Experiments in Bread Making, Trial 5

See the previous experiments here:
Break Making Experiment 3
Bread Making Experiment 4

The result of experiment 4 was a bread loaf that was chewy and had a good flavor, but was too small.  I went out to shop for flour and noticed that Lehi Roller Mills Artesian Bread flour was on sale at the Harmon's case lot sale so I bought 16 pounds.

For experiment 5, I followed the recipe for basic white bread on the Lehi Roller Mill's bag which is essentially what I had arrived at in experiment 4, except it didn't use a poolish (or preferment) and it included sugar.  I use a poolish because in my experience it makes bread have a more complex flavor and chewy texture, it saves yeast, and all the good bread bakers seem to do it.

Lehi Roller Mills basic white bread recipe, adapted to use a poolish


1 1/8 C warm water
1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/8 C flour

Mix poolish ingredients together by hand, cover, and let ferment in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Add 1 tsp salt and 2 Tbs sugar, mix well.

Add 1 1/2 C of flour, 1/2 C at a time, while mixing at speed 2.  Let mix for 3 minutes, turn dough, and let mix for 3 more minutes adding additional flour as necessary.  Dough should clean bowl and be sticky.

Put dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat, and let rise until double in size, about an hour.  Punch down dough, kneed with flour, and shape into loaf.  Place in a greased bread pan, cover, and let rise until dough is 1 inch above the edge of pan.

Bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes.

This turned out to be the best tasting loaf yet, chewy and tasty!  Still, not as big as I would have liked... but close.  Katie replicated what I did with this same recipe, except she doubled it and made a French loaf, a regular loaf, and a little roll.