French Loaves

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12-in.-long loaves.
4. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 450°. Sprinkle loaves with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.