Mrs. GearyS French Bread - 1952 - acting dry yeast

Method

• Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water.
• While yeast softens, sift flour, sugar and salt together into a large bowl. Stir in the dissolved yeast. Add just enough of the second cup of water to hold dough together.
• Mix until you have a soft, rather sticky dough.
• Cover with a clean cloth and set bowl in a warm spot.
• Let rise until double in size. This takes 2 to 4 hours depending on warmth of your kitchen.
• When dough is high and spongy, punch it down with your fist and give it a good sound beating with your hand.
• Divide bread dough into 2 parts and place each in a greased round baking dish.
• Cover and let rise again until it reaches top of bowl. At this point, start your oven at 400°.
• Brush top of bread with melted butter and bake 1 hour. Bread is finished when you tap the top and it sounds hollow.