Crusty French Bread

By JanetLynn198

4.5 stars from 140 reviews
Use recipe for bread sticks. Brush with butter and sprinkle garlic powder on top before baking.
To make softer crust, cover with damp towel after baking. For a crispy crust, add a pan of water to the oven while baking.
Using a knife to slash bread (half way through) before baking will help it "pull apart"

Ingredients

• 1 (.25oz) pkg active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110F)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp cold water

Details

Servings 16
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 mins. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; return to bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 mins.

3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a loaf 16x2-1/2" with tapered ends. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaf on baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 mins.

4. Beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes 2" apart across top of loaf. Bake at 375F for 25-30 mins or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.