French Bread

 by Diana

1 pkg dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp)

1 ½ c warm water

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

4 ½ c sifted flour

Cornmeal

Yield: 2 loaves

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, and add the flour all at once. Stir hard with a wooden spoon to mix well (it will be stiff and sticky).

Let rise, covered with a damp cloth, in a bowl, in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Turn the raised dough out onto a floured surface, and divide in two.

Roll and stretch one half of the dough into a rectangle, ~ 14” x 10”. Starting at one long edge, roll up the dough, pinching the edges to seal. Roll ends back and forth with your hands until the ends are pointed and the loaf is about 18” long. Place on a greased large cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Slash the top of the loaf several times, cover and let rise for approximately 1 hour. Brush lightly with water and place in a preheated 425 deg F oven for 10 minutes. Brush the loaves again with water and reduce the oven heat to 325 deg F for 40 minutes or until golden brown.