This week we're making French bread. It’s the most basic of breads. But it does take some practice. Here's the formula:

Ingredients

100% bread flour 500g

70% water 350g

2% instant yeast 10g

2% kosher salt. 10g

Just to break it down, you mix the poolish the night before using 100g each of the bread flour and water and just a pinch of the yeast. Let that ferment on the countertop at room temperature.

The next day, combine the remaining flour, water, yeast and salt with the poolish. You'll have amazing dough. Just mix it like I do in the video and let it sit for an hour.

Then give the dough 3 stretch and folds over the next hour. Handle the dough with wet hands. Trust me, it will work. And then I like to ferment the dough in a ziplock bag overnight. You can make it the same day, but the longer fermentation will make the bread taste even better.

The next day, scale the dough to 3 - 250g pieces. Round them and let them rest on the countertop for 5 minutes. Then shape them into the baguette form. Place these on a pan or a couche. (you'll see in the video) Let them proof until they double in volume. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

When the baguettes have doubled in volume, place them on a pan or a peel to get them ready for the oven. Slash the baguettes three times on an angle. Place the breads in the preheated oven. Spray the oven with water 3 times during the first 10 minutes of baking. Bake until the breads get a beautiful brown crust, about 20 minutes.

Take them out and let them cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes or as long as you can wait to taste this wonderful bread. Enjoy the crispy crust and the pillowy interior!