BUTTERMILK WHITE BREAD

BUTTERMILK WHITE BREAD

(adapted from James Beard, p. 42)

The best white bread.

¼ cup white cornmeal

Scant ¾ cup hot water

Scant 2 tbsp. honey

5 tbsp. melted butter

2¼ tbsp. dry yeast

1 rounded tbsp. salt

3 cups buttermilk

7-8 cups unbleached hard-wheat flour plus ¼ cup cornmeal

In a small bowl, combine the first four ingredients and, when sufficiently cool, the yeast. Allow to proof. In the large bowl, mix 5 cup of flour and the remaining ingredients into a smooth dough. Add the yeast mixture and mix in as much of the remaining flour as possible; flour the kneading board with the remainder. Turn out onto kneading surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough is supple, smooth and satiny. Form into a ball.

Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the ball of dough in it, and turn the dough to coat it with oil or butter on all sides. Cover and set in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down, turn out, and knead for two minutes. Shape into two loaves. Let the loaves rest a few minutes while you spray or butter two 9 x 5 x 3 bread pans. Dust the pans with cornmeal, place the loaves in them, cover and set to rise again until more than doubled in bulk, or until the tops are rounded above the rims of the pans.

Pre-heat oven to 375°. Brush the tops of the loaves with water, and cut one or two slashes into the tops with a razor blade or very sharp knife. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the tops sound hollow when rapped with a wooden spoon. Turn out of the pans and bake for a few more minutes directly on the oven rack. Remove to cool on a rack. Do not slice until thoroughly cool, preferably the next day.