Thanks for the pictures. They really helped when I mixed these last Monday and was interrupted and lost track of how much water I'd used. The first batch was good, but I didn't use enough flour when I turned the dough out so had to deal with some stickiness. The second batch Thursday was excellent!!! I used more flour on the board and the dough was a joy. For the first time ever I thought I had achieved dough perfection. The taste and texture were wonderful, especially in the second batch. I didn't use the baguette shape, but used the Cook's Illustrated method of cooking artisan bread: Make the dough into a round loaf. Take a long piece of parchment paper, spray the middle with cooking spray, put the dough on the sprayed part of the paper and let it rise in a 10 inch skillet. (I use a stoneware pie plate.) Thirty minutes before baking, put a 6 to 8 quart heavy pot with cover into the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. (I really use 450, since 500 scares me!. You may have to remove or replace the handle so your lid can withstand this temp.) At baking time, lift the round loaf into the pot using the parchment paper as a sling. Leave the parchment paper in the pan under the loaf. Replace the lid, turn the heat down to 425 degrees. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake another 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan using the parchment paper sling. This is easier and safer, I think, than many other methods and the taste is great. The pot acts as a steam oven, with the moisture from the dough providing the steam. This recipe worked perfectly divided into two batches using this method. Thanks for all your great recipes.

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