Colleen, Here is the recipe for Julia Child's French Baguettes. On my days off each week, I usually make a double batch of this bread dough. The dough goes into the fridge after it's first rise and is left for two to three days. This long cold fermentation develops more flavour and texture in the bread and makes the perfect dough for a pizza crust. Thin crust with a light,airy, chewy rim. How I Make My Pizza Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table French Baguette =============== Julia Child 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (bread flour) (NOTE: I use 4 cups) 2 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/3 cups cold water plus 1/3 or so additional water Place the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of the food process. Pulse to mix. Add 1 1/3 cups of water and process until the dough comes together. If the dough doesn't form a ball, add a little of the extra water. Process for about 60 seconds, turn off machine and let dough rest for 5 minutes. Turn on the machine again and rotate the dough about 30 times under the cover, and then remove it to a lightly floured work surface. it should be fairly smooth and quite firm. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes and then knead roughly and vigorously. The final dough should not stick to your hands as you knead (although it will stick if you pinch and hold a piece); it should be smooth and elastic and, when you hold it up between your hands and stretch it down, it should hold together smoothly. Preliminary rise - 40 to 60 minutes at around 75F. Place the dough into a clean dry bowl, (do not grease the bowl), cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place free from drafts. (note the French do not grease the bowl because they believe the dough needs a seat to push up from). This first rise is sufficient when the dough has definitely started to rise and is about 1 1/2 times its original volume. Deflating: Turn the dough onto your lightly floured work surface roughly and firmly pat and push it out into a 14 inch rectangle. Fold one of the long sides over toward the middle, and the other long side over to cover it, making a 3 layer cushion. Repeat the operation. This important step redistributes the yeast throughout the dough, for a strong second rise. Return the dough smooth side up the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and again set to rise. Final rise in the bowl - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer. The bread should be 2 1/2 to 3 times its original bulk. It is the amount of rise that is important here, not the timing. To Shape, Cut the dough in half. Set one piece aside and cover with a towel. On a lightly floured work surface pat the dough into a 14 inch rectangle, squaring it up as evenly as you can. Fold the rectangle of dough in half lengthwise and using the heel of your hand, firmly press the edges together whether they meet. Seat well. Pound the dough flat. Now repeat - patting the dough out again and folding it over and sealing the edges. Pinch the edges well and Rotate the dough so that the sealed edge in on the bottom. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover with plastic wrap or loosely with a towel and let rise to more than double again at about 75°f. Place stone in oven and Preheat oven to 450°F. Slash three long cuts into the loaves and place on the hot stone. Immediately toss a number of ice cubes on to the bottom on the oven to create steam. Bake until bread is golden and has an interior temp of 200°F. Takes about 30 minutes. Making Dough in a Mixer or by Hand When you are making dough in an electric mixer with a dough hook, proceed in the same general way with the rests indicated, and finish by hand. or mix the dough by hand in a bowl, turn out on a work surface, and start the kneading by lifting it up with a scraper and slapping it down roughly for several minutes until it has body. Let it rest several minutes and then proceed to knead. This is the recipe I use as a basic outline. I use it more as a guideline. I have a Magic Mill that I use to do most of the kneading. I still like to finish kneading by hand.

You know, I used a glass pan for a quick bread recipe and I too had that bitter taste at the crust. I had attributed it to using a boxed mix (hangs head in shame). But the same mix made in the usual metal pan was ok. I have a round unglazed casserole, similar yield size as the loaf pan, that I'm going to try for the next bread I make. Just to see if it makes a difference. If so, then I'll just reserve the glass pan for meatloaf or some other savory dish. I wouldn't lower the temp, that will probably mess with the chemistry. Is your oven calibrated correctly? Well pre-heated? Those can affect the browning. Also, try butter for the lubricant rather than Pam. DH surprised me with something he'd made using Pam, but it turned out the spray had gone bad and the cake was horrific at the outer edges. I bought a new can and found things were fine, but I toss them after a couple months now.

Thanks you all I knew the bread baking gurus here would help find the answer. The recipe I am using is almost exactly like Anns except no potato. So how big of a potato do I use? I have read and reread Tricias tutorial in the FAQ so many times I have most of it memorized. I think I have the basics down and am getting a good loaf of bread almost every time. DH would eat hamburgers every night if he had his way. The problem is I cant get good H buns here in the valley so I have to buy them in Bakersfield and freeze them. Not only do they take up to much space in the freezer they have just about tripled in price and they arent that great to begin with. Terri the whole wheat recipe sounds good. Ill give it a try next week as soon as my hand rests a bit. All the bread making is hurting my right hand for some reason. I have a Zo mini on my wish list at Amazon and think its time to place the order. I think it should be big enough for the 2 of us and I dont plan to bake in it just let it do the hard work for me. Thanks again Claudia

Deborah, how long are you letting the bread rise for the 1st and 2nd rise? There are many No-knead bread recipes and my recipe suggests letting the dough rise for at least 18 hours for the first rise and 2-3 for the 2nd. You can let the bread rise longer on the 2nd rise as long as you have it lightly covered with plastic wrap so it does not dry out. What size pot are you using to bake it? My No-knead sd bread does not rise like my white bread does. I usually get about a 4" loaf. I did make some No-knead sd English Muffins and they were excellent and I'm making more on Sunday! Michelle