French Bread

I made the easiest and best French bread loaf last night. Thanks to this awesome recipe by Liz Langston

I cut the recipe in 1/2 since I only needed one loaf. I also added garlic powder and mozzarella cheese before I rolled it up to make it a garlic cheese loaf.

 It was fantastic.  

Excuse the condition of my pan.  It's a oldie but a goody that I stole borrowed from my Mom a long time ago...

Here is the recipe I cut in half to make one loaf

Ingredients

·         1 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

·         1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

·         1 cups water

·         3 cups bread flour

·         1/2 tablespoon salt

·         1/2 tablespoon white sugar

·         2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 tablespoons cornmeal (I did not have any so I just dusted the pan with flour)

·         1 egg white, beaten

·         1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1.     In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2.     In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with 1 cups water, 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, sugar and vegetable oil; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3.     Divide dough half. Roll each half into a 9 x 12 rectangle and roll up jelly roll style, starting at long edge. Seal edges and place seam side down on a large baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

4.     Use a sharp knife to slash each loaf diagonally 3 times. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes (I was so excited I forgot this step and it still turned out great). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

5.     Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes (Mine only took 25 minutes), or until golden brown.

- Jenny@flutterbyechronicles