Serving Up {Bread}: French Bread

I'll warn you right now that this recipe is rather dangerous to have lurking around.  It's dangerous because it's delicious, it's easy and it comes together in about an hour.  The fact that you will never again be more than an hour away from fresh, hot baked French Bread could do a number on you if you are at all opposed to carbs.  Luckily I'm not.  Nor am I opposed to a thick slab of butter.  As a result, we see this recipe on our dinner table quite often.  It's perfect when paired with a bowl of hot soup in the winter or a fresh cool salad in the summer.

The recipe, as written, makes two loaves.  Since the size of our family doesn't warrant two loaves every time that we make this, I will frequently turn one of the loaves into a cinnamon loaf and use if for French Toast the following morning.  Yum!

(The cinnamon swirl version)

FRENCH BREAD     Pin It
(recipe from Ally F.)
printable version

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs. yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups flour
(1 egg white, beaten)

In a large mixing bowl, fitted with dough hooks, dissolve your yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Add the flour and salt and combine.  Let the dough rise 15 minutes.
Divide the dough in half and roll out on a floured surface.  Roll the dough up to create a long French loaf.  Place on a greased baking pan and repeat for the remaining dough.
Make 6 slits on top of each loaf and spread with egg white.
Let the loaves rise 15 minutes.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.