Hello, PJ-- Terrific! The kneading is not an issue for me, but attaining dark crust and holey interiors remain an ongoing sacred quest. All I need now is a crummy plastic spray bottle--you no longer sell those elegant glass ones, and mine were broken. (Use of the passive voice implies someone else did it, but I won't name names.) I've been brushing on the water generously but ultra-carefully with one of your silicone brushes, and find that doing so before slashing makes a better color contrast between slash and crust. Recently I've used wet kitchen shears to make three to five wide V-shaped snips along the length of the baguettes, which were very pretty! I've also set my oven at 550 degrees and lowered the temp to 450 after a very few minutes, aiming for that darkish crust; watching through the window and shortening the baking time. Your French-style flour DOES make a big, positive difference, IMHO. "Another KA flour?" mutters my husband--until he takes a bite... Thanks so much for making inexpensive AND totally nummy baguettes available to all of us!

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