One-Hour French Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
3-4 cups flour (any combination of white and whole wheat)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine water, salt, honey and yeast in a medium bowl. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbling.

Add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until dough is no longer sticky. Roll dough into a 12-14" roll (or divide in half and roll into two long skinny baguettes). Place dough on a cookie sheet (not a bread pan), greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover dough with damp dish towel and allow it to sit in a warm location for 30 minutes.

Cut diagonal slits, 1/2" deep, on top of the loaf. Spray with salt water, if desired.

Bake 20-30 minutes.

I discovered this recipe by Sadge over on Simple, Green, Frugal Co-Op. It's the easiest recipe and, oh, so delicious!!

Note: The original recipe calls for a 450 degree oven; rising time of 20 minutes; baking time of 20 minutes. I've adjusted the oven temp, prep and baking time to my personal preference in order to achieve a less dense & doughy loaf of bread.