Easy Homemade French Bread

Preheat oven to 400 F and place parchment paper on a baking sheet

1. In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Mix together 3 cups flour and salt with the dough hook in a stand mixer bowl.
3. Add the water-yeast mixture to the stand mixer bowl and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. knead the dough until it forms a smooth, not sticky, dough, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove dough, shape it into a ball, rub oil around the dough ball, and place the dough back into the bowl, cover and let rise until dough doubles in size, about 30 min.
5. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface, cut it in half, and set one-half aside. With the other half of the dough, roll dough into a rectangle (about 15 inches by 8 inches). Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a cylinder, pinch seems closed and place seem side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball.
6. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
7. Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf and bake for 18-22 min or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on the bottoms of the loaves they should sound hollow.
8. Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting into it. Enjoy it with butter and your favorite jam!