Fresh-Baked Bread

There are very few things I love more than a loaf of bread fresh from the oven. It makes the kitchen smell great, it’s cheaper than buying bread at the store, and it’s sooooo good.

The problem is, making fresh bread usually requires fooling around with yeast. I don’t have anything against yeast, but it’s temperamental. If the water you mix it with is too cold, it won’t ferment. If it’s too hot, the yeast will die. I don’t have time to screw around with that stuff! That’s why this bread recipe is great… if you can get water to room temperature, then you virtually can’t screw it up.

For one loaf starter, you need a cup of water, 2 cups of flour, and ¼ teaspoon yeast (rapid-rise yeast is best). Then, for the bread, you need an additional ¼ cup water, 1 cup flour, 1 ½ teaspoons yeast (again, rapid-rise is best), 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional). If you want to brush something nice over the top so the bread is shiny, you need more olive oil or 1 egg white.

To begin, mix the starter ingredients together. The water should be at a cool room temperature. Once you’ve combined the ingredients and mixed them so that all the flour is absorbed, put plastic wrap over the bowl you mixed them in, and let the starter rest overnight or for 12-16 hours. The dough should rise dramatically and look somewhat bubbly when it’s done.

After the starter has risen, mix it with the ¼ cup water. Make sure it’s combined and smooth. It will reduce back down to its previous size, but that’s okay. Add the cup of flour, the 1 ½ teaspoons yeast, the salt, and the olive oil if you’re using it. Knead the bread on a floured surface for 5-6 minutes until it feels smooth. You may need to add more flour as you go along.

When you’re done, grease the bowl the starter was in, turn to coat the dough with the grease (or oil, or butter, or whatever), cover it with plastic wrap again, and let it rise for 1 ½-4 hours. (That’s why this bread is great—you can totally conform it to your schedule!)

Once it’s risen, it will look all puffy again. Gently take it out of the bowl and set it onto a baking sheet that’s been greased or coated with aluminum foil or waxed paper. Mold it into the loaf shape you want (round, rodlike, braided, whatever)…

… then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 1 ½-4 hours. It should look the same, but puffier.

Near the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 425. If you want to coat the bread with something so that it looks shiny on top, beat an egg white well in a bowl and use a pastry brush to coat the loaf with the egg white. You can also brush olive oil on top. When you’re finished coating it, bake that sucker for 30-35 minutes. When it’s beautiful and golden brown, it’s done and ready to eat!