French bread sounds fancy, but it’s really just a loaf with good PR. Strip it down and you’ve got four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. No sourdough starter whispering in a jar, no complicated technique, just dough that gets better the longer you leave it alone. The hard part isn’t mixing—it’s patience. Give it time and attention, and it’ll reward you with a crust that snaps when you tear it and an inside that’s chewy without being tough. It’s bread the way bread’s supposed to be: simple, honest, and not trying to impress anyone.