So Simple, So Good Bread

This is such a simple loaf that turns out so great I almost think I should keep it a secret 😊 

I have been looking to have a quick and easy way to have a high quality loaf of bread in under 3 hours and I think this may be it. The key is to use a few shortcuts without any feelings of guilt, effort isn't the only way to create quality, sometimes just thinking it through and using the right options can work.

Here's how to do it... take all the ingredients listed below (I got them all in a standard grocery store), throw them into your bread maker on the dough setting (in the order recommended by your machine, typically wet to dry).  

When it is completed, take the dough and form two equal sized balls and let them sit for 5 minutes (I don't know why, just every recipe seems to say that, apparently the dough needs to rest ).  Then shape them into two batards (torpedo shaped loaves) and cover them with plastic wrap sprayed with Pam or something similar.  Let them sit for about 45 minutes on parchment paper (they are ready when you poke them with your finger and the dent remains). Being on parchment paper makes it easy to move them into the oven, just keep the loaves on the paper,  In the meantime fire up your over to 450 degrees and have a spray bottle of water on hand. If you have a baking stone (or pizza stone) put that in the oven when you turn it on, if not you can use a baking pan without pre-heating.  When the dough is ready, slash it with a razor blade or very sharp knife (3 diagonal slices are a good way to start, play with that on future loaves), slide the loaves into the oven (a pizza paddle is ideal but you can use any flat pan).  Immediately spray the loaves and the oven with your spray bottle and shut the oven quickly to not lose too much heat. Bake for 25 minutes (internal temperature of the loaves should exceed 200 degrees if you have a thermometer for that, otherwise 25 minutes should do it).  Turn the oven off and crack the door, but don't remove the loaves for another 5 minutes.  Let them cool on a rack for as long as you can endure.  Once totally cooled I usually slice one and put it in the freezer for future
use (great toast right out of the freezer).  ENJOY.

Ingredients

-1 and 2/3 Cups of water

-1 tablespoon of sugar

-2 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt

-4 and 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

-Half a cup of 12-grain cereal (uncooked) (I use Speerville Mills St John Valley Cereal)

-2 tablespoons of gluten (I use Fleishman's Bread Booster) 

-2 and 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast (I use Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast)