Baguette

• Combine the warm water and yeast in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or standard mixing bowl; let stand for about 5 minutes
• Add about half of the bread flour to the yeast mixture and mix with the dough hook attachment for about 2 minutes, until smooth
• Add the remaining flour and the salt. Mix on low speed until it comes together in a dough. Do not let the mixer go to town kneading the dough … it will ruin it
• Oil a large bowl with vegetable oil
• With floured hands, gather the kneaded dough up into a ball. Place in the oiled bowl; turn over to oil all sides. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place for 1 hour (or until doubled in size)
• Take the dough out of the bowl, fold it over on itself a few times, then put back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place for another 30 minutes
• Cut the dough into 3 equal portions. With each form a very rough sausage shape, and then by folding the dough into the middle along the long edge … form a baguette of the length you want. Put the three into a baguette pan.
• Cover with a clean tea towel and let the loaves just sit there until they've doubled in volume, which will take 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen
• When the loaves have doubled in volume, brush them with water and use a razor, or a very sharp knife, to make one long slash down the length of the loaves, or a series of diagonal slashes

Cooking

• Preheat the oven to 200C. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom of the oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the pan of water, rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the loaves are a deep golden brown