Recipe: Better French Bread Than Mine
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
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1. Toss everything in a huge bowl and stir it up a little. Flour is picky, so don't over-do it.
2. Measure out a cup of water. Add it about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring with a strong wooden spoon. Abandon the spoon and use your hands if you need to.
3. When the dough is moist but not sticky, stop adding water.
4. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rise for an hour.
5. Heat the oven to 375F with your new pizza stone from Williams Sonoma jauntily perched on the center rack.
6. With a knife, score the top of the bread. Make little grooves, or spell your name.
7. Cook it for about 20 minutes: and if you have an old, unreliable oven like mine, watch it like a hawk. When it's done, it will be golden on top and will sound hollow when you knock on it. Don't burn yourself doing this.
