Okay, thanks. I had no idea that this couldn't be baked in a regular pan, so that helps. I will get a basket when I'm out and give it another try. It's coming along nicely, and as you say, you need to work with the dough (adding ever so little flour along the way) until it's not sticking. That way you won't add too much four, which I have done in past and it's often not fix-able. It definitely gets better and easier as I keep working on it.

Is it possible to make a regular loaf of bread with this recipe instead of the baguette?

What I thought was initially good bread, was, in fact, Not. I guess I have low standards (as well as my family and friends). BUT, I have continued making the bread, testing yeast when I thought that was the problem, and eventually I am improving my skills and beginning to know what to look for. I have also realized that my bread knife is dull and that may be contributing to the problem of 'low loaves' so I am going to invest in a new one. My bread seems to rise much more slowly than the guidelines suggest and I am just going to wait longer in the future. Another thing - I made TWO loaves tonight to see how different techniques would affect them and although one tested over 200 internally, it had a very soft crust - the other one was nice and crunchy. I guess I need to judge more by the color than just temperature. Anyway, the house smells lovely and we do eat the bread, regardless. And I believe that going through a bit of flour is a very inexpensive way to continue honing my craft.

That makes me feel better and I will try the tea towel next time. But, you are right, it's fun to just keep trying to get better and it isn't going to all happen at once. My family love the bread (no matter what it looks like) and I am happy to slowly improve. It's also nice hearing from others who are having small challenges. If they could sell air freshener that smelled like my kitchen does right now, it would be a winner!

I just made a half batch of the sauce and used grapeseed oil instead of the olive (same containers, not paying attention) and it's still good, but I will have to try it again. And BTW those special canned tomatoes are becoming hard to find. I heard there was a problem with last year's crop and there will be a shortage - Bosa's had NONE, so if you see them, grab some.

This one was a bit better, but it still doesn't rise very quickly for me (I believe I haven't been waiting for the yeast to thoroughly dissolve - so will test that theory). And it seems that no matter how much flour I put on the shaped loaf, the plastic always sticks to the sides and it's difficult to remove. Can I just go with the tea towel, or will that stick as well? It's hard to get flour to stay on the sides of the loaf, so not sure what would be best. Even if it isn't as large a loaf as I would like, it's wonderful!

Today I made my first loaf of this lovely bread. I used the laptop to stop/start instructions and replay if I couldn't remember something. It was so easy to follow, but there are a lot of steps so makes it nice to do it in small bites. It's nice that you encourage us through the process because this DOES take practice but I felt very confident working my way through the steps (and it will be even better next time/tomorrow). I was thrilled with the baguette (and so were my guests) but it was not as big as I thought it should be (perhaps I didn't allow it to rise enough?), but the flavour was lovely. I could honestly have saved myself over a hundred dollars on the 4-hour bread course I took a month ago. Your method is WAY, WAY easier to learn as you have all the verbal, visual and written instructions to fall back on. I can't remember much from the class I took. Gone forever. But not with this Rouxbe course - I will just continue to retry and remake this bread until it improves even more, but I am so pleased with myself and have you to thank for this and future successes!!! THis course is extremely well done!!! AWESOME camera work to SHOW us what should be happening and even when something is NOT right...

WOW, What an impressive lesson THIS is.

After many efforts to make good bread, taking expensive baking classes and ending up with some really good and pretty awful results, I will take the laptop into the kitchen and give this a try. Your instructions and examples look great - terribly difficult to get this type of information from a book or pictures. I will keep you posted. Thanks.

We had this with friends tonight, before watching the movie, and it was really excellent. I shied away from the hot peppers and used 2 jalapenos w/o seeds and there was actually no heat at all; I will increase it next time. The spice grinding was a chore as I had a crummny grinder and it NEVER did get them all ground properly, but thankfully they softened with the cooking. BE CAREFUL with the annatto seeds as it dyes everythng it comes in contact with. But all said, this was an lmemorable meal and with no stress on the cook the day of serving. Everybody LOVED IT as well as the extra charm thanks to the movie and Robert Rodruigez's comments. This was an Academy winner in my kitchen!

Hi: I was looking into a torch for this dessert and came across this:

The thing you do NOT want (and probably won't get if you don't go looking for
it) is MAPP gas, which is propane with rocket fuel added to it, burns at an
extremely high temperature, stinks real bad, is probably very bad for you, and
always comes in a yellow canister. It's also about 4x more expensive than propane
and has the word MAPP prominently on its label, so it's hard to go wrong.

If this is correct, I wouldn't think it's a very good idea for the home cook. Do you have an opinion on this? It was mentioned by Chris G.

Thanks.

Tried this tonight with great friends. AMAZING. Everybody loved it. I have to print the recipe for them now.... I just did the mushrooms and tossed it into some greens; nothing else and it was fabulous. What a great find; thanks so much for sharing.

I just made this (for about the 4th time) and I've almost perfected it, even though we always love it no matter what. With the five eggs it's enough for our breakfast and then cold for lunch. DELICIOUS. It's one of my "go to" recipes when I don't want to spend too much time deciding. Always a favourite. THANKS.

I just tried this, but was a bit nervous about putting 2 of each of the dried chilies in the soup, as I am still experimenting with the HEAT of these when cooked. I used only one of each and the soup was fairly bland, and I think maybe I had too much stock added; didn't measure. Anyway, with a bit of tweaking (more corn - the Mexican elote I bought was very woody - I will use canned next time as it's easier and more reliable) it is pretty good. The toppings and tortillas (I just use the bought ones) with crema really make it a meal. Will go 'full out' next time. Thanks.

I served these enchiladas last night and they were a huge hit. The salsa verde was simple to make and I will keep some on hand for dipping or anything else that needs a bit of a kick. But I did learn that if you overheat this dish (dinner was a bit late) the corn tortillas will dry out and stick to the bottom and become very tough; they only need gentle heating. The red rice was also excellent and I will make that again as well. Great entertaining food. THANKS.

I am now in Mexico and tomatillos are everywhere, so I shall make them as instructed, while I have the chance. Toss in some chips y salsa, a few margaritas and Ole!!!

Yikes, I thought I had heard it all, but HOPE that you meant Tabasco sauce, as I have Googled tobacco sauce and am pretty sure this isn't something one would want in their chili.

Other than that, this looks excellent and I will make it next group party, drop a lot of the stuff that I usually add and just go with this simple and delicious sounding recipe!!! Thanks.

I have been cooking eggs a very long time and just a while ago, stumbled on what I thought was the perfect way to cook hard boiled eggs (This was in a Martha Stewart book). The result is the same as yours, BUT you start with the eggs covered in COLD water, bring to a low boil/simmer, remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for TWELVE minutes, - same time as your instructions. They turn out perfectly. Either way, I never overcook or undercook any more.

The scrambled eggs are not how I have done them, but I will be following your instructions very soon. A few new techniques and we will be there. Thanks..

Wow, this is the best cornbread I've EVER made (or tasted). A huge hit, easy to make and the jalapeno was lovely (I did remove the seeds as I don't like the heat). Dill and cilantro - never added that before and it adds so much flavor. I also love that it makes a bit batch. It sure does make a wonderful meal alongside a bowl of chili. THANKS AGAIN.

I just had this on my salad for lunch and it's really wonderful and SO FRESH tasting. I normally dislike marmalade in anything, but this was really great with the mix of flavours. Too bad there isn't enough left over for a marinade. I will double this next time. Thanks!

I just RE-read my notes from the video and the internal temperature of my bird was correct at 180-185. Somehow I had the 160s in mind, so thankfully I was not relying on memory. It was perfect.