French Baguettes

Recipe Courtesy of Judy Taubert on allrecipes.com

WOW, is all I have to say about this recipe! These turned out awesome and were extremely tasty! Obviously best served fresh out of the oven with a little bit of butter. I have made this recipe several of times and highly recommend it to anyone. The original recipe was made for a bread machine (which I used the first time I made this), but because I do not own a bread machine I've modified the recipe slightly for a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

• 1 cup water, luke warm
  
• 2 1/2 cups white flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar (I used honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place one cup luke warm water, sugar/honey, and yeast in Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. Let rest approximately 10 minutes.
2. While yeast is activating, combine flour and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.
3. While using the Kitchen Aid bread hook attachment, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet. Allow the stand mixer to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Once kneaded, place into lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about 30 minutes.
4. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8 x 12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pushing out air any bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches. Cover, let rise in a warm place about 30-40 minutes.
5. Mix egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water, brush over tops of loaves.
6. Bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees) for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.