French Bread

Directions

1. 1
   1. Combine bread flour, all purpose, and salt in food processor work bowl fitted with the plastic bread dough blade. Do not sift the flour.
2. 2
   2. Combine 1/4 cup warm water with the sugar and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.
3. 3
   3. When yeast is foamy, turn on the machine and add gradually through feed tube. Pour remaining water through the feed tube in a slow steady stream.
4. 4
   4. Add only enough water so that the dough clings to the side of the work bowl.
5. 5
   5. When the dough is in one mass and not sticking to the side of the bowl, process for 60 seconds. This is where the beauty of the food processor really comes in as this would be many many minutes worth of hand kneading!
6. 6
   6. Remove dough from the work bowl and place it in a floured plastic bag. Seal bag removing all air and put it in a warm place to rise until doubled. This will take 1-1 1/2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
7. 7
   7. Punch down. At this time, you can store the bread in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are ready to use it, take out of the fridge and let rest for about 2 hours, then form into loaves and finish the recipe as is.
8. 8
   8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees using a baking stone. Believe it or not, I like to preheat for about 15 minutes, this gets the stone really hot and your bread is of superior quality and crispness!
9. 9
   9. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape into baguettes. Do not forget to pinch the final seam so to keep the loaf closed. Wrap each loaf in a floured kitchen towel and let rise 25-30 minutes or until doubled. They are properly risen when you can put 2 fingers into the risen loaves and the holes stay.
10. 10
    10. Brush with a beaten egg and slash the top with a serrated knife.
11. 11
    11. Bake for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!