Vera's Recipes

Breads

French Bread

Breads
6 ingredients
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Ingredients

  • 1 pkg yeast
  • 1½ cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 cup sifted flour
  • corn meal

Method

  1. To make the dough: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water; stir in the sugar and salt. Sift the flour and measure into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour; add the liquid all at once. Stir until well mixed, using your hands to complete mixing; do not knead (the dough will be slightly sticky). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  2. To shape: Punch down the dough. Turn out on a lightly floured board. Divide in two equal parts. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll each portion into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Starting at one long end, roll up and pinch along the edge to seal the seam. Shape the loaf by rolling the ends back and forth under your palms until the ends are tapered and the loaf is about 18 inches long.
  3. Place the loaves on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. With a sharply pointed knife, cut diagonal slashes about 2 inches apart across the tops. Do not cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
  4. To bake: Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Lightly brush the loaves with cold water. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Again brush the loaves with water; reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the loaves quickly to give a crackly crust.

Notes

Yield: 2 loaves.

Original card

The recipe above was transcribed from this scan of Vera’s original card.