In a small bowl, combine ½ cup warm water, the yeast and sugar. Stir and cover with plastic wrap, shower cap or a towel for 5mins. It should look foamy, if not your yeast may be old.

In a large bowl, mix together with a dough hook, or a spoon the flour, salt, and yeast mixture. Stir in an additional 1 cup of water. If the dough is too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to mix until the dough starts to come away from the bowl. On a floured surface begin to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cut the dough in half for large baguettes or 3-4 pieces for smaller baguettes. Shape the dough- gently flatten the dough with your hands and roll the dough into a smooth long log shape. If you want to get fancy, pinch the ends to make triangles/pointed ends. Place on a baguette pan, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Score loaves down the middle using a razor blade or bread lame down the middle or a few slashes diagonal slashes. Cover with a lightweight towel and let dough rise for about 15 mins (it should double in size). Now is the time to start preheating the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450°

Once the baguettes have doubled in size, bake in the oven for 10-15 mins depending on the size made. The bottoms should be brown. Remove from the oven and brush with butter (optional).

Once cooled, slice. To freeze: Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. To defrost, remove from the freezer and allow the bread to come to room temp. Warm in the oven or serve as is.