Italian Bread

I made this last night for dinner with my parents nad grandparents. SO. Good. Yum. Plus, they looked really pretty (although I totally forgot to take a photo). I ended up leaving one plain and on the other one I topped it with minced garlic, Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary. The plain was good...but plain. I read some comments that said it's really good if you make it into garlic bread. The Herb crusted one was VERY good but I think next time I'm going to incorporate the herbs into the dough itself. That'll taste awesome.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Directions
1.Place flour, brown sugar, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2.Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a cutting board generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3.In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife. Gently shake the cutting board to make sure that the loaves are not sticking. If they stick, use a spatula or pastry knife to loosen. Slide the loaves onto a baking sheet with one quick but careful motion.
4.Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.


***TIPS ***

---> to shape the loaves. Cut the dough in half, then roll out the dough and roll it up. Pinch together the seam really well and then lay it seam-side down.
--->Let it rise on the baking sheet (or I used a pizza stone) itself, instead of transferring the dough. I put the stone with hte dough on top of my stove that was on at the lowest setting (I think it was like 175 degrees or something) since it was a little cool in my house. I then put an oiled piece of cling wrap on top of the dough, then a warm damp kitchen towel on top of that. The dough rose beautifully in about 50 minutes or so.