French Bread

With the weather turning cooler for a lot of you, I thought I would share a recipe with you that my friend Shara gave me, in a cookbook that she made up for her friends and family.

I love this recipe for its simplicity and ease of preparation. And, if you are one of those girls who has always been intimidated by baking a yeast bread, then this a perfect place for you to start!

French Bread

2 cups of very warm water
1 Tbsp of sugar
5 1/2 cups of flour
1 pkg or 1 Tbsp of yeast
2 tsp of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in your mixer using the dough hook. You want to mix it until your dough is soft, not sticky and not tough. Spray a little cooking spray on your hands and form into a ball. Place into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double. After the bread is done rising, punch down and shape into two loaves. Place loaves on an oiled baking sheet. Let rise again until double and then bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. I use my baking stone and this bread comes out perfect every time. After you take the bread out of the oven, you can brush with egg white and water and pop back in the oven for that shiny, crusty texture that you would see in a bakery or you can brush the top with butter, slice and serve.

Yummy

And the best part is that you are not looking for perfection in the shape, size and look of this bread. You want it to look rustic. ;o)

I love to make and freeze this bread and give with a meal to others or I bake this bread to eat with a hearty soup or pasta dish and then use the leftovers for making french bread pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches.

I am sharing this recipe with
Tasty Tuesday
AP Tuesday
Raising Homemakers
Life as Mom: Recipe Swap
4 Moms Recipe Swap