Do you have any suggestions for non-stodgy french bread recipes?

I'm not sure I've ever made or met a stodgy french bread. The French make lots of breads, but here in the US, what we call ';french'; bread means a simple 4-ingredient bread, such as:





approx 3 cups all purpose flour


approx 1 cup water


1 tsp salt


1 tsp yeast





This is a bread machine recipe that makes one 1.5-pound loaf. Of course, in France it would have been made into 2 or 3 baguettes baked at 500+ farenheit and eaten the same day, not a sandwich loaf baked at 350 farenheit anf then eaten over a few days, so the resulting comparison is apples and oranges. Since it has no oil or eggs or milk, it will stale rather quickly, hence the desirability of being eaten the same day it is baked.Do you have any suggestions for non-stodgy french bread recipes?
French Bread Italian Style





Ingredients


1 cup water


2 teaspoons sugar


1 teaspoon salt


3 cups bread flour


2 tablespoons parmesan cheese


1 tablespoon dried basil


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast





pictures and more recipes on


http://www.foodsndrink.blogspot.com