1 hour French Bread

http://keephomesimple.blogspot.com/2010/05/quick-french-bread.html
I love fresh bread hot from the oven. However until I got this recipe from my friend Kim, I rarely made homemade bread because it just took too long. I didn't have the patience to wait for hours while it raised. This Quick French Bread recipe takes just a little over an hour from start to finish! An hour! I have an hour!

The ingredients are basic and simple too. Here they are:

2 1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 T. Yeast
2 T. Sugar
1 t. Salt
3 T. Oil
5 1/2 -6 Cups Flour

First: Add yeast and then sprinkle the sugar over the 2 1/2 cups of water. Let it sit for about five minutes until you see the yeast get all bubbly on top.

Next: Stir in the salt, oil, and flour.

Then: Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and pulls away from the bowl like this...

Then cover your bowl with a warm wet towel and let the dough sit for about 15 minutes.
**Update: Tip - turn your microwave on for two minutes and set your bowl of bread dough in the warm microwave for the 15 minutes. This warm envirmonment makes the bread rise a lot faster.

Next, divide the dough into two long loaves (rolling like a jelly roll and tucking in the ends). Place both loaves side by side on a greased cookie sheet. Then take a knife and slash the tops of each loaf diagonally. Allow the loaves to sit for a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 375. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.


Yum! It's soft in the middle and slightly crunchy on the outside.
{...and in real life it turned out a lot more brown than it shows in the picture below.}
**Optional: For an extra cruchy crust, mix together one egg white with 1 T. cold water and brush on cooked bread and cook for another 3 minutes.


*This would also make a great neighbor gift if you wrapped it up all nice and warm and included the recipe with it, written on a cute tag.