French Loaves

This is a recipe i found in a Taste of Home magazine. Is one of the fastest recipes i have so far. I love eating it with soups and stews!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon cornmeal

Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolveyeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic( i usually use my kitchen aid), about 6-8 minutes. Place in a grease bowl, turning once to grease the top. Coverand let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12 inch long loaves.
• Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. sprinkle with cornmeal.
• With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across the top of each loaf.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown( i also spray the inside of the oven with water several times to get really crispy crust).
• Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each)

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