Paris on my Mind, Part 2

Ah, the taste of a warm baguette just bought from the boulangerie down the street from our rented apartment as we walked back to it from a long day of sight-seeing - a crunch as you bite into it with a soft warm inside that has the ultimate, perfect bread flavor.  And then, proceeding up the stairs, sitting down at the small dinette set with a pat of delicious French butter and a jar of Nutella and eating most of the remaining baguette right then and there. 

Of course, I realize that part of the wonderful experience of eating baguette's while in Paris was very much influenced by my surroundings and my overall enjoyment of the place in which I was vacationing.  But, nonetheless, there is a big difference between the taste of a baguette (even farther still the "french bread") that can be bought in the average (and even not-so-average) grocery store here in the U.S. and the product that is so common place in any bakery in France.  Based on this baguette experience and my dissatisfaction with the baguettes to be found here locally, I set out to bake my own with quite a bit of trepidation.  I am happy to report, though, that so far the results have been quite satisfying and not nearly as scary as anticipated. 

Baking in the oven.

I've never really baked a bread that needed an egg wash, or in this case an egg yolk/water wash, but now that I have used it, I understand its purpose.  The egg wash gives the bread that wonderful golden brown color and cruchcy texture on the outside.

The finished product - hot and ready to eat.

I am still honing my baguette baking skills and would like the outside to retain its cruchy-ness for longer, but other than that I think this is a pretty darn good tasting piece of bread and a start of a tasty family tradition.  My daughter Selah (#2) has even declared that Mommy's baguette's are better than the ones bought in the bakery and that is a good enough seal of approval for me.