French Bread

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup Boiling Water 
1/3 Warm Water
1 Cup Cold Water
1 TBLSP Active Dry Yeast
2 TBLSP Sugar
1 TBLSP Salt
1 TBLSP Butter
5 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour 
1 Egg
Salt to taste 
​Italian seasoning to taste 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
Sprinkle the active dry yeast into the warm water. 
Mix in the yeast until completely dissolved. 
In another bowl, mix the sugar, butter, and salt. 
Pour the Boiling Water over the sugar/butter mixture. 
Add in the cold water afterwards. 
Combine the yeast water mixture to the cold water/hot water mixture. 
Add at least 3 cups of all-purpose flour into the mixture. 
After stirring, mix in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour - dough will be nice and elastic. 
Once mixed, let the dough sit in a warm spot for five minutes. 
After the five minutes, place the dough on a cookie sheet or cutting board. 
Take a non-stick knife and cut the dough into 3 equal pieces and let the dough sit for another five minutes in a warm location. 
Begin shaping the dough. Put each piece of the dough into a rectangular shape - do not use a rolling pin. 
Fold one end of the dough over half of the dough. Then do the same thing with the other end. Then turn the dough over onto the cooking sheet so the folded side is facing the bottom. Shape the sides of the dough by tucking them under. 
Once this step has been complete for all three loaves, cut angled slits into the top of each loaf (about 1/2 inch). 
Whisk an egg in a bowl until frothed. Spread the egg mixture over the top of the bread making sure to get the mixture into the slits on the top. Sprinkle a bit of salt and italian seasoning on the top of the bread. You can also sprinkle cheese if you prefer. 
Place the loaves in the oven for about 15 minutes. This will get them to rise in warm heat. 
Leaving the loaves in oven, turn the oven up to 400 degrees after the 15 minutes. This time baking for approximately 16 minutes - until tops are golden and crisp. 
After this time, turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for 10 minutes. 
Remove the loaves, let cool and ENJOY! 

*This recipe makes three LARGE loaves of bread. I typically use two cooking sheets to cook the three loaves because they expand so much in the oven. It is enough to feed a large family and their friends. 



This recipe derived from Life in the lofthouse blog.