Recipe: Feather Bread

This is a fairly quick yeast bread to make, as it only requires one rising before baking. Crunchy on the outside, with a chewy inside, it makes great garlic toast, as well as anything else you might use a baguette for.

Yield: 1 loaf
Time: 10 minutes prep; about an hour to rise; 40 minutes to bake at 425F

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 oz. hot water
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 3 Tbs. butter, cubed
• 2-1/2 to 3 c. flour
• egg wash (optional)

Method:

1. proof the yeast with the sugar in the warm water
2. melt the butter into the hot water with the salt, and let cool
3. combine the butter and yeast mixtures
4. stir in flour, one cup at a time, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl (it'll be a bit sticky, but that's alright)
5. turn out the dough onto a floured board, and knead it for a few minutes, working in more flour as needed, until it's soft, elastic, and no longer sticky
6. roll it out into a rectangle, approx. 8" x 12"
7. roll it up along the wide side like a jelly roll, pinching the ends together as you go
8. place the formed loaf on a greased baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk (approx. an hour, or faster, if you use rapid-rise yeast)
9. optional: brush with egg wash
   
10. bake at 425F for 40 minutes, until it looks done, and sounds hollow when you flip it over and rap the bottom with your knuckles

Note: I did not bother to use egg wash on this particular loaf.