Easy White Bread Loaf

Another experiment with bread from the Kneadlessly Simple cookbook. The recipe makes two loaves.

I followed the recipe and did a refrigerator rise of about eight hours, then let it rise overnight for about 17 hours. After that I stirred it down, cut it into two pieces and put them in two loaf pans. The recipe says to let them rise until the dough is about 1/2 inch above the pan. When I went back to look at them after two hours they were overflowing the edges of the pan. So I punched them back down and let them rise again which didn't take long at all.

The issue I'm having in baking breads is with my propane oven. It takes longer to heat but it seems to be very well insulated. Baggett suggests heating the over to about 25 or 50 degrees higher than you want to cook the bread and then reducing the heat when you put the bread in. The markings on the oven dial are in celsius and are not marked very well. I use a thermometer in the oven to adjust the temperature. When I turn down the heat after putting the bread in, the temperature doesn't start down for quite some time. So I'm thinking that I'm just going to start the oven a little earlier and get the temperature stablized at the temperature for the bread to cook. All of this would be easier with digital controls. Then I wouldn't have to hover over the oven until I get the baking temperature stabilized.

The house smelled very yeasty while the bread was baking. It is the first bread that I have made that rose quite a bit in the oven and the next time I will be sure to take out the top rack because the top of the bread came very close to it. The loaves turned out fine with a nice crust and a fine texture. I took one loaf to a friend and we made toast with the other this morning. It was really good toast . . . soft but still chewy. Next up, a sandwich from this loaf.