French Countryside Bread

For Christmas I gave Andrew a bread maker since he's mentioned an interest in making his own bread. Having made bread from scratch before, I knew that he wouldn't enjoy the kneading part so I thought the bread maker could do the hard work for him. We tried out our first loaf tonight and it turned out beautifully! The crust was golden brown and deliciously crunchy. Hot out of the bread maker with a pat or two of butter and I was in heaven!

French Countryside Bread

1 3/8 cups water

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 1/2 t salt

4 c bread flour

1 T sugar

2 t active dry yeast

Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan. Measure and add dry in gredients (except yeast) to the bread pan. Use your finger to make a well in the flour and pour yeast into the well, being careful not to allow yeast to touch the liquid ingredients. Snap the baking pan into the breadmaker and close the lid. Press the 'Select' button to choose the French setting. Press the 'Crust color' button to choose medium. Press the 'Start/Stop' button.

Source Oster Breadmaker User Manual and Bread Recipes