Ooh, I am going to try this baguette recipe. As a new retiree, I've resumed my old hobby of breadmaking, but I've never come close to the delicacy that is our local New Orleans French bread (or poor boy loaf)--crispy on the outside, light as a feather within. Our loaf supposedly derives from the baguette, but who knows what modifications have been made to the recipe? One question I have concerns humidity. So far, I've made my loaves when the humidity is relatively low--say, below 80%--and I've been successful. But suppose I need to bake when the humidity is high? Any tricks I should know? High humidity means you should use less liquid in your recipe. Flour is like a sponge, and will absorb water from the air – so counteract that by adding less liquid called for, then gradually adding more if necessary to make a dough of the proper consistency. As for baguettes - they're generally not light as a feather inside - more like chewy and full of holes. You might want to try an Italian bread recipe, to more closely match your New Orleans po' boy loaves... PJH

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