Task completed! I finished the february challenge of the Daring Bakers just in time! I have to admit that I wasn't too happy with the recipe: Julia Child's recipe for french baguette is a straight dough. That means there is no preferment such as biga, poolish or "pâte fermentée". There wasn't even barley malt to feed the yeast. The next thing: The hydration was a bit too high - I had to add flour because the dough was too sticky.

The taste of my baguette was not bad, but I've baked so many different french bread recipes and this special recipe is among the blandest. The crust was ok but neither as crackling as e.g. Peter Reinhard's french bread nor as crisp as Dan Leaders Parisian Daily Bread. I think bread baking has evolved since Julia Child came up with her book "Mastering the art of french cooking Vol. 2". It might have been a great recipe back in the early seventies when the book was published. But it was far too much time spent with this recipe compared to the result. Knowing what I know about baguette baking, I wouldn't bake it again.

This month's recipe was chosen by Breadchick - check it out! You'll find recipe and instructions over there.