Tricia's Week 45 recipe: French Bread

I love to make homemade bread, but had never tried one of the 'artisan breads'...not that French bread is, but it's not in a loaf pan!  So I pulled up a recipe in my book, and got to work.

French Bread
2 packets yeast
2.5 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp butter, melted
7 cups flour

Heat water to 105-110 degrees F.  Disolve yeast in water.  Add water, salt, and melted butter to the mixing bowl.  Add flour.  Put on kitchen-aid mixer.  Mix on speed two until fully mixed, and then knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes.  Rise 1 hour.  Split in half and roll into two loaves about 15" long.  Place these on cookie sheet and rise one more hour.  Bake in oven for 25 minutes at 450.  Take out of oven.  glaze with mixture of 1 egg white and 1 tbsp cold water.  Bake 5 more minutes.  Cool

I will definitely make this again, and I have since I made it in week 45. My change included making three loaves instead of 2, because with only two they are huge!  Yum!