French Bread

I love homemade bread or rolls with soup or stew when the weather is cool. I usually make this into hard rolls topped with poppy seeds rather than loaves--or sometimes I make it into bread sticks. Bread lovers--enjoy!

7 - 7-1/4 cups flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tlbs sugar
1 tbls salt
1 tbls cooking oil
2-1/2 cups warm water
yellow cornmeal
1 egg white

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (follow temperature instructions on yeast package). Add sugar, salt, oil and remaining water. Mix in about 4 cups of the flour, and continue adding flour until dough can be turned out onto floured board or cloth and kneaded. Knead, adding flour as needed, until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes). Let rise until double in size. Punch down and divide into four parts. Cover and let rise 10 minutes. Roll each part in a 12x8 inch rectangle. Roll into loaves and taper ends. Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Gash tops of loaves 1/2 -- 1/4 inch deep every 2-1/2 inches.

Beat egg white till foamy. Add 1 tbls water. Brush tops and sides of loaves. Let rise. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Brush again and bake 20 minutes longer.

Barb