Pain a l'Ancienne

I have tried making baguettes a few other times from different recipes but this was by far the best tasting. I halved the recipe and only made 3 baguettes and with only 3 adults we ate 2 with dinner. Also it was very easy to stretch and held it's shape. My husband told me I could feel free to make this bread at anytime.

This bread is, quite simply, a revelation. It is simple to make, requiring only an evening mixing, and an overnight fermentation in the fridge. Then the baguettes need almost no shaping, just a rough cut with a dough scraper. It is one of the simplest bread recipes in this book, and one of the best.

The result is truly wonderful. Everyone who's tasted these is wowed - they even impressed my daughter's teacher, who's from France, and knows her baguettes!