Crispy outside, soft and oh so good inside. Great by itself, slathered with butter or jelly, or even sliced up for sandwiches (which is what I made this batch of baguettes particularly for). I wanted something that would be extra good doused in garlic butter and toasted to crunchy perfection. Say hello to my little friend, the French Baguette.

It is super easy to whip up… just mix, give it a good punch, tight roll, then wash and bake!

Start off by tossing all the dough ingredients in the bread machine; in the order recommended to you by the manufacturer (mine are to add in all the liquids first, half of the flour, then the rest of the dry ingredients, followed by the remainder of flour, and lastly, the yeast). Select the Dough cycle, and press Start (mine takes 1 hr 30 minutes).

After the cycle has completed, place the dough in a greased bowl (tossing the dough around to evenly coat in grease). Cover and let rise in a warm place 30-45 minutes (or until doubled in bulk – you can also poke the dough, indentation should remain when touched).

Punch down the dough (I like the pretend I’m doing a slow-mo power punch, finish him!). Then place on a lightly floured surface and roll out a 16 x 20 inch rectangle.

Cut the dough in half (so you end up with two 8 x 12 inch rectangles). Start at the long end (12 inch side) and tightly roll up the dough, making sure you squish out all the air bubbles that are trying to hide inside. Then gently roll the dough back and forth to taper the ends.

Lightly spray a cookie sheet and place the baguettes about 3 inches apart. Make some deep slashes across the tops of each, then cover and let them rise again (about 30-45mins, until doubled in bulk).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix egg wash ingredients, and when bread is ready, brush the tops of the loaves with the wash.Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops have reached your desired golden brownness.

Fin.