CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

This bread is great with spaghetti, lasagna or anything really. I like to make the dough in the bread machine and then shape it and bake on a stone.

Ingredients: water, olive oil, sugar, salt, egg, flour, yeast. And of course an assistant if you have one available.

Pour 1 1/2 cups water into breadmaker pan.

2 Tablespoons of oil

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

And one beaten egg. No picture for that but check out the video on Poyda Postings of Hannah beating the egg to the tune of Twinkle Little Star.

4 1/2 cups of flour, you may need to add another 1/2 cup or so if your dough is sticky

And finally 1 Tablespoon of yeast

Put the pan into the breadmaker and set on the dough setting. You'll have to watch it for about the first ten minutes and add flour if your dough is sticky.

The dough setting on my machine takes an hour and a half and this is what it looks like when I take it out.

Remove it from the pan and work it a little on the counter to get the air out

Now shape it into a long shape, this one is about 14 inches long and 4 inches wide. It could be longer but my baking stone isn't long enough

Place it on the baking stone or sheet.

Now we cover it with a preferably clean towel and let it rise until almost doubled in size. When the girls were little they always said the dough was sleeping and thats why I had to cover it.

Now beat an egg white and 1 tsp of cold water

Spread this over the dough. This is what gives it a nice gloss and crunchy crust.

Get yourself a nice serrated edge knife

And make diagonal cuts across the top. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Yummy!!!!!!!!!!

CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

1 1/2 cups water

2 T olive oil

2 T sugar

2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

4 1/2 - 5 cups flour

1 T yeast

Put ingredients into breadmaker in order given. Set to dough setting. Remove dough and shape into long loaf. Let rise until doubled. Brush dough with a beaten egg white and 1 tsp cold water. Make diagonal slices across top of loaf. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. John 6:9