White Bread

It doesn't look like much, does it? 

Indeed, it isn't much; it is nothing more than four seemingly ordinary ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt.

All it takes is a few ingredients, some time, and a little bit of heat to create something that has, in one way or another, been a staple in almost every diet at one point in time.  These days, 'real' bread has been renamed 'artisinal' bread, which doesn't bother me very much.  After all, it has a pleasant ring to it, don't you think?  It evokes the thought of little Italian women with hunched shoulders and aprons covered in flour.  Certainly, there is nothing wrong with those things.  It's more the fact that those perfectly white sponges in the plastic sacks at the grocery store go by the same name, bread.  

 Certainly, there is a time and a place for plastic bread, namely when there is peanut butter and perhaps jelly involved, but other than that, I don't much care for it.  The other thing is, nothing beats the glorious cackling sounds that comes only from a loaf of bread right out the oven.  The only crackling noise that the super market bread makes is when you unwrap it from the bag it comes in.

Good bread is such a simple thing.  It doesn't need to be over thought, and, indeed, over thinking a simple bread recipe is a difficult thing to do, especially when said recipe doesn't call for kneading.  What's more, there is very little hands-on time, and it also has a bit of the lovely tang normally associated with sourdough, with out the fuss of having to nurse a starter. 

A little less than 24 hours, four ingredients, and a hot oven is all that you need to make yourself a loaf of bread worthy of such a title.

This recipe was adapted from the Jim Lahey method.

400 g. bread flour
1 1/2t. salt
1/4 t. yest
1 1/3c. water

-Combine the above ingredients in a bowl using a wooden spoon.  Stir until everything is well combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set in a cool place for 12-18 hours*.
-Two hours before you plan to bake the bread, generously sprinkle a towel with oat bran.  Set the ball of dough in the centre of the towel and bring the sides in to form a circle.  Roll to coat entirely in the oat bran and, using the sides of the towel, lift and set this into a clean bowl.  Pull the excess towel over the top of the dough and allow to set for another 1-2 hours* in a warm spot.  (You are looking for it to double in size.)
-Being aware of your own timing, place a heavy pot, such as a dutch oven or le cruset, in the oven and begin preheating to 475f.
-When the bread and oven are ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven, place the dough inside, cover with a lid, and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes, removing the lid after this time and cooking for a further 15-20 minutes.
-Remove from the baking vessel and allow to cool completely before slicing.

*I usually let the dough rest/proof for the maximum time, if I have the time, but it is also lovely after only 12 hours.

A couple of other notes about this bread:

-I have used up to half white flour/half wheat or rye flour with this recipe.  If you should choose to use rye flour, I would recommend adding in a generous tablespoonful of caraway seeds.

-If you won't be able to consume the entire loaf of bread within a day or two of baking, slice the remaining bread, wrap in plastic, and store in the freezer.  Use the frozen slices, as needed.