| Prep Time | Bloom / Rise / Bake / Cool Time | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| 35 mins (hands-on) | 4 hrs 55 mins to 5 hrs 30 mins | 1 loaf |
Equipment
- 9×5 Pyrex (glass) bread pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Bamboo spatula
- Bench scraper
- Kitchen thermometer (for the water and the finished loaf)
- Baking sheet with a liner (only if you make buns)
Ingredients
Yeast mixture
- 2 cups water, no hotter than 100°F
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
Dough
- 4 cups bread flour: 3 cups up front, the last cup added by feel, plus extra for the counter as needed
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
1. Bloom the yeast
- Warm the water to 100°F or below. Anything hotter kills the yeast, so use the thermometer instead of guessing.
- Stir the water, yeast, and brown sugar together in a bowl. Let it sit 10 to 15 minutes, until foamy. No foam means the yeast is dead; start over.
2. Mix and first rise
- Measure 3 cups of bread flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and put the salt in the center.
- Stir the 1 Tbsp olive oil into the yeast mixture, then pour it into the well. Stir with the bamboo spatula until combined. The dough will be very sticky, and that’s normal; don’t dump in flour yet.
- Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until you have a shaggy dough. A quarter cup at a time lets you stop the moment it’s right, and it might not take the whole cup.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter. Stretch and fold it with the bench scraper, dusting with a little flour whenever it grabs your hands. It’s ready when it stops sticking to your hands and springs back a little when you poke it.
- Clean the mixing bowl and oil it with a drizzle of olive oil. Set it upside down over the dough ball; the bowl holds in moisture so the surface doesn’t dry out. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Shape, second rise, and bake
- Lift off the bowl and punch the dough down. Stretch and fold it 3 or 4 more times, then roll it into a loaf shape.
- Line the bread pan with parchment, leaving a little hanging over the long sides. That overhang is a sling; it lets you lift the loaf out without prying at hot glass. Put the dough in, shaped with a rounded top. The pan should be about 3/4 full.
- If there’s too much dough: pull off the extra and shape 3 or 4 buns, about 3 inches wide and 1.25 inches thick. Put them on the lined baking sheet.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it has a rounded top. Start preheating the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle, about 30 minutes into the rise.
- Bake the loaf on the middle rack 60 to 75 minutes, until it’s brown and has a crust. Bake to the thermometer: 200°F in the center is the finish line. Ovens and pans vary; the clock is only an estimate.
- If you made buns, bake them at the same time on a second rack, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Lift the loaf out by the parchment. Cool at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results, before slicing.
Notes & Storage
- Storage: Keep it in the fridge; it lasts longer there. Eat it within 4 to 5 days, before it goes bad.