Recipes on a Budget: Fabulous French Bread

I love the smell of bread hot out of the oven.  Yum...my mouth waters just thinking of it!  I've always been afraid to make bread.  I don't really know why, it just always seemed hard!  When I found this recipe my mind was quickly changed.  Could it really be this easy to make French Bread??  Why yes my friends, it is.  I got this recipe from my wonderful neighbor Lisa G.  She is a cooking teacher at a local high school.  No wonder it's so good!  My husband who is not a "bread" person, could down almost a 1/2 loaf in no time!  For all of you who think making bread is so hard, give this a try maybe your mind will be changed, just as mine was.  Enjoy!

Fabulous French Bread
 Makes 2 large loaves or 4 small loaves
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbs. yeast
1/2 cup warm water (just warm out of the tap)
2 cups hot water (don't need to heat it up, just get the hottest water from your tap)
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
1/3 cup oil
6 cups flour (divided)
1 Egg White
Cornmeal (optional)
Sesame Seeds (optional)

Directions

1.  Dissolve in small bowl: yeast and warm water.  Make sure the yeast is growing or bubbling, that means it's alive and working :)
   
   2.  Combine in another mixing bowl: hot water, sugar, salt, oil & 3 cups flour.
   3.  Mix for a few seconds to get moist.
   4.  Add #1 (yeast mixture) into #2 (mixing bowl).
   5.  Add 3 more cups flour (six cups total).
   6.  Mix for a couple minutes.  If it looks a little sticky then add a little more flour.  As seen below, I should add a little more flour.
   
   7.  After you mix it cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Ta Da!  Isn't yeast amazing!
   
   8.  Turn out onto a board or counter, knead to get the bubbles out
   
   9.  Shape into a jelly roll style (2 large loaves or 4 small loaves)- if you have a french bread pan, then of course use that.  I don't, so I just play with it for a bit and it will form.  I put quite a bit of flour on my hands to keep the dough from sticking to me.
   
   10.  Sprinkle cornmeal onto a cookie sheet and then set dough on sheet.
   11.  Use a knife to make diagonal slices across the top of the loaves.
   
   12.  Whip 1 egg white and brush on the loaves, sprinkle with sesame seeds
   13.  Let rise again until double- about 25-30 minutes.  If it spreads out, then re-shape it so it's back in a nice bread form.
   14.  Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes, less for smaller loaves
   

EAT IT UP!!