Herbes De Provence French Bread Recipe

Stir the first five ingredients together to dissolve the yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in the flour. Knead 10 minutes. let rise, covered, until doubled in bulk.

Punch down, knead three or four times to remove air, then divide in four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a long loaf and place in a well greased French bread pan; slash the top. Brush the loaves with the egg white and let rise until doubled.

Bake 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 400, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on racks. Wrap in aluminum foil and freeze if desired.