In a large ungreased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together.
Pour in the water and gently mix with a wooden spoon. If the dough seems too loose, add another ¼ cup of bread flour and stir to combine. Use your hands if needed to form a loose ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature 2-3 hours or until the dough doubles in size.
The dough will be sticky, and a lot of air bubbles will be present.
The dough can be stored in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerated overnight if you have time, or it can be baked the same day. Tip: If you plan to refrigerate the dough overnight, it will need to come to room temperature before use.
Turn the dough out onto a clean and lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough in half and roll each half into an 18” long baguette. You do not need to work or “knead” the dough, just shape it into baguettes.
Dust a sheet pan with flour and place the two baguettes onto the sheet pan 4” apart.
Use a little more flour to sprinkle over the two loaves, and let the dough rest for 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and arrange the baking rack so the baking sheet will be in the middle of the oven.
After 60 minutes of the dough resting, if desired, use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to make 3 diagonal cuts on the top of the loaf. We cut one of our loaves, and the other we did not.
Place the loaves in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove the loaves from the oven and tap them; they should sound hollow, indicating that the bread is done. If you have an instant-read thermometer, a reading of 190°F is the temperature for cooked bread.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.