These look great! My first attempt at baking as a young teen started with hand made cinnamon rolls. I have a flare for the dramatic and we were providing breakfast for some volunteers that were taking an very intensive week long training course. I was 13 and a was the only male and the only one not a mother or grandmother. I had to think of something that would let my contribution fit the generosity of the volunteers. So, I stayed up all night making them (I didn't want day old rolls/buns). They came out great, but it took everything I had, to do this. (I was introduced as the cinnamon roll baker for a few years after that. No one pictured a 13 year old boy making these when they only expected grocery store donuts and maybe scrambled eggs and bacon.)So, you are correct about food like this impressing people. I imagine you explained how you can replace some great skill with using the best ingredients that you can afford to buy doing research like you provide on this site. The right cinnamon that isn't mostly bark pith (and isn't a five year old container in the very back of your cupboard), using pecans directly from a grower (I use greenvalleypecan.com), using unsalted fresh butter, and at least using new ingredients if extra high quality isn't in your budget. I like to toss a little oil on the pecans with a small amount of cinnamon and granulated sugar on them for a quick toast. This is a great recipe though. I used a spring form pan and they came out a little taller than picture, but not much. I'm glad to hear that you are passing down baking skills to your son. Us guys have to fend for our selves these days if we want the taste of home. I bet the request for a baguette recipe came out of being tired of grocery store stuff that isn't true to what the baked good is really supposed to be. It is a shock when you leave home and you realize the effort someone put in to make your food come alive. It might just be an occasional way to treat yourself. But, as you showed him, getting a rhythm and looking for less labor intensive recipes, do not really take that much time, and is stress releasing (as long as you taught him to clean as he goes). Next lesson for him: the importance of having an open kitchen for entertaining while cooking/baking. That baking knowledge and heritage needs to be passed on to future generations. YouTube is not the same as showing your friends "how" to do something. Baking is so tactile. Yes, sometimes I use a bread machine to make dough, but it never comes out the same as when I use my hands. I don't know if he is married, but creating food is a great way to meet quality women, lol.

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