3 cups water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
7-7½ cups flour
2 Tablespoons Yeast
1 egg white (beaten)

In a small pan, combine water, sugar and salt. Heat until warm (115-120° F)

In a large bowl, mix the water warm with 3 cups of flour and the yeast. Beat at low speed with electric beaters until well blended (this is called making a "sponge", in bread makers' terms. The outcome of your bread depends a lot on how good your sponge is!) Then beat on high for about 2 minutes. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, and knead for 15 minutes (or if your mixer has a dough hook, I usually use that, and do it for 8-10 minutes), adding the remaining flour, as you work.

Put finished dough into a greased bowl, turn (to coat the dough with the oil or butter on all sides), cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about 1 hour.

Grease your Italian/French bread pans, and sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch down the dough, and divide it in half. Working carefully, roll each half into a long cylinder. Place seam side down, in pans. Slash diagonal shallow cuts in the top of the loaves. Brush with egg white. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Bake for 20 minutes, brush again with egg whites, bake another 15-20 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom of the loaf.