French Bread* - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 pkg. quick acting yeast
4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 c. lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. sugar

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water.
While yeast softens, sift flour, salt and sugar together in large bowl.
Stir in the dissolved yeast.
Add just enough of the second cup of lukewarm water to make a soft, rather sticky dough.
Cover and place bowl in warm place to rise, at least double in size.
This will take 2 to 4 hours depending on the warmth of the kitchen.
When dough is high and spongy, punch it down and beat well with your hand. Divide bread into 2 parts and place each in a 6-inch greased round baking dish.
Cover and allow to rise until it reaches top of bowl.
Brush with melted butter to give flavor to crust and place in preheated oven (400\u00b0).
Bake for 1 hour.