Meline: I went to ten different bakeries to determine who has the best baguettes in New York City. I was looking for a baguette with a crunchy, crusty exterior ... but Bread Story was my favorite.

Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Picture a bowl of soup or a salad without a slice of crusty bread to go with it. Worse still ...