Sadly there is nothing "authentic" about this recipe, as not only has the author added extra ingredients which are legally excluded in France, but has omitted the essential steps in creating the dough. Much more time is required to knead the dough and to let it rise under a humid cloth. Preparation time can be from a couple of hours to a couple of days, depending on the quality of bread that is desired.

I was sadly disappointed with this recipe. French law dictates exactly what ingredients go into "authentic" recipes, and the ingredients called for in this recipe don't come close to being authentic. Another major difference in this recipe as opposed to the authentic recipe is the flour itself. The flour we use in the U.S has been stripped of it's bran during the milling process whereas in most parts of Europe, the bran is processed with the rest of the flour. Anybody who has eaten bread from France, Germany and many other parts of Europe will notice a major difference right off the bat. If possible, try to obtain your flour from a small mill that grinds it's own flour, and make sure they understand you are looking for the bran to be included in the unbleached "whole grain" flour. Steam in the oven during baking also adds a crispier crust if that is what you desire.
Remember the old adage; "trash in, trash out" .

For comparison, you must have an authentic recipe yourself? If you do have a better recipe, then don't stand on your laurels and submit it here so all of us can be the judge of how much better your recipe is. This would be more constructive than your post that isn't very helpful to me.

I've tried this method and found it to be quite good. Was it authentic? No, but who cares, good is good.

Delicious and easy for a novice! I recommend cooking less than the 30 minutes. Spraying the loaves with water really helps give it the crusty outside.