INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

In large bowl of electric mixer, dissolve yeast in 2-1/2 c  water. Add
2-1/2 to 3 c flour; stir 1 minute. Batter will have consistency of
soft pudding.  Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm
place, free  from drafts, overnight or at least 8 hours. The longer the
sponge  ferments, the better the flavor will be.  The next day, stir in
salt and 1 to 1-1/2 c  of remaining flour. Beat  at medium speed with
electric mixer 6 minutes, or beat 600 vigorous  strokes by hand. Stir
in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Turn out dough onto a
lightly floured surface. Clean and lightly flour  bowl. Knead dough 15
to 20 minutes or until smooth, elastic, and no  longer sticky.  Place
dough in floured bowl. Dust surface lightly with flour; cover  with a
slightly damp towel. Let rise in a warm place, free from  drafts, until
tripled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.  Grease 2 large baking sheets or 4
French-bread pans.  Punch down dough. Knead 2 minutes. Cover and let
rest 10 minutes.  For oblong loaves, divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces,
depending on  desired thickness of loaves.  On a lightly floured
surface, shape each piece into a smooth log,  gently tapering ends. For
round loaves, divide dough in half. Shape  each half into a smooth
ball.  Place shaped dough on prepared baking sheets. Cover with a dry
towel.  Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  Adjust oven
racks to 2 lowest positions. Place a shallow roasting pan  on lowest
shelf; pour in 2 c boiling water.  Preheat oven 15 minutes to
425-degrees.  Slash tops of oblong loaves with 5 diagonal slashes each.
Slash tops  of each round loaf with 3 horizontal slashes and 3 vertical
slashes  in a tic-tac-toe design.  Brush loaves with cold water.  Bake
15 minutes.  Brush loaves with egg-white glaze; bake 10 minutes longer.
Brush again with egg-white glaze. Remove roasting pan from oven.  Bake
loaves 10 to 15 minutes longer, for a total of 35 to 40 minutes,  or
until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.  Remove from pans;
place loaves directly on oven rack.  Bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on
racks. Makes 2 to 4 loaves.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster
collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 3787
Calories From Fat: 158
Total Fat: 18.9g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 7009.2mg
Potassium: 1258.1mg
Carbohydrates: 755.1g
Fiber: 31.1g
Sugar: 3.2g
Protein: 132.8g