JAMES BEARD'S BUTTERMILK WHITE BREAD

JAMES BEARD'S BUTTERMILK WHITE BREAD image

Yield 1 loaf

Number Of Ingredients 8

Note: The dean of American cooking shared this favorite recipe with Taste in a story on Nov. 7, 1979, when Beard visited the Twin Cities to open the area's first Williams-Sonoma outpost, in the Harold store in downtown Minneapolis. "It's a mysterious business, this making of bread," he told Taste. "Once you are hooked by the miracle of yeast, you'll be a breadmaker for life."
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2c. warm water
4 c. unbleached hard-wheat flour, plus extra for kneading
1 tbsp. salt
3 tbsp. melted butter, plus extra for bowl and pan
1 to 11/2c. buttermilk

Steps:

In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water and allow to proof. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, melted butter and buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, work mixture into a smooth dough, then add yeast mixture. Beat well for 2 minutes, remove to a well-floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, until dough is supple, smooth and satiny. (Dough can also be prepared in an electric mixer equipped with a dough hook. Combine all ingredients, knead with dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes and then remove dough to a floured board and knead by hand for about 2 minutes.) Place dough in a large buttered bowl and turn to coat dough with butter. Cover and set in a warm, draft-free place until dough rises to more than double in bulk. Punch down dough, remove to a floured board and knead for 2 minutes. Form into a loaf about 9 inches by 5 inches by patting dough flat and into a rather rough rectangle, fold in ends and then fold in sides. Pinch seams together well. Place dough in a buttered 9- by 5- by 3-inch bread pan, cover and place in a warm, draft-free place until dough rises to more than double in bulk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake dough for about 40 minutes. Remove from pan and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes on loaf's side to create a crisp brown crust. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool before cutting. Nutrition information per 1/16 serving: Calories155