Frank's Recipes! French Bread 2

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French Bread 2

1 envelope dry yeast
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
6 1/4 cups flour (approx)
2 tablespoon salad oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
Cornmeal

Four loaves, 12" long by 3 or 4 inches wide. To bake all at once, you need two 3- quart cookers. Or make the dough, let it rise, punch it down and refrigerate half of it until the next day.

Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup of the lukewarm water. Stir in 3/4 cup of the four. Mix well to form a ball. Immerse the ball in the remaining lukewarm water. Let it stand until it rises to the surface and is light. This will take from 15 to 20 minutes. In a large bowl, put 4 1/2 cups of flour, the oil and salt. Add the yeast and lukewarm water mixture and mix well. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board for 8 to 10 minutes, adding up to 1 more cup of flour as needed. Place the dough in a deep, oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise in warm place until doubled in bulk. Prepare a glaze by mixing the cornstarch with the cold water. Add it to the boiling water, stirring constantly, and cook it until it is smooth.

Cool it to room temperature. Punch down the dough and divide in into quarters (OR see instructions above re saving half). Roll each piece into a rectangle, then roll it tightly into a long roll to fit the bottom of the clay pot. Pinch the ends and turn them under to seal them. Make diagonal cuts 1/4 inch deep along the top of the bread. Brush the loaves with the cornstarch glaze.

Soak the clay pot accordingly to manufacturer's instructions. Oil a strip of foil to fit the bottom of the clay pot and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Place the roll or rolls of dough in the pot or pots. Two narrow loaves can be baked side by side. Cover them with a damp cloth and let them rise until doubled - about 20 to 30 minutes. Brush them again with the cornstarch glaze. Put the cover on the pot and place in a cold oven. Set the temp at 450 and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer, if necessary to brown the crust. When baking a single loaf in a small clay pot, check the loaf at the end of 30 minutes.