It Looked A Mess!

I love French bread! It is crusty and flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. What’s not to love!

The dough is very thick and dry. It is hard to work with, which is probably why I have never tried French bread before.

It takes a massive amount of arm strength to knead this dough. And it takes at least 10 minutes to get it smooth. Honestly, I think I should have kneaded it a little longer.

My first rise didn’t show a lot of results. My second rise was a little more successful.

The loaves did not look nice. The flaky layers separated a bit too much.

I did bake the loaves with boiling water in a pan in the bottom of the oven. This gives the crustiness to the bread.

So the loaves were not pretty, but they tasted great. Very much the French baguette flavor I was looking for!

CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

1 Package Granular Yeast

1 Cup Lukewarm Water

2 Teaspoons Sugar

1 ½ Teaspoons Salt

1 Tablespoon Shortening

4 Cups Sifted All Purpose Flour

1 Egg White, Beaten

Soften yeast in ¼ cup of the water. Let stand 10 minutes. To the remaining water add sugar, salt, shortening, and 1 cup of the flour. Beat until very smooth. Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Thoroughly fold in egg white, then add flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to bring greased side up. Cover and let stand in a warm place for about 1 hour. Knead down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Form into a narrow rounded loaf about 14 inches long. Place on a greased baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Make diagonal cuts ever two inches across the top of the loaf. Brush loaf with a mixture of one beaten egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size. Bake loaf in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Place a shallow pan of boiling water on the floor of the oven to produce the crustiness on the loaf. After 10 minutes in the oven brush again with egg wash. After 20 minutes of baking, brush with egg wash.