Follow the recipe below to build a delicious foundation for your perfect picnic sandwich.
French Bread
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees F)
2 envelopes Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon Mazola Corn Oil
2 teaspoons salt
5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Directions
Place water in large, warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in oil, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about six to eight minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. On floured surface, divide dough in half; roll to 15x10-inch ovals. Roll up from long ends to make loaves. Pinch seams and ends to seal; taper ends.
Place, seam sides down, on large greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Brush with egg white mixture. With a sharp knife, make four or five diagonal cuts (1/4-inch deep), on top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 25 minutes, or until done. For crispier crusts, brush two more times with egg white mixture, after 15 and 20 minutes of baking time. Remove from sheet and cool on wire rack.