I've never mastered the art of bread making but have been trying some
lately since getting my new oven. I made some crusty french bread the
other day and the recipe I used made two big loaves so one is in the
freezer after the second raising but is uncooked. The first loaf turned
out really good but not light. Is french bread supposed to be that way?
Very little in the way of holes but there were some in the seams. I
used a method that said to pinch all of the seams including the ends.

How exactly do you knead bread? My ball didn't turn out smooth like the
picture before I let it rise for an hour, actually a bit more, but it
more than doubled. I let it rise another half hour after forming the
loaves. I guess french bread will be different since there is no oil or
eggs.

What's a good method for kneading?