Mrs. Geary'S French Bread - 1952 - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 pkg. quick acting dry yeast
2 c. lukewarm water
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
small amount melted butter

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water.
While yeast softens, sift flour, sugar and salt together into a large bowl. Stir in the dissolved yeast. Add just enough of the second cup of water to hold dough together.
Mix until you have a soft, rather sticky dough.
Cover with a clean cloth and set bowl in a warm spot.
Let rise until double in size. This takes 2 to 4 hours depending on warmth of your kitchen.
When dough is high and spongy, punch it down with your fist and give it a good sound beating with your hand.
Divide bread dough into 2 parts and place each in a greased round baking dish.
Cover and let rise again until it reaches top of bowl. At this point, start your oven at 400\u00b0.
Brush top of bread with melted butter and bake 1 hour. Bread is finished when you tap the top and it sounds hollow.