Classic French Bread

Categories: bread, breadmaker

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 tsp. yeast
• cornmeal
• vegetable oil
• 1 white of large egg
• 1 tbsp. water

Directions

1. Add 1 1/4 cups water, salt, bread flour, and yeast to bread machine pan in order recommended. Select dough/manual cycle.

2. When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface. If necessary knead in enough flour to make dough easy to handle. Divide dough in half and roll each piece into a 10×8 inch rectangle.

3. Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal.Taper ends by gently rolling back and forth. Place each loaf, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal.

4. Lightly brush each loaf with oil. Cover and let rise in warm, draft free place until almost doubled in size, 10-15 minutes. With a sharp knife make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of each loaf. Lightly beat egg white and 1 tbsp. water; brush some of the egg white mixture over the top of each loaf.

5. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

6. Brush again with remaining egg mixture.

7. Bake 5-10 minutes more or until done-bread should sound hollow when tapped.

8. Cool on a wire rack.

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