Rosemary Onion French Bread

This bread recipe is by far the easiest I have ever seen or tried. I don't have a stand mixer or bread machine, so I don't even attempt recipes that call for a lot of kneading. If you don't care for rosemary or onion, substitute ANY dried herb or seasoning, even Ranch dressing mix works! The actual mixing takes less than 10 minutes, and before you know it your whole house smells wonderful.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 2 small baguettes

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 ounces fast rising yeast
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups  luke wam water
• 3  cups bread flour, sifted
• 2  teaspoons onion powder
• 1  teapsoon dried rosemary
•  cornmeal

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, salt, and water until yeast is dissolved.
2. Sift in the flour and onion powder. Add in the dried rosemary, crumbling it between your fingers to ensure pieces are fairly small.
3. Stir together as much as you can with a wooden spoon. The dough will look sort of stringy.
4. Knead in the bowl until the dough is fully incorporated (about 10-15 kneads will do the job).
5. Coat the dough with oil, cover with a damp dishtowel, and let rise on a warm spot on your counter until at least doubled in size. (I usually let it rise until it mounds the dishtowel about an inch above the rim of the bowl, about 90 minutes.).
6. Fill a shallow pan with water and place in the oven while preheating to 450 degrees. The water helps create a chewy, crunchy crust.
7. Punch down the dough and shape into one large loaf, two baguette-style loaves, or 8-10 dinner rolls.
8. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal, then place the loaves on the cornmeal. Cut slashes, criss-crosses, etc. into the top of the loaves (about 1/2 inch deep). Sprinkle with a little extra flour, and bake for about 30-40 minutes. The loaves should be a deep golden brown with a very rustic look.