French Loaves

I didn't think to take a picture of this until we'd already eaten half of it, but I guess that says how yummy this hot fresh bread was! It reminds me a lot of the English muffin bread my Mom made us as kids. It's pretty quick for yeast bread and makes two loaves. One for you and one for a neighbor! :)

Ingredients:
2Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2tsp. salt
1tsp sugar
4.5-5 cups bread flour
1tsp cornmeal

Directions:
In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly flour surface; divide in half. Shape into 12-in long loaves.

Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.