TO MAKE: French bread is typically made with flour, water and yeast. There are two ways to make authentic French bread - one from a straight yeast method and the other from a starter.

The typical loaf of French bread is shaped into baguettes, which means stick or wand, baked in long crusty and browned loaves with a white interior and lots of irregularly shaped holes -- this long shape of loaf offers the maximum amount of crust to bread. It stales quickly.

The other version calls for a starter (a mixture of flour and water with a pinch of yeast) which is allowed to ferment for several hours before being added to the bread's ingredients as the leavener. The second method, produces a loaf which is neither too dense, nor too airy and lasts a day or two. The crust is hard and crunchy-crisp, and can be made in any shape.

For the beginning baker, French Bread is a good recipe to start with. It has few ingredients, requires no special equipment beyond a bowl and a cookie sheet or baking pan. The loaves can be shaped by hand.

TO SHAPE A BAGUETTE (See also Baguette Recipe):

1. After the FIRST RISE, gently deflate the dough, fold it over itself in the bowl and reshape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with oil on the side that touches the dough. Let it rise until it has nearly doubled again about an hour to 1-1/2 hours. Gently deflate the dough again, reshape into a round, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour. Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface and divide it into equal pieces (about 10 - 12 ounces each). Cover the piece not being worked on with a damp kitchen towel.

2. Gently stretch one piece into a rectangle, leaving some large bubbles in the dough. Fold 1/3 of the way and the bottom third up as if you were folding a business letter. Now form the loaf into a log by rolling the dough over from left to right and sealing the seam with the heel of your palm. Set aside on the work surface and cover to relax  before the final shaping. Repeat the shaping process with remaining pieces of dough.

3. Elongate each baguette by rolling it back and forth on the work surface along its length. Begin with both hands over the center of the loaf and work them out to the ends until the loaf reaches the desired length. Do not press down. Place the finished loaves on a peel, a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously sprinkled with cornmeal or on a baguette pan, made from a fairly thick metal which looks like a screen without the use of cornmeal.

4. Cover the loaves with well oiled plastic or a floured cloth and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until the loaves are slightly plump but still not doubled in volume. You want the baguettes to be slightly under proofed; this will give them a better oven spring, resulting in loaves with a light, airy crumb and more flared cuts. Slash the loaves before baking.

BAKING: A very hot oven, such as 500 or 450 degrees F, is typically used for the first 12 - 15 minutes or so, and then the temperature is lowered to 350 to 400 degrees F, for example. The initial high temperature helps set the crust, then allowing the middle to bake and stay soft. To bake: thirty minutes before baking, place a baking stone in the oven to preheat, place an empty water pan directly under the stone and then, preheat the oven. Gently slide the loaves onto the preheated stone, or place the baguette mold in the oven. To get a crispy crust: Pour 1 cup of very hot water into the water pan and quickly close the oven door. After 1 minute, mist the loaves and oven walls 6 to 8 times and close the door. After 2 more minutes, spray the loaves and the oven walls again.