Does anyone have a recipe for French bread with a super chewy crust?

Question

Many years ago, there was a little convenience store in Lafayette, LA that had a restaurant - if you could call it that - attached called the Stop & Shop B-B-Q. They had the most delicious po-boy sandwiches made with this French bread which had a very chewy and slightly sweet crust and a medium dense but fluffy inside. I have tried for years to reproduce this bread with no success - does anybody know how to replicate this wonderfully textured bread. Then I can start working on duplicating the sauce.

Answer 1

Fabulously Chewy French

INGREDIENTS
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 cups water
6 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with 2 cups water, 3 cups flour, salt, sugar and vegetable oil; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Divide dough half. Roll each half into a 9 x 12 rectangle and roll up jelly roll style, starting at long edge. Seal edges and place seam side down on a large baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.
Use a sharp knife to slash each loaf diagonally 3 times. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Answer 2

Your recipe is not an exact requirement thing such as the ingredients in baking a cake might be. It's basically a bread pudding recipe made with whole slices of bread instead of tearing or cubing the bread. I'd not hesitate to use Italian, semolina, thick sliced white, raisin, whatever. Your recipe sounds delish with that syrup topping. Only thing I don't understand is the 5 1/4 eggs.