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Directions
Initial Preparation
Melt the butter, and the let it cool to lukewarm.
Preparing the Yeast
Put one and a half cups of lukewarm water in a warmed mixing bowl. Dissolve two
teaspoonsful of brown sugar in it, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Leave until the
yeast has proved (i.e. turned foamy), which should take about five or ten minutes.
Making the Dough
Add the melted butter to the yeast.
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Mix the salt into the flour. If you are using half-and-half white and wholewheat flour,
then make sure they are well blended together.
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Add the dry ingredients to the yeast/butter mixture
one cupful at a time, mixing it in well. If the mixture gets too stiff to handle, add
more water as needed until all the flour has been incorporated into the dough. However,
the end result should be a stiff dough with a firm, reasonably dry surface. It should
not be sticky.
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Kneading the Dough
Form the dough into a large round ball, and put it on a clean flat surface (such as a kitchen
counter) that has been dusted with flour. Press the heels of both hands into the dough,
and push firmly down in a direction slightly away from you. Pull the dough up over
itself, and repeat the process. Occasionally give the dough a half turn, so that it
gets well pummelled in all directions. Do this for at least five minutes.
Leave the Dough to Rise
Lightly grease a mixing bowl with butter, margarine, or cooking oil.
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Put the dough in, and turn it inside the bowl so that the surface of the dough is lightly
greased.
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Cover the bowl with a piece of waxed paper, and put a dish towel on top so that it doesn't
shift.
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Place the bread dough in a warm place for a couple of hours until it has risen until at least
double in bulk.
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Preparing the Baking Sheet or Baking
Tins
Either grease a large baking sheet, or grease two loaf tins. Sprinkle the surface with
cornmeal. This is a thin cover, but sufficient cornmeal should be used to completely
cover the surface of the baking sheet, at least in the area where the loaves will be put.
If you are baking the bread in loaf tins, the cornmeal should completely cover the bottom of
both the tins.
Shaping the Loaves to Bake on a Baking
Sheet
Punch the risen dough down, and take it out of the bowl. Divide it into two pieces of
equal size, judged by weight rather than dimensions. Shape these either into smooth
rounds or smooth ovals.
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Place the two loaves on the baking sheet, positioned so that they will not touch when the
dough rises again. It often helps to position them slightly diagonally.
(Alternatively, use two separate smaller baking sheets.)
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Shaping the Loaves to Bake in
Tins
Punch the risen dough down, and take it out of the bowl. Divide it into two pieces of
equal size, judged by weight rather than dimensions. Shape the dough into fat sausage
shapes.
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Place one sausage of dough in each baking tin, smooth side up.
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Second Rising
Leave the loaves in a warm place for an hour or two to rise again. If you are baking
them in tins, they will puff up over the top of the tin.
Baking
Bake at 450°F for forty to fifty minutes until the crust is a rich brown. Remove
from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
Makes two large loaves.
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