Classic White Bread Loaf

Last time I made bread, I went all whole-wheat, all the way. That recipe, you'll note, is not on this blog. Why not? I didn't knead it long enough. Impatience and whole wheat flour do not mix. I didn't take enough time to let the gluten develop, instead relying on a hapless hope that the bread would effortlessly become soft and chewy in the oven. This, it did not do. The bread fell to crumbs at the sight of a knife. It tasted heavy, not pleasantly dense. I ate it in large portions, just to clear the fridge for something better.
This time round, I thought I'd go the all-purpose flour route.

Things worked out much better. This bread is light, springy, but deeply flavorful. It has a satisfying, yeasty chew that just says bread. The ingredient list is very simple. But I dedicated about 20 full minutes to kneading the bread. It's a wonderful activity to do while listening to the radio. By the time I was finished, it was a smooth, silky ball of dough. It rose excellently in its spot on top of the cupboard. And out of the oven, the crumb held together really well. Cutting slices is a breeze.

The recipe makes one loaf, which keeps about 4 days at room temperature, and up to 10 days in the fridge. Excellent toasted with cream cheese, peanut butter, dipped in tomato sauce, et cetera. But I like a chunk fresh from the oven best. 

Adapted from Moosewood's Calzone dough recipe (yes, this is technically calzone dough in bread form. Why not, though, eh?)
Classic White Bread Loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 TBSP honey or granulated sugar (I actually used agave syrup, as it was close at hand in the cupboard)
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions
--Heat water until warm, but not too hot. Mix water, yeast and sweetener. Let sit for 10 minutes or until yeast is foamy.
--Stir together flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form one piece. Knead with hands for 20 minutes, until the dough is smooth, adding more flour if necessary.
--Let sit in a bowl, covered, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
--Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Form dough into an oblong shape by tucking folds into underside of dough ball. Place, seam side down, in pan. Let sit 15 minutes.
--Bake about 25 minutes, until top of dough is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, let sit at least 5 minutes before removing from pan and eating.