Bread Mojo

Somewhere between then and now I lost my bread mojo. There were so many failed, leaden loaves that had more in common with clay bricks than bread. Still, friends extolled the virtues of my fresh bread. I sometimes contend that a badly made loaf of fresh bread beats a well made loaf of stale bread, but lately, the politeness of folks "enjoying" my bread has taunted me to taking this little hobby a little more seriously. Like when you used to run a 5-minute kilometre and have fallen off to a 6-minute kilometre and you feel it might be time to either re-assert yourself and improve that time or quit altogether. This basic bread recipe has become my saviour. It turned out so nicely that like Stella, I got my groove back. It's simple, like most non-French breads, but takes a bit of time.

• 1 tsp of yeast
• 3 cups (400g) of flour plus a bit more for kneading
• 1 tsp of salt
• 300 ml (1 cup and a half-ish) of warm water
• Some oil (your choice of vegetable or olive etc) for kneading

Mix it all together and let it sit for 10 minutes with a cloth or tea towel over the bowl.

• After those 10 minutes have passed, put a drop of oil in your hand and one on your work surface or countertop (think of a drop as the size of a loonie) or wherever you plan to work the dough.
• Knead the dough by stretching it with the heal of your hand and folding it over. Do this just for 10 or 15 seconds then return the dough to the bowl, cover again.
• Repeat this twice more at 10-minute intervals.
• After the third time, leave the dough in the bowl, covered for 45 minutes.
• Wipe the work surface and dust it with flour.
• Take the dough from the bowl and pat into roughly an oblong shape. Roll tightly, pinch the ends to keep it together then place it in a floured bread pan (a typical 9" x 5" bread pan).
• Cover with a cloth and let rest for another 45 minutes. You're looking to see the dough increase in size by half.
• Pre-heat your oven to 425ºF, lightly flour the top of your loaf (I like to sprinkle a little wheat bran), cut a slash length wise to allow expansion, and bake for 35-40 minutes or to your desired level of golden browning.

This is probably how most home bakers make bread. It's similar to how our mother would, minus the oil. I can hear her now: "Oil?! Pfft, you don't need oil!" My normal method of making the dough the day before and letting it rest overnight has just not be working and the bread feels either under or over proofed. My guess is I have forgotten how the dough should feel and I've been making it far too wet. I know, I know. You're saying, "But how could anything being too wet be bad?", but there is a limit to wetness, I assure you.