Just-baked loaf of white bread, Balthazar Bakery, Englewood
What could be better than just-baked bread on a snowy winter day?

Bread Starter

INGREDIENTS
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

PROCEDURE
1 Stir the yeast into the warm water in a medium-size bowl. Set it aside until foamy, 5 minutes. 
2 Then add the flour, mixing with your hands until all the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place overnight.

White Toasting Loaf

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp. salt
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. sugar
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed
Yellow cornmeal for the baking sheet

PROCEDURE
1 Stir the yeast into the warm water in a large bowl and set it aside until foamy, 5 minutes. Then add the bread starter (from previous recipe) and stir to dissolve. Add the salt, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and the sugar; mix well. 
2 Gradually add the all-purpose flour, mixing it with your hands until a stiff dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.
3 Generously grease a large bowl with the 1 remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Scrape the dough into a ball and add it to the bowl. Roll the dough around to coat. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume, about an hour.
4 Turn the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into an elongated loaf, about 8 inches long, pushing the dough away from you and tapering the ends. Sprinkle a large baking sheet with the cornmeal. Place the two loaves on the sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until the loaves have doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
5 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Fifteen minutes before baking time, fill an 8-inch square baking pan with boiling water and place it on the bottom oven rack to create steam.
6 Using a razor blade or a small sharp knife, slash the loaves diagonally, about 1/4-inch deep, in four places. Bake the loaves in the center of the oven until a deep golden brown, 40 minutes (cover the loaves with aluminum foil if they are browning too quickly). When they are done, the loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool the loaves on a wire rack.
Yield: 2 loaves.

Tips
You don’t always have to use a loaf pan for baking bread. A round, 1 1/2-quart casserole or soufflé dish can be substituted for an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan; a 2-quart dish can replace a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Heat kills yeast, so make sure the water used to dissolve it does not exceed 110?. If the water is lukewarm to the touch, that is about right.

When preparing to mix dough for yeasted breads, pre-warm the mixing bowl and have all dry ingredients at room temperature.

Kneading the dough produces gluten, which gives the bread its fine texture. You will know the bread has been kneaded enough when it is soft, elastic and springs back when you touch it.

Let your bread rise in a warm, draft-free area. A gas oven with a pilot light is perfect. If you don’t have a gas oven, a bowl of hot tap water placed in the bottom of the oven also works.

Baking breads at lower temperatures creates thicker, chewier crusts; higher temperatures give thinner, crisper crusts.

To allow for oven discrepancies and weather variations, check bread 10 to 15 minutes before the end of the recipe’s designated baking time.

To double check that a loaf that looks done is really done, it’s best to give it a light tap on the bottom with your finger. If it sounds hollow, the bread is cooked through. If your bread is in a loaf pan, turn it partially out onto a kitchen towel to give it a tap. If it still sounds too solid, return it to the oven for a bit more time.

Cool bread completely, sitting right side up on a rack, before cutting or wrapping for storage. Any residual warmth will cause moisture to condense on the inside of the wrapping.