This bread has a softness to it that works well for sandwiches, or eaten on its own with butter or olive oil!
Ingredients
2.5cupsbread flour
1cup78 degree water
1tbsp110 degree water
2.25tspactive dry yeast
1.5tspkosher salt
Instructions
Combine flour and 78 degree water in a stand mixer with the dough hook, and mix on low for 4 minutes until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes with the bowl covered.
Stir the yeast with the 110 degree water, and add the yeasty paste to the dough mass. Knead for 3 minutes on medium low, sprinkle the salt, then knead for 5 more minutes. Take the dough out and put onto a floured work surface, knead for one more minute by hand, then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes.
Form the dough into a smooth ball, and let it rise on the counter, covered with a damp towel, for an hour and a half (or until it doubles in size). Doubling time depends on how warm your room is (this is based on a 75 degree F room).
Now it’s time to shape the dough. Shape it however you’d like, and place the dough on a baking sheet, and let rise for another hour, keeping it covered with a wet towel.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, then put a sheet pan in the lowest shelf of the oven and fill with water to keep your oven nice and moist while the bread bakes. Use a spray bottle to spray the walls of the oven with water as well. Put the bread in and bake for 20 minutes, until the inside of the loaf is 200 degrees F. Remove the bread from the sheet pan and cool on a wire rack.