Recipe - New Orleans French Bread

2 Envelopes dry yeast
2 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Salt
2 One half cup Warm water (105 115 F)
7 cup Bread flour
1 Egg white beaten with 1 tsp
water (glaze)

Makes 4 loaves

Sprinkle yeast, sugar and salt over water in large bowl; let stand until
dissolved. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy and proofed, abut 10
minutes.

Add 5 cups flour to yeast mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir in another
1 cup flour. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface. Knead in
remaining 1 cup flour. Continue kneading until dough is very smooth and
elastic, about 10 minutes.

Butter large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. Cover and
let rise in warm draftfree area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.

Generously butter four 18inch baguette pans. Knead dough 3 to 4 times.
Divide evenly into 4 pieces. Roll 1 piece into 7x15inch oblong. Roll up
as for jelly roll. Set seam side down in 1 prepared pan. Repeat with
remaining pieces. Using razor blade, make three to four 3/8inchdeep
slashes atop each loaf. Brush each with glaze. Let stand in warm
draftfree area until dough rises to top of pans, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Bake loaves 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to
350 F. Continue baking until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom,
about 30 minutes. Remove from pans. Serve immediately. (Can be prepared 3
months ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in foil and freeze. Rewarm in 350 F
oven for about 20 minutes.)

Bon Appetit