Bacon-Cheddar French Bread

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the cheese, bacon, sour cream, butter, salt, Italian seasoning and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 15-in.-long loaves. Place on two greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• With a sharp knife, make five shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.