It’s difficult to appreciate something as humble as a loaf of bread--the transformative powers of yeast, the unequivocal and even legal necessity of proper kneading--without having tried to bake one yourself. So while artist Matt Cruickshank sketched today’s Doodle, we tried. A lot.

There's nothing quite like freshly baked bread. Its magic transcends the sum of its parts: the crunch of the crust, the spring of the crumb; the way its scent suffuses the air with warmth.

I've baked sporadically since I first tried the bread recipe in a cookbook my aunt gave me when I was a child, and my love of bread and baking was nurtured by my father's delicious weekend breads. When I joined the doodle team last year, I hadn't baked in a while, but in short order discovered that several of my teammates were active bakers. There were often fresh baked treats passed around at our Tuesday morning brainstorming sessions, and, my interest rekindled, I began taking to the oven regularly.

After several months, I had yet to attempt the true test of a baker's skill: the baguette. I went to work, researching recipes and techniques, poring over pictures, visiting local bakeries, and trying my hand every weekend. I baked baguettes until I had no room left to store them.

The perfect baguette--if it exists--is elusive, and the French bakers capable of producing anything close are true artisans. To celebrate the French government’s 1993 décret pain, we offer a look into our enthusiastic, sometimes moderately successful, often mutated attempts at proper French bread.

Jonathan Shneier, Doodle Engineer and Baker in Residence

The rise

Stretching and folding

Nope

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