Another week, another sandwich bread. This one, once again from King Arthur Flour, comes on a suggestion from my mother, who said this was a good loaf to try. I ended up having to substitute or leave out various things, due mostly to the fact that I was nearly out of all-purpose flour, and I didn’t have any grain mix or cereal to add. The loaf came out well anyway, and while the shape was not perfect for sandwiches, it worked well enough.

It starts with a starter, unsurprisingly. The starter called for mostly all-purpose flour with a bit of pumpernickel. I possessed neither, so I just used all 12-grain flour (which I am getting low on as well), figuring that yeast love an organic flour for the starter so they would do fine.

Into the bowl goes the rest of the ingredients. The starter was probably the wateriest starter I’ve ever made (it in fact included all the flour in the recipe), and all that had to go in later was the flour and salt. If I had thought ahead I would have substituted some of the water for a little oil, which helps keep the bread fresher longer, but I did not. Fortunately, it stayed good enough for sandwiches for the week, though the edges were getting a little stale toward the end.

It mixed up well with the dough whisk, and was neither too slack nor too dry.

After a good kneading, the dough is smooth (well, as smooth as whole-grain bread gets), and stickier, but not ridiculously sticky.

Probably the best shaping job I’ve ever done. I tucked all the ends in and had a nice smooth surface ready across the top. I probably should have slashed the top with a knife before I put it in, but to be honest I’m still a little skittish about doing that because I always fear my bread will deflate.

My bread came out with kind of a bizarre shape. I think it rose a little too much on the second rise, and it probably settled down after I pulled the plastic wrap off the top. How it cooked in the oven to form a perfectly sharp edge midway down, like the lip of a flying saucer, I do not know. A lot of times if you let a bread over rise you get huge holes in the crumb, but I didn’t have any of that happen. And honestly I’d rather have this happen than the holes, because sandwiches are easier to keep together when your bread isn’t very holey.

A Simple, Rustic Loaf (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients

Starter

• 1 1/2 cups cool water
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 cups organic 12-grain flour blend

Dough

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached All-Purpose flour
• 1/2 cup mixed grains and seeds of your choice (optional)

Directions

1. Mix the sponge ingredients together, and let rest at room temperature, covered, for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Stir down the sponge, and add the salt and flour. Mix and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic. Knead in the grains, if using.
3. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat its surface with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, and form it into a ball or a loaf. Place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or into an ovenproof crock. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F.
5. Gently but firmly slash the dough across the top, then spritz it with water. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.