We see increasing numbers of people storing food and other supplies to meet the challenges in our future. Most every week I notice someone buying large quantities of basic staples, and that person or couple doesn’t look like the ranching type in town for the quarterly supply run. I also hear numerous reports of people buying bread at the store, only to get it home and find that it is moldy or starts molding very quickly. You may even know someone in one group or the other. People in both groups are eventually going to want to make their own bread. And heck, we may even be teaching our own family members how to bake bread soon enough.
The following is adapted from a recipe at Mary’s Nest and is a good starter for all beginning bread bakers. No-knead means it takes less time. White bread dough is usually more forgiving than wheat dough, so good results are more likely. And almost everyone wants sandwich bread for PB & J’s as well as toast for breakfast. It’s pretty versatile stuff.
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add oil and water to flour mixture and stir to form a shaggy (sticky) dough, making sure to fully incorporate the dry ingredients. Cover dough with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to rise. Let rise about 1.5 hours.
Oil hands very well. Remove the plastic wrap and deflate the dough by pressing down on it. Divide the dough in half.
Grease two bread pans thoroughly and place one-half of the dough in each pan, pressing the dough into the corners of the pan as needed.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, until the dough is even with the top of the loaf pans. Just as the dough is finishing rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the loaf pans on the center rack of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden. (You can check for doneness with a thermometer. The center of the bread should reach 195-200°F.) When done, remove the pans from the oven and set them on a cooling rack.
Immediately brush the tops with butter. After loaves have cooled in the pans for 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and set it back on the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Let cool completely before slicing.
Family reviews: It’s hard to be completely unbiased here, because we all really love whole wheat bread. White bread just doesn’t get us twitterpated. However, this recipe makes a pretty good loaf. Being no-knead, it is definitely an easy starter loaf. And it is surprisingly soft for a bread that doesn’t contain any eggs or milk.
