Breadblogging, part I

I've been trying to figure out how to make bread for a long time. A very long time. I had actually given up for quite some time, but somehow this week I was inspired and decided to give it another try. After a couple of attempts, I came up with a recipe that was very successful. So successful, in fact, that one of the two loaves was gone in a couple of hours. So, here's the recipe, or more accurately the method, that I used:

First, make a sponge. Combine:
2 3/4 cups bottled water (filtered or well will work, just not tap water since chlorine and yeast don't play in the same sandbox) - heated to between 110 and 115F
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast.
Stir together, then let sit for 10 minutes or so while the yeast blooms. Then, add 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and mix with the paddle attachment on the stand mixer for 10-15 minutes. The result will be a gooey, sticky mess. Put in a glass bowl, cover loosely, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day the sponge will have roughly doubled in size and will smell rather fantastic. Take the sponge out of the fridge and put it into the stand mixer bowl. Fit the dough hook onto the stand mixer and run the hook through the sponge to mix the gas around. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and about 1 1/2 cups of flour, stir in with a wooden spoon or spatula, and then start the dough hook again. Keep adding flour until the dough starts to pull off the side of the bowl and forms into a dough ball. (I actually put a little less flour in this batch - the dough comes out a bit sticky and flimsy, but the bread is a bit lighter and moister that way). Knead the dough with the hook for about 15-20 minutes, then pull the dough out of the bowl, divide in half, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into loaves, then place into a loaf pan (we use a "stone" loaf pan). Put a casserole dish on the bottom rack of the oven filled halfway with boiling water from a tea kettle, and put the loaves on the upper rack. Close the oven and let the bread proof for an hour or so. Remove everything, and heat the oven to 400F. Put the bread in once the oven is hot and bake for 40 minutes or until the loaves are brown on top and sound hollow when tapped. Remove the bread from the oven, and let it sit for 30 minutes. As tempting as it is to cut right into it, the carryover is still cooking the inside of the bread at this point, so you must discipline yourself and let it just rest.

Once it has rested and cooled, slice thin, put on a bit of butter, and enjoy.

Next up is wheat bread, then we'll be working on some sourdough. I can't wait!