Olney Ranch's Soon-to-be-Famous White Bread

I still remember my very first loaf of bread. It came out of the oven looking more like a doorstop than dinner, and I was proud of it anyway. I remember standing at the counter with flour on my sleeves, convinced I'd just accomplished something big. Maybe I had. That first lopsided loaf taught me that good bread doesn't have to be fancy; it just has to be made with a little patience. Since then, I've been hooked.

There's something about a loaf of bread that makes a house feel like a home. It doesn't need fancy equipment or a long list of ingredients. It needs flour, water, a little patience, and a few hours to let the dough do its work.

This is a simple, crusty white loaf, the kind that looks rustic and golden on the board and tastes even better with a thick spread of butter. It's a good first loaf if you've never baked bread, and a dependable one if you bake every week.

What You'll Need

• 4 cups (500g) strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
• 3 tablespoons (40g) soft butter
• 2 packets (about 12g) fast-acting or instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• About 1¼ cups (300ml) tepid water, about body temperature
• A little olive or sunflower oil

Cup conversions are approximate. If you have a kitchen scale, the gram amounts give the most reliable loaf.

• 500g (1lb 1oz) strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for finishing
• 40g (1½oz) soft butter
• 12g (2 sachets) fast-action dried yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• About 300ml (10¾fl oz) tepid water, about body temperature
• A little olive or sunflower oil

Making the Dough

1. Mix. Put the flour and butter in a large bowl. Add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other. Salt can slow the yeast down if they meet too early. Give it a quick stir.

2. Add the water slowly. Pour in about half, then work it in with your fingers. Keep adding a little at a time until the dough comes together and picks up all the flour from the sides. You want it soft, but not sticky or soggy. You may not need every drop, or you may need a splash more.

3. Oil, not flour. Rub a little oil on your work surface. This keeps the dough from drying out with extra flour. Turn the dough out and fold the far edge into the middle, turn it a quarter turn, and repeat until it's lightly coated.

4. Knead. Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it back, and turn it. Keep going for 4 to 5 minutes, until it feels smooth and stretchy. I like to put a song on that is about the length of time I need to kneed for. 

5. First rise. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and let it rise somewhere warm, but not hot, until doubled. That's about an hour, depending on your kitchen.

Shaping and Baking

6. Shape. Line a baking pan with parchment. Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it firmly to knock out the air. Roll it up, turn it, and roll it again a few times. Then smooth it into a log loaf.

7. Second rise. Set the loaf in the pan, cover it, and let it double again, about another hour.

8. Heat the oven. Preheat to 425°F (220°C), or 400°F (200°C) for a fan oven. Put an old, empty roasting pan on the bottom rack.

9. Score. Dust the top with flour and rub it in gently. With a large sharp knife, make shallow cuts about ½ inch deep in a diamond pattern. This gives you that floury, rustic top. Omit the flour and just make the cuts if you don't want that floury top.

10. Steam and bake. Slide the loaf into the middle of the oven. Right before you close the door, pour cold water into the hot roasting pan. The steam gives you a crisp, shiny crust. Bake for about 30 minutes.

11. Check and cool. The loaf should be golden. Let it cool on a wire rack. This is the hard part, because it smells wonderful.

Baking at Altitude

Dough tends to rise faster at higher elevations, so keep an eye on the dough instead of the clock. If it's doubling well ahead of the times above, go ahead and shape it. Many high-altitude bakers also use a little less yeast and a slightly hotter oven. It may take a loaf or two to find what works at your elevation. We are baking at 6200' so I wanted to add that tidbit to this post. 

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, this is just flour, water, yeast, and salt. But when you set a warm loaf on the table and watch it disappear, it feels like a whole lot more than that. I think it's [who you bake for] I'm really baking for. Good bread, a little butter, and people you love around the table is hard to beat. Thanks for baking along with me, and save the heel for whoever gets there first.

Bread isn't about perfection. A lopsided loaf shared at the table beats a perfect one that never gets baked. Pull on your apron, give it a try, and let us know how it turns out.