When my brother was young he returned from a trip to my aunt’s house with a new found love.  He climbed up to the kitchen counter and began in all sincerity, “Mom.  At Aunt Betty’s, I had this awesome thing.  It’s called white bread?  You ever heard of it?”.  Oh, how my dear mama laughed.  While it is true, around my household we did mostly indulge in the hearty bread chock full of seeds and nuts and the like, by no means did this hinder my love for the gloriously spongy white bread.

This loaf has a tang to it.  It tastes close to a sourdough somehow, perhaps my overheated kitchen has something to do with it?  But ah, the floury top and the bubbly interior will have you slathering on the butter and jam meal after meal.

Or perhaps you will spread on some maple almond butter from this amazing birthdaybook I received (early).

Big Beautiful White Pan Loaves adapted from Amy’s Bread’s

1. Combine 1 3/4 tsp. active dry yeas in 1/4 cup of very warm water.  Dissolve and let stand for three minutes.

2. Mix 4.5 cups of flour with 2.5 tsp. sea salt.  Mix in yeast and 1.5 cups of cool water.  Knead for 5 minutes.

3. Let it rest for 20 minutes covered with a towel.

4. Knead for 7 or 8 minutes and place in a bowl dusted with flour.

5. Let it double in volume.

6. Deflate dough and press into a rectangle.  Fold it into thirds, spin it 1/4 and fold it into thirds again making sure the top is lightly coated in a layer of flour.  Place in a buttered bread pan  and let rise until about an inch over the top of the pan.

7. Bake in a 425 degree oven, spraying the loaf a half-dozen times when your first place it in and three minutes into the baking as well.  After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

8. The last five minutes of baking take the loaf out of its pan and place directly on the racks to crispen up the underside and edges.  Give her a knock to make sure she thumps like a hollow loaf and you’re done.

9. Wait until it’s nearly cooled. Slice, slather and enjoy.