Now and Later French Bread recipe

This is a great recipe that makes four small loaves of crusty French bread; one to bake right away and three to wrap up in the freezer to bake later. Each loaf is the perfect size for one meal serving four people. The frozen dough stays good for about 6 weeks; that's plenty of time to come up with 4 meals that would go well with hot bread.

Now and Later French Bread
Makes 4 loaves

7 to 8 cups flour
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons yeast (3 packages)
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups very warm tap water
Cornmeal
Peanut oil
1 egg white, beaten
1 Tablespoon old water
Toasted sesame seeds OR poppy seeds

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, sugar and undissolved yeast. Add butter.

Gradually add tap water to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead a few times to form a ball.

Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a 15 x 8-inch oblong. Roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush with peanut oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm. Remove from baking sheet and wrap each with plastic wrap. Keep frozen up to 6 weeks.

Remove from freezer; place on ungreased baking sheets, cornmeal side down. Let stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature until fully thawed, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Let rise i warm place, free from draft, until more than double in bulk, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This is the result when you can't fit a cookie sheet in the freezer to rest the dough on. It'll be fine when it thaws.

Gently brush with combined egg white and cold water. Sprinkle with the seeds. Bake at 450F 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.