Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425° about one hour before you are ready to bake.

2. Prepare rimmed, half-sheet pan or baguette pan* by greasing with pan release spray or lining pan with parchment paper.

3. Pour warm water into PrepPal™, add yeast packet and whisk well until yeast is dispersed.

4. Add Wild About Bread™ mix, cover and shake PrepPal™ vigorously for 30 seconds to mix well, turning PrepPal™ over, back and forth, and horizontally, until all flour is incorporated. Open lid and using a rubber spatula, scrape down top of lid, sides and bottom of PrepPal™.

5. Close lid and snap two of the five snaps. Set PrepPal™ in warm area until dough has doubled in size, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Open PrepPal™ once during this proofing time, scraping down sides and top of PrepPal™ again, close and place in warm area.

6. Sprinkle a scant 1 tablespoon of flour on to cutting board or work surface.

7. Scrape dough from PrepPal™ onto flour. Sprinkle another 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour over dough.

8. Flatten dough with hands, shaping into a rectangle, short end towards you. Fold short end over top of the opposite short end. Sprinkle again with a tiny amount of flour, pushing dough away from you using heels of both hands, and shaping again into a rectangle. Repeat these step a few times, turning the dough a half turn each time. Repeat until dough is easier to handle and less sticky. Scrap any dough sticking to the board, adding back to the dough ball. Shape dough in to a ball and divide ball in to two equal portions.

9. Flatten each half into an approximate 7” x 9” rectangle by using your hands or a rolling pin. Add a scant more flour if needed to prevent dough from sticking to rolling pin. Starting with the longer side, tightly roll up dough jelly roll style, pinching ends firmly to seal. Repeat with second piece of dough.

10. Place baguettes seam side down, on to prepared pan, spacing 5” to 7” apart as they will double in size. If using a double baguette pan, fill both sides of the pan. Pull the ends of the dough out to form somewhat of a point, tapering the ends, forming the look of elongated French bread. Using a sharp non-serrated knife, make four, ¼” deep, diagonal slits or slashes over top of each loaf. Don’t worry how the baguettes look when placed on pans. When the dough proofs again, all your mistakes will disappear!

11. Cover baguettes with kitchen towel and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size again, about 1 to 2 hours.

12. Whisk egg and water together until well mixed and foamy. Brush this egg wash over the top of each loaf.

13. Bake on center rack in oven for 24 to 29 minutes, rotating pan once during baking time. Bread is fully baked when bottom of loaf, when lifted with a metal spatula, is a rich golden brown.

14. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.