French bread

Stir the active dry yeast and the granulated sugar into two cups of warm water at about 110 to 120 degrees and set aside about five minutes; if it does not go foamy the yeast has expired.

Add 360 g of flour, the olive oil and the sea salt to the bloomed yeast.

Stir by hand with a spatula first to make a slurry, then fit the dough hook.

Mix on medium-low and add the remaining 300 g of flour half a cup at a time, letting each addition mix in.

Raise to medium and mix two to three minutes until it becomes a ball of dough.

Check the dough: it should pull away from the sides and not stick to a finger. If it sticks, add a couple more tablespoons of flour, scrape the bowl down and mix another minute.

Oil a large bowl lightly, working the oil up the sides.

Put the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp bonnet or plastic wrap, and rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces, or three for smaller baguettes.

Shape each piece into a roughly nine by twelve inch rectangle and roll it up from the long side like a jelly roll, tightening the edge as you go to form a skin.

Set the loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a baguette pan.

Cover loosely and rise 20 minutes, then heat the oven to 375F and give them another 10 to 20 minutes until visibly puffed.

Slash three cuts down the middle with a sharp knife or bread lame to control the expansion in the bake.

Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes until beautifully golden brown, with three quarters of a cup of hot water in a pan on the lower rack to steam the oven and crisp the crust.

Cool before slicing.