French Peasant Bread

This is an easy bread to make that goes well with soups. My kids love to make sandwiches with this bread as well. From Favorites...

1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

2 cups warm (almost hot) water

1 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 cups flour*

Non-stick cooking spray

Cornmeal

Melted butter

Place yeast, sugar and salt in a warm bowl (I use my bread mixer bowl) and stir until dissolved. Add flour and mix until just blended. Do not knead. *May need to add a bit more flour... the dough should not be too sticky. Cover and let rise until double in size (about 60-90 minutes). 

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. Flour hands and remove dough from bowl. Shape into 2 circles and place on prepared cookie sheet. Cover with a light cloth and let rise an additional 40-60 minutes.

When dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the tops of the loves with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm.