As for baguettes, give the dough a heavier kneading and pan them directly, without a first rising, in one of these babies:
Diagonal-slice the tops, preheat the oven to 500 and voila!
I don't have one of these pans yet, but a restaurant supply house should have them for about $20.
Apricot preserves and creamery butter....
arrrrrlgh!
I've got one, but the pro ovens have steam injection. I can't do the thin crust in a conventional oven. Same recipe, same batch of dough, identical pans. Pro oven worked better for the baguettes. I did that for my paper in Baking.
You can also get a canvas and wood proofing pan that holds the round shape during proofing. That, I don't have.
/johnny