French Bread

[Deleted]

Genera note: Bread is very forgiving, as you'll note from the flexible directions below. Sometimes I let it rise 2 hours, sometimes 4. It depends on what else I have to do in the meantime! About the only ways you can really wreck it are using dead yeast or not letting it rise at all.
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Put 1 pkg of dry yeast in 2 cups of lukewarm water, stir and leave for 15 minutes to dissolve. It should have bubbles on the surface after 15 minutes (indicating that it's a good live yeast culture).

Stir in 1 T salt.

Add 6-8 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Beat with a wooden spoon or a mixer with a dough hook; use just enough to obtain a smooth dough. You can pretty much tell when it's got all the flour it needs; additional amounts just won't mix in!

Transfer to a floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it in a warm place (I always use my oven, not turned on) 2-4 hours.

Transfer to a lightly floured board and shape into 2 long loaves; let rise for 5 minutes. Score the tops in several places with a very sharp knife. Brush with water and place in a cold oven. Set a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven and set the oven to 400 degrees. Bake about 40 minutes, or till crusty and golden.

[Apple]

This sounds good! I'll see if I have time to try it out this weekend. Nothing beats homemade bread <<drool>>