French Bread 7/10
2 pkg dry active yeast
2 1/2 c warm water (105-115F)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter
6 1/2 - 7 c flour
1 1/2 tbsp cornmeal
1 tbsp cold water
makes 2 loaves

in a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water.  stir gently.  add the salt and butter.  stir in 2 1/2 c of the flour.  
mix at medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes until well blended.  blend in 1 more c of flour, and mix at high speed for 2 minutes, 
scraping the bowl from time to time.  the result will be a fairly sticky dough.  add enough of the remaining flour so that the dough becomes 
fairly stiff.  knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured board.  place the dough in a large greased bowl, turning it over once to grease 
the top.  cover with a cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled in size (approx 1 hr).  to tell whether it has
risen enough, press the tips of two fingers quickly into the dough (about 1/2 inch).  if the dents stay, the dough is ready to punch down.

punch the dough down and turn it out on a lightly floured board.  knead for a minute or two, then divide the doough in half.  
shape each half into a long tapered loaf.  butter a baking sheet and sprinkle the sheet with cornmeal.  place the loaves on the baking sheet 
or, if the sheet is not long enough, shape both into semicircles and place one inside the other.  cover loosely with a linen towel and set in 
a warm, draft free place.  allow the loaves to double in bulk (about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs).  Score the surfaces by making several diagonal cuts 1/4Ó 
deep with a sharp knife.  brush lightly with egg white moistened with 1 tbsp water.  preheat the oven to 400¼F.  Place a pan of hot water on 
the bottom of the oven and bake the bread until crusty and golden brown (approximately 55 minutes, actually less)  remove from the oven, slide 
bread from the baking sheet, and cool on wire rack.  serve warm as a hearty accompaniment to any soup.

Source:  I got this from my Mom who got it out of a cookbook but I forget which one.  I think maybe the James Beard cookbook.

Notes:  This is an absolutely delicious bread recipe.  There are two reasons why I marked it down.  First, it takes a long time and a lot of 
work and I've found I can get a comparable loaf out of my bread maker with about five minutes of work done on my part.  Second, calling it
French bread is a bit of a misnomer, as it's not really like any of the bread I got in France. It is, however, what many Americans would
recognize as French bread.