Parmesan-Herb French Bread

Place all ingredients except cornmeal and topping mixture in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start.

When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, cover with a cotton towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Fold dough into an envelope by folding the top 1/3 of the way to the bottom. Then fold the bottom a 1/3 of the way over the top. Then press dough with the palm of your hand to make an indentation down the center of the dough and fold the top completely to the bottom, sealing the seam with the palm of your hand.

Place on a jelly roll pan dusted with cornmeal. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise, approximately 30 minutes or until dough has doubled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes. Brush or spray the top of the bread with cold water and bake for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, with a small whisk, stir together water and cornstarch. Heat mixture to a gentle boil. Stir, reduce heat, until mixture thickens and is translucent. Cool.

With a pastry brush, brush cornstarch mixture over top of the bread; sprinkle the topping mixture (combination of Parmesan cheese and rosemary) over the top. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until nicely browned. (A good check is to use an instant digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees F).