, set the oven racks to the bottom and middle positions and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) or as high as your oven will go. Place an oven-proof baking dish filled with water onto the bottom rack of the oven.

Cut four or five angled slashes into the top of each loaf using sharp kitchen shears, and then poke down any sharp tips that may have formed. Spray the loaves with water using a spray bottle.

Bake the loaves in the preheated oven until they are browned, taking approximately 15 minutes. After 5 and 10 minutes of baking, spray the loaves with water again, and turn the pan around to ensure even cooking.

Transfer the baguettes to a cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature before slicing with a serrated knife.