Classic Homemade Yeast Bread

February. The gray kind of Alabama February that is different from January cold: a waiting quality, the air neither winter nor spring. The daycare is doing a Valentine week, which means heart shapes on everything and Mia has decided that heart shapes are the best shapes and is very enthusiastic about this opinion.

I made the bread again this week, the yeast bread. Same recipe, second attempt. I watched a video online about kneading to understand what the dough should feel and look like at different stages. Windowpane test, it is called: you stretch a small piece of dough thin and if you can see light through it without it tearing, the gluten is developed enough. Mine passed the windowpane test this time. I let it rise longer. The loaf was lighter, better crumb, a proper dome on top.

I took the second loaf to Gloria on Sunday and she cut a slice and spread butter on it and tasted it slowly. She said this is good bread. I asked if she meant that kind of good or the real kind. She said: the real kind. I sat down in the kitchen chair and breathed for a second.

James has been having some trouble with his knees, which I learned this week when he stood up from the table slowly and made a sound he immediately tried to pretend he had not made. Gloria said it is the arthritis, same as her hands, and I did not say anything but I watched him more carefully the rest of the day. He is seventy. He has been so steady in my life for five years that I sometimes forget he has a body that ages. Both of them do. I need to remember that and not take for granted the Sundays I have.

This is the bread. The one I made twice, the one that passed the windowpane test on the second try and came out with a dome I was actually proud of. Gloria said it was the real kind of good, and I believed her because she is not a person who says things she does not mean. If you’ve been wanting to try baking your own bread and you’re nervous about yeast, start here—it is simpler than you think, and the second time is better than the first.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (includes rising) | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing

Instructions

Bloom the yeast. Stir the sugar into the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast may be expired—start over with fresh yeast.
Mix the dough. Add 1-1/2 cups of the flour and the salt to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Add the softened butter and stir again. Gradually add the remaining 1-1/2 cups flour, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, adding small pinches of flour only if it sticks badly. The dough is ready when it is smooth, springs back when poked, and passes the windowpane test—stretch a small piece thin, and if light shows through without tearing, the gluten is developed.
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
Shape the loaf. Punch down the dough gently and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a rectangle roughly 8 by 10 inches, then roll it up tightly from the short side, pinching the seam closed. Place seam-side down in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Second rise. Cover the pan loosely and let the dough rise for 30–45 minutes, until it domes about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Cool. Remove from the pan immediately and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This is hard to wait for, but the crumb needs the time to set.

Nutrition (per serving)

Classic Homemade Yeast Bread — The Loaf That Finally Earned a Real Compliment