It is honestly not difficult. It really isn't.

Some recipes make it more difficult than it should be. This one is simple and produces very good baguette, and requires no special ingredients. You can cut the ingredients in half to make just one, and it's only a few minutes of kneading.

(And even less of punching. The punching is only to knock the first rise of yeast down before shaping the bread before letting it rise a second time.)

Try it!