French Bread (November at Maria's House)

This recipe is Marci Petersen's from the latest version of the Major Meadows Ward cookbook.

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil
6 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast.  (I use my Kitchen Aid.)  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour.  Stir vigorously.  Add remaining flour slowly as needed and mix well.  (You may or may not need all the flour.)  Let rest in bowl for 5 minutes.  Stir down.  Repeat this process two more times.  Place dough onto a floured board.  Knead only enough to coat dough with flour so it can be handled; divide in half.  Flatten out into rectangles, roll up from the long side.  Pinch seam to seal.   Arrange both loaves lengthwise on a large, well greased cookie sheet.  Place seam side down.  Let rise about 20-25 minutes until doubled in size.  Use a very sharp knife to gently make 3 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf.  Bake at 375 for 23-25 minutes.  Cool on racks.

Note:  If you want a crisper crust, you can use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water onto the loaves.  Also misting the sides of the oven with water will create steam which will help make the crust crustier.  You can also place an empty pan on the bottom shelf of the oven while the oven is preheating.  After adding the bread to the over, pour cold water into the hot pan on the bottom shelf.  Again, this will create steam which will make a crustier crust.