Beast French Bread Ever!

This is a recipe I got from my French teacher in high school and is still my favorite. I lost it for about ten years, kinda. I knew it was somewhere in my Mom's recipe collection but she couldn't find it forever. A few months ago I was desperately searching for another recipe that looked appealing and was unsuccessful. Then one magic day, while I was on Skype with my Mother, she was going through her recipes and suddenly said...."I just found your French Bread Recipe."

It was an exceptionally happy Day!!!!

Ingredients

2        Cups Warm Water

1        Pkg.  Yeast

1        Tbls. Sugar

2        tsp.  Salt

5 3/4 Cups Flour

Egg Wash

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Combine Sugar, Salt, and 3 cups of flour. Add yeast mixture. Beat smooth, then stir in around 2 1/2 cups flour.( This will vary depending on where you live. In WA I use pretty much all the flour, in UT I don't.) Knead with remaining flour until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl til doubled in size. Punch down and shape. I like to do two short fat loaves, but you can do baguettes if you want. 

To shape, cut the dough into two equal parts and form desired loaves. place on baking sheet (I use warmed baking stone) and make three slices across top and allow to rise til doubled in size. 

After risen coat in an egg wash. ( Beaten  Egg with a bit of water) Bake at 425* for 30-35 min, til nice and brown. Then make sure you eat some of it warm!!!!!!!!!!!

Rosemary Lyn's Best Banana Bread!

Who, is Rosemary Lyn, do you ask...... no one. I combined a recipe from my mother and one from a dear family friend (Rosemary, in case you couldn't guess :), and got my own twist on TWO great recipes. This bread is fluffy and aromatic and absolutely dreamy! Once you read the ingredients you may try to talk yourself out of it, but DON'T, it's worth the sit-ups later. I like to add extra things here and there to make things my own, but I'm going to give you the base recipe and you can change it how ever you want to.

2 1/2 C Butter          10 C sifted Flour

           7  C Sugar              2 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

10   Eggs              1 1/4 tsp Salt

        15  Bananas             2 1/2 C Heavy Cream

                        5 tsp. Vanilla                                                    

Ok, Pre-heat the oven to 350*. This recipe is obviously super HUGE. It yields 6 or 7 loaves, feel free to cut it in half. Cream together the Sugar, Butter and Eggs, then add the Nanners and Vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir in to the Creamy stuff. After it is Incorporated, stir in the heavy cream. bake for about an hour. I start at 45 min, and go from there, Every oven is different.

My Change up is this. First, I never measure vanilla and I usually double it at the very least! Second I add cinnamon to almost every kind of sweet loaf! Other spices are good too, but cinnamon is my favorite. Third, I  took a struesel recipe and added to the top before baking. Here is that recipe:

1/2 C Brown Sugar

3 Tbls. Flour

4 Tbls. Cold Butter

Cut these ingredients together with either a pastry blender or a fork, which ever is handy and sprinkle on top! Make sure not to go to thick cause it'll sink the center of your loaf!

Remember, these 4 loaves are a HALF time recipe!