Buttermilk Bread
Serving: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
2 tablespoons Turbanado sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour, sifted
Butter to grease bread loaf pan
Directions:
Combine buttermilk and sugar in a saucepan.
Heat contents to 117º F.
Remove from heat.
Scatter yeast over the surface of the mixture.
Allow to rest for two minutes.
Whisk yeast into sweetened buttermilk.
Leave mixture for 15 minutes or until yeast has proofed.
Place salt and flour in a sifter and sift into a separate bowl.
Add melted butter to the buttermilk mixutre and stir to incorporate.
Pour buttermilk mixture into a large bowl.
Stir flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture, cup by cup.
Mix each addition until well combined.
If the dough done not come to a kneading consistency, add buttermilk or flour, as required, by the tablespoon, until a good kneading consistency is reached.
Flour a board for kneading.
Flour hands.
Knead by hand a minimum of 10 minutes or until dough reaches an elastic consistency.
Cook’s Note: At the beginning, it may be necessary to reflour your hands until the dough has been kneaded to the point where it is not longer sticky.
Once kneaded, form into a round ball, place in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough is double in bulk.
Butter the entire interior of a roughly 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ x 2 1/2″ bread loaf pan.
Punch dough down and knead several times.
Shape dough to roughly the length of the bread loaf pan and place in the greased bread loaf pan.
Place pan back in the warm spot and let dough rise for another 30 – 45 minutes, or until double in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Bake dough for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when rapped on the top.
Place towel over top, upend and the bread should fall out into the towel.
Place loaf on cooling rack.
Allow loaf to cool on rack.
Slice and serve.