Crusty White Sandwich Loaf

By chelyc13

This loaf is nothing like commercial white bread, that impossibly soft stuff best used for wadding up and tossing across lunchrooms. The crust is firm if not actually crackling. The stored dough adds sourdough completixty to the traditionally bland product, and the steam adds both crackle and caramelization to the crust.

This variation will give you some experience baking high moisture dough in a loaf pan. You must use a nonstick pan; they work well but still require a light greasing. Wet dough usually sticks miserable to traditional pans no matter how much you grease them.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boule dough
• Neutral tasting oil for greasing the pan

Preparation

Step 1

1. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2 pound piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it inot a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Lightly grease a 9x4x3 inch nonstick loaf pan with a neutral flavored oil.

2. Elongate the ball into an oval and drop it inot the prepared pan. You want to fill the pan slightly more than half full.

3. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes; (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Dust with flour and slahs the toop crust with the tip of a serrated bread knife.

4. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450, with an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread. A baking stone is not essential when using a loaf pan; if you omit it, you can shorten the preheat to 5 minutes.

5. Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until brown and firm.

6. Remove the loaf from the pan allow to cool completely on a rack before slicing or eating.