2 loaves of a sandwich bread which survives freezing and thawing quite nicely. I’d been making disappointing loaves all winter (so flat!) and this recipe was a big change/success/relief! I recommend using 8.5×4.5″ bread pans for better shaped loaves – I only have one of those, and a 9×5″, and the bigger loaf is a bit flatter, as makes sense. (Trying to buy another bread pan and why do all the glass ones I can find have sloped sides?? Who wants that?)

Wider pan = shorter loaf.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet/2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
• 1 pinch powdered ginger (the yeast likes it, you won’t taste it)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)
• 2 cups warm cultured buttermilk (105-110 degrees F)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter plus 2 tablespoons, divided

Combine the yeast, ginger, sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl and let rest 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda (perhaps in a large measuring cup, which you can also use to microwave the buttermilk to warm it), whisk together, then pour into the yeast mixture.

Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until smooth on low speed of your mixture, starting with the paddle attachment, 3-5 minutes. Add the melted butter and mix until completely combined.

Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, continuing to mix on low speed. I do recommend briefly stirring by hand after each addition, so that turning on the mixer doesn’t create a huge cloud of loose flour. When the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl, remove and knead until smooth. I had hoped to knead fully just with the dough hook, but it seemed like much of the dough wasn’t really getting kneaded, so I did do it by hand.

Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, rotate to cover all sides of the dough in the grease, and cover. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.

Grease two bread pans. Once risen, punch down and shape into two loaves, putting each into a greased pan with seam-side down. Lightly grease the top of the bread, then cover and let rise a further 45 minutes, or until the dough has reached the top of the bread pans.

Preheat the oven to 375, put in the loaves, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.

Let cool on a rack in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Buttermilk Bread

From Restless Chipotle.

• 1 packet/2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
• 1 pinch powdered ginger (the yeast likes it, you won’t taste it)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)
• 2 cups warm cultured buttermilk (105-110 degrees F)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter plus 2 tablespoons, divided

Combine the yeast, ginger, sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl and let rest 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda (perhaps in a large measuring cup, which you can also use to microwave the buttermilk to warm it), whisk together, then pour into the yeast mixture.

Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until smooth on low speed of your mixture, starting with the paddle attachment, 3-5 minutes. Add the melted butter and mix until completely combined.

Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, continuing to mix on low speed. I do recommend briefly stirring by hand after each addition, so that turning on the mixer doesn’t create a huge cloud of loose flour. When the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl, remove and knead until smooth.

Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, rotate to cover all sides of the dough in the grease, and cover. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled. Grease two bread pans. Once risen, punch down and shape into two loaves, putting each into a greased pan with seam-side down. Lightly grease the top of the bread, then cover and let rise a further 45 minutes, or until the dough has reached the top of the bread pans.

Preheat the oven to 375, put in the loaves, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter. Let cool on a rack in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.