White Loaves

							                                                   Whit Loaves
                                 from “The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution,” by Luis Bosch.



               Preparation time: 14 hours                                  Cook time: 35 minutes                                         Serves: 8 to 10




Ingredients
2 ½ cups warm water (105 F to 115 F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
7 cups (approximately) bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
½ stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature




Mixing and Kneading
Pour ½ cup of the water into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, and whisk to blend. Allow the mixture to rest
until the yeast is creamy, about 5 minutes. Working with the dough hook in place, add the remaining 2 cups of water and about 3 ½ cups
flour to the yeast. Turn the mixer on and off a few times just to get the dough going without having the flour fly all over the counter and then,
mixing on low speed, add 3 ½ cups more flour. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat, stopping to scrape down the bowl and hook
as needed, until the dough comes together. (If the dough does not come together, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time.) Add the salt
and continue to beat and knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you prefer, you can mix the
dough in the machine for half that time and knead it by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes. When the dough is thoroughly
mixed (return it to the mixer if necessary), add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until incorporated. Don,t be disconcerted if your
beautiful dough comes apart with the addition of butter-beating will bring it back together.
First Rise
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a large buttered or oiled bowl ( one that can hold
double the amount of dough). Turn the dough around to cover its entire surface with butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and
let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.


Shaping the Dough
Butter two 8 ½ - by 4 ½ -inch loaf pans and set them aside. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. dividet the
dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Using the palms of your hands and fingertips, or a rolling pin, pat the dough into a large
rectangle about 9 inches wide and 12 inches long with a short side facing you. Starting at the top, fold the dough about two thirds of the way
down the rectangle and then fold it again, so that the top edge meets the bottom edge. Seal the seam by pinching it. Turn the roll so that the
seam is in the center of the roll, facing up, and turn the ends of the roll in just enough so that it will fit in a buttered loaf pan. Pinch the seams
to seal, turn the loaf over so that the seams are on the bottom, and plump the loaf with your palms to get an even shape. Drop the loaf into
the pan, seam side down, and repeat with the other piece of dough.


Second Rise
Cover the loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise in a warm place (about 80 F) until they double in size again, growing over the
tops of the pans, about 45 minutes. While the loaves rise, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F.


Baking the Bread
When the loaves are fully risen (poke your finger into the dough; the impression should remain), bake them for 35 to 45 minutes, or until they
are honey-brown and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the center of the bread (turn a loaf out and plunge the thermometer through
the bottom of the bread) measures 200 F. (if you like, 10 minutes or so before you think the loaves should come out, you can turn the loaves
out of their pans and let them bake on the oven rack so they brown on the sides.) Remove the loaves from their pans as soon as they come
from the oven and cool the breads on racks. These should not be cut until they are almost completely cool; just-warm is just right.


Storing
Once completely cool, the breads can be kept in a brown paper bag for a day or two. Once a loaf is sliced, turn it cut side down on the
counter or a cutting board and cover with a kitchen towel. For longer storage, wrap the breads airtight and freeze for up to a month. thaw,
still wrapped, at room temperature.


Note
1 press the dough into a rectangle with width equal to the pan length. Fold the top third down and seal with your fingers
2 Fold the dough over again and seal tightly.

3 Fold one end of the loaf in and pinch to form a neatly sealed package.

4 Fold in the other side.