This recipe is very easy, cheap and quick. It's something fun to do on a day when you're snowed in, under house arrest, broke and hungry, or just plain kickin' it. I've messed around with a few slightly different recipes but this is my first time trying this particular one. I sort of followed a recipe, but mostly, I'm combining a few together. In other words, here's my version...

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups of very warm water
• 4 cups flour*
• 1 egg white
• A little oil for coating

*bread flour, unbleached white flour, or whole wheat flour is preferable. I am using enriched bleached bottom of the barrel flour because I'm cheap.

 First, combine the yeast, salt and sugar in a large, clean mixing bowl. Measure out two cups of very warm water. By very warm, I mean... very warm. Not boiling, but enough to feel pretty hot to your wrist. The temperature you might wash your hands with after touching something really disgusting.

 Mix the water in with the yeast, salt and sugar. Make sure when mixing that you keep all the ingredients submerged to the best of your ability (no yeast all up on the sides of the bowl). Let the mix sit for about 10 minutes. It will start to get a little poofy looking.

 Once that's all happened, mix in your four cups of flour, two cups to begin with and then half a cup at a time for the rest. I found that even after the four cups, I wanted to add a little more to make it more managable. If your dough is super loose and seems like it wouldn't even release from the edges of the bowl, add about a half cup of extra flour.

 Now it's time to prepare a surface to work on. Clean off a counter-top area and dust with about two handfuls of flour. Turn the dough out onto your floured surface and flip in over a few times, coating it with flour each time so it doesn't stick to your hands. Once manageable, fold the dough in half (alternating directions) a few times and knead it for about 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth.

 Take a moment to wash out the mixing bowl you used ealier and give it a light coating of oil. place the dough in the bowl and cover it with a damp, wrung-out towel. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes until it has doubled in size.

 It is very important to go outside at this point and investigate the icicles perilously dangling above the door.

 O.K.... 45 minutes is up. That dough should be looking pretty fluffy. Despite how much you want to touch it, just take it out onto your floured surface, pat it down a bit, and fold it in half two or three times. Put it back in the bowl, cover it back up with the damp towel and set that timer for 30 more minutes. 

 While waiting for the second rising (very different from the second coming), get out Ye Olde Cookie Sheet and rub a little butter on it.

  Once the thirty minutes has passed, separate your dough into equal pieces (I chose to make mini baguettes, so I will get about 16 out of this batch, four to a pan, varying in size a little). If you choose to make full grown baguettes, I would separate the dough into about 4-8 pieces, two to a pan.

 Make a ball out of each section, then an oval and then roll each oval into a tube. Make sure to keep a little flour on hand to assist in keeping your dough from shrinking back up on you.

 Place each tube on the pan and then cover the pan and let the pieces rise until almost doubled in size. After about 10 or 15 minutes, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

 Now, if you choose to give these puppies a glaze, thoroughly beat together a mixture of egg white and water. If you want to run a sharp knife across each piece before applying the egg glaze.

Once the oven is preheated, you're ready to bake. Let the bread cook for about 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

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