Granddad's Super-Tasty French bread
(If you want the special secret ingredients, you gotta buy the recipe,
but these are mighty good)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Pkg yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
about 1 1/2 cups water
'Bloom' your
yeast by stirring it into a cup of warm (no warmer than 110degrees!) water with
1/2 tsp of sugar and setting it aside. When it is frothy, it is awake.
Sift
the flour with the salt into a bowl. Add the yeast/water mixture and
enough water to make a smooth, medium-soft dough. Turn it out onto a
lightly-floured board and knead it well. I usually flatten it, fold it
into thirds, and flatten it again several times. This is to develop the
gluten, which makes the bread crusty and chewy.
Oil a clean bowl lightly, and put the dough in, covering it with
a piece of plastic wrap. Allow to rise until at least double in bulk.
Turn out onto the floured board again and knead it as before. Separate the
dough into 2 or 3 equal parts.
