French Bread

Methods/steps

pour warm water into a large bowl. sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved. blend in sugar, salt, and melted crisco. add 3 cups flour. beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. knead until smooth and elastic. shape into a ball.
place in a greased bowl and turn to grease top of dough. cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).
punch down dough. divide in half. roll each half on a lightly floured surface to form a 15- x 8-inch rectangle. roll up tightly as for a jelly roll. place loaves seam-side-down on a large greased cookie sheet; fold ends under.
with a sharp knife, slash dough diagonally down length of loaf at 1-inch intervals. brush with beaten egg white. let rise uncovered 20 minutes.
preheat oven to 400°F.
place a large shallow pan on lower oven rack and fill with boiling water. place bread on center rack.
bake at 400°F for 30 minutes or until golden. cool on racks.