Buttermilk Bread

I love buttermilk! Not to drink, but to cook with. I remember I once had a friend that asked what can you do with it, she claimed she would buy it for one recipe and then throw it out. There is no need in that there is so much that it can be used for friend chicken, biscuits,salad dressings, lemon dill sauce for fish, in cakes and of course this amazing bread. I love homemade bread, but I don't own a bread machine and I really think it is best the day it is made unless you toast it for sandwiches or for breakfast the next day. Anyway, that is where this recipe comes in. It makes only one loaf which is great for our family and tastes great with really any sandwich from grilled cheese, to a veggie loaded sandwich, or smeared with butter. This recipe is based on Cook's Illustrated's recipe Buttermilk American Loaf Bread, but they use all bread flour and I like the little bit of flavor that the white whole wheat flour adds. This may look like a lot of steps but they are all really easy and straight forward and from beginning to end it only takes about 3 hours.

Buttermilk Loaf Bread
3 cups bread flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 package rapid-rise yeast

Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

Mix flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. in 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup, Mix cold buttermilk and boiling water together (temperature should be about 110-degrees), add butter, honey, and yeast. Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid. When dough comes together, increase speed to medium (setting number 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.

Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.

Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan; close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature (or as close as you can let it get before slicing into it). Slice and serve.