Petra, the original recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups of flour. I've always used four cups. You can get a great baguette using that recipe. BUT, over the years I've made adjustments, using a biga, adjusting the yeast, adding more water, leaving the dough in the fridge from two or six days, doubling and tripling the amount of flour, reducing the amount of yeast, etc... See Notes at the end of the recipe in RED. Basically bread is just flour, salt, yeast and water. It is easy to adapt and very forgiving. About the only thing you can do wrong is use hot water and kill the yeast. Or over proof a shaped loaf. French Baguette Julia Child 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (bread flour) 2 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/3 cups cold water plus 1/3 or so additional water Using Food Processor 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 75°F. 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 u p 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. Spray loaves with water and immediately toss a number of ice cubes on to the bottom on the oven to create steam. Spray again two or three times, 3 minutes a part. 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. MY NOTES: I use a Magic Mill to do most of the kneading. The Magic Mill can handle over 20 cups of flour at one time. I use 4 cups for a single batch and 8 cups for a double batch Plus the addition of a Biga. I prefer a wet dough so I add more water. I usually start this bread with a Biga (Italian)/Poolish (French) a pre-fermentation. Made the night before. Contributes to a more complex flavour and a better texture. 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon yeast 1 cup of water. Mix well. Cover and set aside. Other changes: I mix the Biga, Flour, Yeast and water together,without the salt, and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb some of the water. I add the salt after this rest, and then finish by kneading. This dough makes for a wonderful pizza crust. Place dough in fridge and leave it for two to four, even five days. Take it out early (three hours) to give it time to come to room temperature. Allowing the dough to have a long cold fermentation really develops the flavour and the texture of the bread. EDITED NOVEMBER 2012: I now reduce the amount of yeast called for in the original recipe. When doubling the amount of flour to eight cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups of biga, I use just three teaspoons of yeast. OPTIONAL: Add Cranberries and Pistachios

I make my own, but I haven't learned to do it without spreading a little flour around the kitchen. Use your favorite yeast bread recipe and let it rise one time. Knead enough to make it easy to work with. Pinch off sections like you do for rolls but roll each one into a 6 inch circle with a rolling pin. Shake off as much flour as you can and let them rest a few minutes. I just roll two at a time, but you could do them all, I guess. I just roll the next pair while the first two are cooking. Use an ungreased pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Set the oven at 500 degrees and put the pan into the oven to preheat. I just leave the pan in the oven and move the pockets to the pan, then remove from the pan while it is still in the oven. I use a half sheet pan and cook 2 at a time. They need about 4 minutes on the first side and another 2 minutes after you turn them over. I normally use half whole wheat flour/ half AP, and substitute molasses for the sugar in the recipe which gives them a good earthy taste. One night I made them this way, then cut the pockets in half and stuffed with really good chicken salad, and pressed alfalfa sprouts into the top of the chicken salad. I served them at a baby shower and they were the food hit of the evening. I wished for one of those taco dishes that would hold them upright, but just used a platter inside.

aptosca/Clare- -Be careful how much VWG you add. Too much will make the bread tough, not just give it loft, and it often takes longer to knead and develop the gluten the more you add. -Gluten absorbs moisture like a sponge, so you may also need to use less flour if you add VWG - so go by the "feel" of the dough and aim for a well-hydrated, soft dough. Stiff dry dough will make a dry, squatty loaf. Personally, I think you will get more loft by using King Arthur Baker's Special Dry Milk in an enriched loaf of bread, rather than adding VWG. Additional VWG is generally unnecessary if you use bread flour or even all-purpose flour. If you've never made rye bread before, rye flour in bread dough will cause the dough to be characteristically sticky, and because of this people tend to add too much flour during kneading (especially if the rye flour is 20% of the total amount of flour, or more) to off-set the stickness - a big no-no.... A simple way to solve this problem, if you are making the dough by hand, is by placing the dough in a large freezer zip-lock bag (use a freezer bag because the plastic is thicker and takes more "abuse" from kneading). Place the dough into the freezer-bag, press out as much air as possible before closing, and knead the dough while it's in the bag, from the outside of the bag (a la Bread-In-A-Bag - see link below). You can still adjust the hydration, but this should help keep from adding too much flour because the stickiness from the rye flour won't be sticking to your hands. There are also kneading gloves that can be used for sticky doughs, but a freezer zip-lock bag an easy fix (and probably less expensive). When the dough has been kneaded enough, press the dough into one corner of the bag; open the bag and turn it inside out to get the dough out. BTW - this is one bag you won't want to wash and save ;-). A mistake often made, and why the dough doesn't seem to raise as high as you'd like, is from using the wrong amount of dough for the pan size. This is also the cause of over- or under-proofing. As an example: if you make a recipe that makes 1-1/2-pounds of dough (about 3-cups of flour in the recipe) and place it in a 9x5" pan (which are generally designed to be used for loaves of quick breads), that's the wrong pan for that amount of dough - a standard-size loaf pan is a better choice - 8-1/2x4-1/2". Jumbo pan - 10x4-1/2" - approx. 4-5 c. flour - 2+ pounds of dough Quick Bread Pan - 9x5" - 4 c. flour - 2# dough Standard Loaf - 8-1/2x4-1/2" - 3 c. flour - 1-1/2# dough Medium Loaf - 7-1/2x3-1/2" - 2-1/2 c. flour - 1# dough Small Loaf - 5-3/4x3-3/4" - 1-1/2 c. flour - 8 oz. dough Here is a link that might be useful: Easy Yeast Breads In a Bag

CC, my Zo does not have an adjustment for the first rise, I'm assuming the thermostat automatically adjusts to the internal temperature of the machine, and that's only an assumption. FOAS, what would you like for a basic bread recipe? Something like a plain french baguette? Or a sweeter eggier farmhouse white? Even honey wheat? How I bake the loaves depends on the crust I want. If I want crusty baguettes, I shape the loaves and bake them freeform on a hot baking sheet. Many here use baking stones. If I want a tender crust and some white sandwich type bread, I use Grandma's old farmhouse white recipe, with milk and eggs or Sol's recipe for Hnoey rolls: Personally, I really like honey wheat, so that's what I make most of and sometimes I make free formed round loaves with lots of crust and sometimes I bake it in loaf pans for sandwich slices and toast. If I want a soft crust I brust with melted butter when it comes hot from the oven, if I want a crusty loaf I spritz it with some water a couple of times while baking. I know Ann T sprays her oven with water, and she uses a stone to get the proper heat and humidity. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are the recipes I use for those basic things: HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD INGREDIENTS: 3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour  2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour  2 pkg. active dry yeast  2 tsp. salt  1 cup milk  1 cup water  1/2 cup honey  3 Tbsp. oil  1 egg PREPARATION: In large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, the yeast, and salt and mix well. In saucepan, heat milk, water, honey, and oil until a thermometer reads 120-130 degrees F (warm) Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine. Beat this batter for 3 minutes. Then, gradually stir in rest of whole wheat flour and enough remaining all-purpose four to form a firm dough. Sprinkle work surface with flour and knead dough, adding more flour if necessary, for 5-8 minutes until smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough in the bowl to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, until double in bulk. Punch down dough and divide into 2 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll or press each piece of dough to a 14x7" rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges and ends to seal and place dough, seam-side down, into greased 9x5" bread pans, making sure short ends of bread are snugly fitted against the sides of the pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until the dough fills the corners of the pans and is double in bulk, 30-40 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. I like to brush the bread with butter when it's still hot from the oven for a softer crust. BREAD (GRANDMAÂS RECIPE) 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup milk 1/3 cup butter 2 eggs 1 pkg yeast 1 tsp salt 4  4 1/2 cups flour vital wheat gluten (optional) Mix milk, butter and sugar, heat until butter melts and liquid is very warm. Add eggs, then beat in flour, salt and yeast until stiff dough forms. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 7  8 minutes. Turn dough into greased bowl and let rise in warm place until double. Punch down dough, shape into loaves or dinner rolls and let rise again. Bake at 350 until done (25 - 30 minutes for loaves, 12-15 minutes for dinner rolls) Makes 1 large or two small loaves or 18 dinner rolls BREADMAKER INSTRUCTIONS: Heat milk, butter and sugar. Place two eggs in bread pan, add liquid. On top of liquid place flour, salt and vital wheat gluten. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour yeast in well. Do not allow it to contact wet ingredients. Process as for dough, or allow machine to bake. Honey Rolls 1 cup milk 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup butter [1 stick] 2 teaspoos salt 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar* 2 pkges. dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water [110º-115ºF] 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 6 - 6 1/2 cups AP flour Heat the milk, add butter and salt. Set aside while butter melts. Stir in the honey. In another bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let it sit until yeast is completely dissolved, about 6-7 minutes. Combine milk mixture with yeast mixture. And stir in the beaten eggs. Beat in 4 cups flour. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to coat both sides. Cover and allow dough to rise 1 hour. Punch dough down, and allow to rise another hour. Punch down again, and shape dough into rolls. Let it rise again 45 minutes to an hour or until doubled in volume. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and bake rolls for 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. For a very soft crust, brush rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Note: You could omit the sugar from this recipe altogether. I sometimes use about a teaspoon of the honey called for in the recipe to feed the yeast instead of the sugar. Finally, here's one that's especially targeted at the food processor, if you want to try it. It was simple, came out fine, but I liked the one I made with the bread machine better, the interior texture was "holier", if you get my drift. It goes without saying that I didn't proof the yeast, and I do have french bread pans. The dough is pretty "slack", so if you don't have french bread pans you'll need a "baker's couche". I understand that the canvas in a real couche absorbs some moisture and makes the bread crustier. I've used parchment paper to "prop up" the loaves and it works, and I've baked these freeform and it also works but my loaf tends to flatten out. I don't really care, but it's not the traditional shape, LOL. French Bread in the Food Processor 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package) 1 2/3 cups warm water (105-115°F) 1 tablespoon olive oil Pulse flour, salt, and vinegar in a food processor to combine. Stir together yeast and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) With motor running, pour yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water into flour mixture in processor, blending until dough forms a ball and pulls away from side of processor bowl, about 1 minute. Cover processor feed tube and let dough rise until it fills bowl, about 1 hour. Pulse several times to deflate dough. Generously oil bread pans with olive oil. Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half (dough will be very soft). Press 1 half into a 10- by 8-inch rectangle and fold in the 2 short outer sides to meet in the middle, pinching edges together. Turn over (seam side down), then roll and stretch into a 15-inch-long irregular loaf. Put loaf, seam side up, in bread pan and turn to coat with oil, leaving loaf seam side down. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Let loaves rise, uncovered, in a warm draft-free place 30 minutes. Put oven rack in upper third of oven, then put a large roasting pan with 1 inch of water in it on bottom of gas oven or on lowest rack of electric oven. Preheat oven to 450°F. Make 3 shallow diagonal slashes down length of each loaf with razor. Bake loaves 30 minutes, then carefully remove pan of water from oven. Remove bread from pans and turn upside down on upper oven rack, then bake until golden and crusty all over, about 5 minutes more. Cool loaves on a rack. Good luck. Don't forget that if your water is too hot, you'll kill the yeast. If you think it the dough needs to be kneaded more, it does. More better than less, when kneading bread. Oh, and if you want to rip that end chunk off hot from the oven, go ahead. It's your bread, but there is a difference in taste and texture if you let it cool a bit. Annie