French Bread

Directions

1. 1
   Combine yeast and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl and let yeast dissolve. Add salt, the rest of the water and a splash of olive oil.
2. 2
   Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring in between additions. The dough will gradually stiffen and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
3. 3
   Once all of the flour has been added and the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes until it turns smooth and springy to the touch.
4. 4
   Wash out and butter the bowl you just used to mix the dough. Place the dough back inside it and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Set it in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size. Depending on the warmth of your kitchen it will take between 1-2 hours to rise.
5. 5
   Once the dough is done rising, take it out of the bowl, punch it down and cut the dough into two equal halves. Preheat oven to 350 F.
6. 6
   Now it's time to shape the loaves. I generally flatten the dough with a rolling pin till it's relatively even and then fold the long edges into each other. Flip it over so the smooth side is on top.
7. 7
   Place the loaves on a baking sheet, slash the tops of the loaves with a knife several times and spray with a fine mist of water.
8. 8
   Place in a 350 F oven and bake for 40 minutes.