How to cook the perfect French bread

Ingredients

To carry out this bread recipe, you will need a package of active dry yeast, some eggs and some boiling water, regular sugar and salt, shortening and all-purpose flour cornmeal.

Once all the ingredients are gathered, you may need to set a bowl where to mix them as well a surface that will be covered by flour in order to work the piece.

Instructions

1. You will need to mix in a suitable bowl a couple of teaspoons salt and a single tablespoon sugar, dry yeast, 3 cups of flour adding at the same time the 2 cups of boiling water. Afterwards, mix it, blend it, stir it and beat it in order to avoid any clot to get a perfect French bread. Once this is done, you will have to shape it in a soft dough. After that, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise until it doubles its size. This part of the bread recipe will take about an hour-long.

2. In a floured surface, after the rising process finished, take the dough and cut it in two halves of approximately the same form. Let the pieces rest for ten minutes. Roll each half to a rectangular form and knead it at least for 9 minutes. When the dough becomes smooth and elastic, roll it up from the long side. You will need to seal it by moistening the edges with water.

3. In a previously greased large baking sheet, you will place the dough after sprinkling it with cornmeal. Place the stiff dough loaves down sided. Use an egg and water to get egg white mixture to brush it all over.

The finishing touches

Use a well sharped knife to make four or five cuts all across the top of each loaf of French bread. Bake it at 395º-400º for about 20 minutes. Check the top of the bread again and add the egg mixture before placing it again in the oven for about 20 more minutes. By doing this last process you grant a crusty finish for your French bread.