From Home Baked Memories
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Classic French Bread

did you know???
March 21st is National French Bread Day

1 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Cornmeal
Vegetable oil
1 white from large egg
1 tablespoon water

Add ¾ cup [1¼ cups] water, salt, bread flour, and yeast to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough/manual cycle.

When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface. If necessary, knead in enough flur to make dough easy to handle. Roll dough into a 15x10 inch rectangle. [For 1½ pound recipe, devide dough in half and roll each half into a 10x8 inch rectangle.]

Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as you do for a yelly roll. Pinch the seams and ends to seal. Taper ends by gently rolling back and forth.

Place each loaf, seam side down, on a greased baking or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly brush each loaf with the vegetable oil.

Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 10 to 15 minutes.

With a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about ¼ inch deep accross the top of each loaf.

Lightly beat egg white and 1 tablespoon water; brush some of the egg-white mixture over top of each loaf. This will give it the traditional 'shine' on the Classic French Bread(s).

Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Brush again with remaining egg white mixture. Bake 5 tp 10 minutes more or until done--bread should sound hollow when tapped. (For even browning when baking two loaves, switch positions of sheets halfway through baking). Remove the bread(s) from the sheet(s); cool on wire rack.