French Bread
4.5
Ingredients
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 165 min
Instructions
- 1 Gather all ingredients.
- 2 Grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.
- 3 Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in 2 cups warm water; beat with the dough hook attachment until blended. Continue adding remaining flour, a little at a time, until incorporated.
- 4 Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn once.
- 5 Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- 6 Punch dough down and divide in half.
- 7 Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- 8 Roll each half into a large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
- 9 Place loaves, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- 10 Lightly beat egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush over loaves.
- 11 Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- 12 Use a sharp knife to make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts, about 1/4-inch deep, across top of each loaf.
- 13 Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- 14 Brush loaves with egg white mixture.
- 15 Continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190 degrees F (88 degrees C) or loaves sound hollow when tapped, 15 to 20 minutes more. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.
- 16 Remove loaves from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
By Jenn Hall