Italian Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
6 -7 cups flour

Preparation

Preheat oven 375\u00b0F
Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of water; let stand for five minutes. Dissolve salt in 2 cups of water. Put 5 cups of flour in a large bowl, add liquids; mix well. Add remaining flour to make a workable dough. Knead on a lightly floured board for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise until it doubles in bulk.
Punch dough down and knead again for five minutes. Divide dough into two balls, return to greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. Separate pieces of dough and roll each into an oblong shape.
Sprinkle cornmeal onto baking stone. Place the two loaves on the stone. Cover lightly and allow to rise until doubles. Brush tops with melted butter. Make one long slash about one inch deep and almost the entire length of each loaf.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.