Lea’s question: When you make French bread, do you have a secret for getting the crust shiny, hard and crispy?
My answer: There really is no secret. For shiny, crispy bread: Place the bread in a pan or on a baking sheet and spray it heavily with warm water before baking as directed. For a shiny, soft bread: Brush bread with olive oil just before baking as directed and brush again as soon as it comes out of the oven. For shiny, golden bread: Mix 1 tablespoon cold water with 1 egg and brush it on bread before baking. If you are using a pan, make sure the egg mixture doesn’t touch the edge of the pan as this could result in the bread not rising.
