Ciabatta Bread

This is a first for me, so hopefully it works out! This takes a little planning ahead and slightly more effort to make than your average loaf. The dough requires a starter – which is so easy and low maintenance. I found this recipe around 9 last night and threw it together in a couple of minutes. All it had to do was sit, covered for up to 15 hours. I waited about 12 to finish the dough up – which is made so much easier with my trusty digital scale and KitchenAid mixer. This dough is much more wet and sticky than any dough I have used lately. It’s similar to a no-knead dough – both are moist, stringy and sticky. Oil your hands, tools and work surfaces generously; and even the oil doesn’t keep it all from sticking, but it is a big help. This dough is also a slow-rising dough, so again – plan ahead. There is the overnight bit, the two hour first rise, the 60 to 90 minute second rise and then finally the 20 minute baking time. Like I said earlier – I really hope that this works out! 😉

Verdict:  This was great for my first try – I learned a lot about this dough, so I will be more prepared next time. Because of the overnight starter, the flavor is reminiscent of a sourdough bread. I’d say overall this was a successful attempt at an artisan bread. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Ciabatta Ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

Overnight starter

Dough

  • all of the starter (from above)
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions –
1) To make the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly.
2) Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer, and beat at medium speed, using the flat beater, for 7 minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

3) Transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it midway through. If you’re using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

4) Lightly grease your work surface, and a half-sheet baking pan (18″ x 13″) or similar large baking sheet. Grease your hands, as well.

5) Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don’t want to deflate it. It’ll lose a bit of volume, but don’t actively punch it down.

6) Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10″ long x 4″ wide.

7) Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2″ from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4″ between them.

8.) Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

9) Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You’ll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven’t entirely disappeared.

10) Bake the loaves till they’re golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

Quick Post: I made these to go with our Grilled Pork Chops. They were yummy, slightly sweet and not annoyingly crumbly – if that makes sense. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Honey Cornbread Muffin Ingredients – adapted from Food Network

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Directions –

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden

Pizza Caprese with Garlic Focaccia Crust

I.Love.Bread. I could never cut it out of my diet – how boring would that be? A life with no bread is a sad thought 😉 I didn’t care all that much for it before I started making my own though. It makes such a difference and I’m so happy that I have my KitchenAid standing mixer to do all the grunt work. It is the most expensive toy in my kitchen arsenal, but it also gets the most use out of all my appliances. It opened up a whole new word of recipes for me and my family and I couldn’t be more excited!
Verdict: More cheese next time according to M – but I’ll have to agree. Also, I need to turn the heat up on the oven – I set it to 475 because 550 is scary-hot. We all enjoyed the flavor and the rosemary wasn’t over-powering at all. I thought the garlic flavor would come through more, but that wasn’t too strong either. M also mentioned that this dough would make tasty sandwich bread, so I’ll have to make that sometime soon for him. I’m pretty happy with how this came out, which is always a great outcome when I try something completely different for my family. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Pizza Caprese with Garlic Focaccia Crust – adapted from goodLife(eats)
For the Crust –
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 2 c warm water
  • 6 c flour, divided
  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 1/4 c chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 8 cloves chopped garlic
Toppings –
  • Olive oil
  • Asiago Cheese
  • Fresh Basil, sliced thin
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • Fresh Mozzarella

Directions:

Combine yeast and water; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and salt. Stir 4 c flour, garlic, and rosemary in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 50 minutes. Dough will be spongy.

Sprinkle remaining 2 c flour onto a flat surface. Turn dough out onto floured surface, and knead until flour is incorporated into dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 550 degrees F with a pizza stone on a rack in the top 1/2 of the oven. Return to the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes.

Divide dough into quarters. On a floured surface (I like to use a pizza peel or a sheet of parchment so I can easily transfer the pizza to the stone in the oven). Roll each portion out into rounds just under 1/2 an inch thick. Using fingertips dimple the dough all over.

Brush each crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil all over. Grate 2 tablespoons of asiago on each pizza. Top with a handful of sliced fresh basil and halved cherry or grape tomatoes. Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Transfer pizza to the pizza stone in the oven. Bake at 550 degrees F for 9-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: If you don’t intend to use the full amount of dough, divide it after the second rise and place the extra in a gallon sized zip top bag in the refrigerator. Use the dough within 48 hours. Punch it down and proceed with forming the crust rounds.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

I went and did it – I finally made hot dog buns. Yes, it is easier to just spend the couple of dollars to buy hot dog buns, but why do that when I know how much better homemade tastes? Not to mention, the fact that I know what went into these…have you read ingredient lists on store bought breads? I know these aren’t as smooth and uniform-looking as the packaged kind, but I do know that these taste and smell a whole lot better. And yes, I am a food snob – and I’m totally fine with that! 😉

These make a nice, hearty bun for your hot dog and toppings. M had his with lots of chili and cheese and the bun held up really nice and didn’t get soggy at all. The kids enjoyed these too, and my pickiest eater ate hers faster than her big brother. This recipe made 18 hot dog buns, so I was able to freeze half of these. Next time I use this recipe, I might try to use half the dough for hamburger buns so I can have plenty on homemade buns on hand. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Hot Dog Buns – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 packets or 2 scant tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 2 cups warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Directions –

Mixing: In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Kneading: Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Because this dough is so slack, you may find that a bowl scraper or bench knife can be helpful in scooping up the dough and folding it over on itself.

Rising: Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 18 equal pieces. This is done most easily by dividing the dough first into thirds, then those thirds into halves, then the halves into thirds.

Shape each piece into a ball. For hot-dog buns, roll the balls into cylinders, 4 1/2-inches in length. Flatten the cylinders slightly; dough rises more in the center so this will give a gently rounded top versus a high top.

For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half inch apart so they’ll grow together when they rise. For crisper buns, place them three inches apart.

Second Rising: Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Baking: Fifteen minutes before you want to bake your buns, preheat your oven to 400°F. Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever seeds strike your fancy.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F. (A dough thermometer takes the guesswork out of this.)

When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread

Quick Post: I haven’t posted a yeast  bread recipe in a long time. Anyway, I owe someone a loaf of this, and I’m glad because I haven’t had an excuse to make this one since December. It’s so good and it is the perfect bread for toasting. I like that it makes two loaves so I still get to keep one 😉 The cinnamon and brown sugar are such a warm and comforting combination. While the oats soak in the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture – try to stop yourself from licking the bowl. I kind of wish that maple sugar wasn’t so darn expensive and that it was easier to find because I would love to try it. I have only seen it available online, and I can’t justify the cost, especially the 8 dollar shipping! Blah… Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread – adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients –
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup rolled oats (*aka “old fashioned”)
  • 1/2 cup maple sugar (*I don’t have any of this but brown sugar is the best substitute)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Saigon-type cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions –

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple sugar, honey, butter, salt and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm.

Add the yeast and flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes by machine) until the dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in two greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pans. Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise till they’ve crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 360°F oven for 33 minutes.* Remove them from the oven when they’re golden brown, and the interior registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Yield: 2 sandwich loaves.

*If your oven can’t be set at 360°F, set it at 350°F and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes

Blackened Tilapia Flatbread

The picture sold me on this recipe first and I’m always on the lookout for fish recipe ideas. We recently got back from a three day vacation at Disney World, and while we were there we went to the Rain Forest Cafe. I tried their blackened tilapia with mango salsa and it was pretty tasty. I don’t normally order my fish “blackened” – it just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me ( “black” sounds like “burnt” to me ). So, on the shopping list was blackening seasoning and tilapia – thankfully the tilapia is on sale this week at Publix, but the blackening seasoning was not. I read the ingredients list and the first listed spice was salt….no thanks. I have salt at home, and I also have all the ingredients necessary to make my own salt-free blend! It pays to have a well stocked spice and dried herb cabinet. Bread making comes in handy too and for this meal I’ll make these pitas instead of spending almost four dollars for “fresh” pitas.

Verdict: These were so good – and the fish was cooked perfectly. The spicy tartar sauce was a great compliment to these, but next time I may add a little more cayenne pepper to the blackening seasoning. Overall we were all happy to eat this up, and it will definitely go into the rotation! Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Blackened Seasoning Mix – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (*I used half smoked paprika, half sweet)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions –
Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano in a bowl until evenly mixed. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Blackened Fish Flatbread – adapted from Honest Cooking

For the Fish:

  • 1 lb tilapia
  • Blackening Seasoning of Choice
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 TBS Butter
  • 1 TBS Canola Oil

For the Simple Spicy Tartar Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup Tartar Sauce
  • 2-3 tsp of Lemon Juice
  • Blackening Seasoning to taste

Other:

  • Pita bread, store-bought or these
  • Chopped Lettuce
  • Lemon wedges
  • Sliced tomato
Directions –
  1. Heat butter and canola oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper one side of fish and then coat with blackening spice to desired preference (we coat ours pretty well as we LOVE the heat).
  2. Place the fish, seasoned side down into the pan and quickly season the other side in the same way. Cook fish for roughly 3-4 minutes per side: 7-8 minutes in total (see above note regarding cooking times). Remove from skillet, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Heat flatbread in oven at 350° F until just warmed through (takes only a few minutes). Remove from oven and layer on the lettuce, tomato, red onion, and spicy tartar sauce to preference. Place fish filet on top, fold up the sides, and wrap one end in parchment paper or foil. Serve with a lemon wedge if desired.
  4. Note: The hubs says that the rule of thumb for cooking fish is roughly 1 minute per ounce. For instance, an 8 oz piece of fish will need about 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total).

Banana Crumb Muffins

There were several spotted bananas waiting to be used and I remembered this recipe. I haven’t baked these in years so I don’t remember what modifications I used to make. I thought it best to make them without doctoring them up at all – success! There is a reason why this is the most popular at Allrecipes.com. It only makes 10 muffins which could be a problem for M – we tried one for quality control sake. He said “these wont last long here”. Too bad for him, but I was already planning on sharing some with our new neighbors:) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Banana Crumb Muffins – adapted from Allrecipes

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Directions –

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


Beautiful Burger Buns

I love that I save money making buns like this at home. They’re fresh, free of preservatives and artificial ingredients and so much more flavorful than anything you can find at Publix. The only down-side to making so many different things at home is that I’ve ruined my son’s chances at finding a wife who does the same. He’s mindful of the things I make asking if it’s “from scratch” and couldn’t stop telling me last night how my cooking is the “best in the world”:) Anyway, I used these for this sandwich and they were a good fit for because they held up well to all the sandwich ingredients without falling apart. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Beautiful Burger Buns – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Directions –

1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients – by hand, mixer, or bread machine – to make a soft, smooth dough.

2. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it’s doubled in bulk.

3. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1″ thick (more or less); flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

4. If desired, brush buns with melted butter. Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

5. Bake the buns in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.




Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread (just keeping it real)

Note to self: impatience is NEVER rewarded. I learned this the hard way. I’ve made this bread twice this week (and plan on making it again next week – hopefully with better results). The first time was fine because I didn’t bother getting the loaf out of the pan while it was still hot and just cut the pieces out of the pan. There is a short window of opportunity to get loaves out of their pans before they stick, so I wanted to work on it within seven minutes of taking it out of the oven. That obviously didn’t help either. This loaf sticks like crazy, so now with two failed attempts at de-panning, I know now that I need to butter the pan and then put a piece of parchment paper on top of that. Next week we’ll see if that works! It better because this is not something I want to happen again.
Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Fresh Strawberry Bread – My Baking Addiction
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped

Directions
1. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.
4. Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

A few days ago, I decided that I would make French toast; and today I thought: “why not make that cinnamon swirl bread I bookmarked so long ago?” Sure, it takes a little more effort but my family is worth it! This recipe is actually a raisin/cinnamon swirl bread – but M doesn’t like raisins so, I left them out.

The recipe was simple enough to follow, but not as straight forward as my favorite sandwich bread recipe. The dough is super soft and kind of sticky once it’s all finished kneading – but don’t worry! After its first rise and quick chill in the freezer, it was much easier to work with. Rolling it out was simple enough because it didn’t snap back like other doughs. Next time I will roll the dough out slightly smaller so I don’t have so much to tuck underneath. That explains the wonky look of my loaf. It’s not going to win any perfect loaf contest, but I’m sure the family won’t mind.

For the custard, I used this recipe but with slightly less sugar. The sweetness in the dough should be plenty to make up for that.

Verdict: this was worth the effort. Everyone enjoyed the French toast this morning! It did take longer to cook than I anticipated, because I dried out the bread in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes so the bread would absorb the custard well and not fall apart. Once one batch was finished, I placed the slices on a rack which I place on top of a half sheet pan into a 200 degree oven to keep warm. Serve with lots of warm maple syrup! Thanks for reading, enjoy:)

Cinnamon Swirl Bread – adapted from Dorie Greenspan via food.baby

For the bread:

  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch
  • 1 1/4 cups just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
  • Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour

For the swirl:

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
  • 1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to a spreadable consistency

To make the bread:

Put the yeast in a small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar and stir in 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir – the yeast may not have dissolved completely and it may not have bubbled, but it should be soft.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and mix for a minute or two. Add the salt, egg and vanilla, if you are using it, as well as the zest and nutmeg, if you’re using them, and mix for a minute. In all likelihood, the mixture will look unpleasantly curdly (it will look even worse when you add the yeast). Add the yeast mixture and beat on low-medium speed for 1 minute more.

Turn the mixer off and add 2 3/4 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed just until you work the flour into the liquids – you’ll have a sticky mix. If you’ve got a dough hook, switch to it now. Add another 1 cup of flour, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the dough for a couple of minutes. If the dough does not come together and almost clean the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the mixer speed at medium and knead the dough for about 3 minutes, or until it is smooth and has a lovely buttery sheen. The dough will be very soft, much too soft to knead by hand.

Butter a large bowl, turn the dough into a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm enough to be rolled easily. (At this point, you can instead refrigerate the dough overnight if that is more convenient).

To make the swirl and shape the loaf:

Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and cocoa, if you’re using it. Check that the raisins are nice and moist; if they’re not, steam them for a minute, then dry them well.

Put the dough on a large work surface lightly dusted with flour, lightly dust the top of the dough and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.

Gently smear 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the dough – this is most easily done with your fingers. Sprinkle over the sugar mixture and scatter over the raisins. Starting from a short side of the dough, roll the dough up jelly-roll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snugly. Fit the dough into the buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck the ends under the loaf.

Cover the pan loosely with wax paper and set in a warm place; let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edges of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Getting ready to bake:

When the dough has almost fully risen, centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter, and brush the top of the loaf with the butter. Put the pan on the baking sheet and bake the bread for about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold. Invert the bread and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.