Combine the water, yeast, sugar, oil, egg and salt.  Gradually add in the flour until it becomes too difficult to mix by hand.  Reserve at least one cup of flour from the recipe for kneading.

Place the dough on a well floured counter and knead for 10-15 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test:

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and set aside to rise in a warm, draft free place.

Once dough has doubled in size (approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours), degas the dough by kneading on the counter a few times.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into boules (if baking on a sheet pan) or loaves.  Place loaves in greased baking vessel, cover with a towel or greased saran wrap and allow to rest** until it has approximately doubled in size and passes the poke test (approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours):

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes (rotating halfway through the baking time), until golden brown and emits a hollow sound when tapped on.

Immediately remove loaves from pan and move to a cooling wrack.  Allow to cool completely before slicing.

*Baker’s Note: You can leave out the egg if you don’t have any to spare, or if you’d like to make this a vegan recipe.  Just add three additional tablespoons of water or oil to the recipe.

**Baker’s Other Note: After loaves have been shaped, they can be refrigerated overnight and baked the next day.  Warm to room temperature prior to baking.