baguettes

tried to grasp a handle on the classic baguette. more work is needed. i attempted with what is called a "lean dough" meaning there was no fat involved. flour, water, salt and yeast is all that is involved here. i was happy with the shape, as they were the first time i have ever attempted forming one, but not as happy about the texture. i will attempt again soon, but a good baguette should have big air pockets in the finished product, mine didn't. it tasted, looked, and cut just like a loaf of french bread you would buy at your local megamart at 5 pm. good but not great. to form then i rolled the 2 times proofed dough into a 12 X 6 rectangle and then rolled, and squished with the palm of my hand, then repeat, then repeat, etc. i washed the outside with an egg wash and was happy with the overall color and taste. texture is what i need to be better at here though and i will continue to develop a method. i cut these on a bias and then lightly coated them with olive oil, and then further toasted to make a crostini. made a roasted summer vegetable salad to go on top of them and it all worked out well. another continuing problem that i have is that i think that bread usually needs more salt, and salt actually inhibits the growth of yeast. in a perfect catch 22, i have a hard time balancing the two. i lay awake some nights wondering how much salt is too much. this baguette needed more, i can usually cover a bit with an egg wash an a topping of Pacific Ocean sea salt, which will help with the crust but the bites that don't have crust suffer for it. the people i talk to that have more bread experience then i don't seam to have the answers that i want, so i go back to the drawing board (text books). i will most definitely keep you all posted.