I was tempted to never move past Sister Virginia's Daily Loaf after making it a week or so ago. The loaves I made were as close to perfection as I ever hope to get. And I just realized, after going back to find the link to that post so I could included it here, that I never wrote about it. Oh, dear. I'm slipping already.
So, a few quick words about Sister Virginia's Daily Loaf from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Bread before I move on to today's recipe. Sister Virginia, a Kentucky Shaker, made her bread with the usual ingredients, plus milk and lard. My hubby declared the resulting bread to be "like homemade Wonder White." Yes! No, I'm not a big fan of Wonder bread, but I knew he meant that it was light, soft on the inside, and just chewy enough in the crust. It might have been the first bread I've ever baked that I was happy to make a sandwich with. It was just so easy to eat. And it toasted a nice golden brown, something I've found homemade bread doesn't always do. So, as I said at the beginning of this post, I was tempted to never move past that recipe in Clayton's book.
I will persevere, however, in the interests of bread bakers everywhere (or at least the few who read this blog). Sister Virginia gave way to Rich White Bread. It also used milk and lard, but additionally had two eggs incorporated into the dough.
Oh, a quick side note. A friend told me she was enjoying reading my posts (thanks, Peggy!) but bemoaned the fact that I never share the recipes. She understood, however, that it was all about copyright, and she was right. Since I'm working my way through Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Bread, I can't legally reproduce his recipes. You can, of course, buy his book for yourself if you're so inspired (hmm, I should figure out a way to make referral money) or, I suspect, conduct an internet search for the recipe names and see if you can find them elsewhere.
Now, back to the Rich White Bread. It was joy to knead and rose beautifully, and quicker than expected, all three times. I'm excited to see if it toasts as well as Sister Virginia's Daily Loaf. If so, I'm going to tentatively predict that milk is the determining factor on that front, although it could be the lard. Hmm.... Experiments may need to happen.
Actually, I was thinking about sharing a recipe with you in a future post. I have a go-to recipe I use when I just want to throw together a loaf or pizza crust or dinner rolls, one that I have been mentally amending with what I've learned from Clayton. Sometime before I leave the white breads section of Clayton's book, I'll put those amendments into practice and see how they go. When I do, I'll share the recipe and results with you.
It's finally starting to look like spring here in Alaska, and I'm delighting in being able to set my bread in a sunny spot to find enough warmth to encourage rising rather than warming the oven up a bit. It will be a long while before crocus and daffodils are poking through the snow in my flower beds, but for now, I'll revel in the sun actually having warmth in its rays.
Oh, right, how did the Rich White Bread turn out? Delicious. I made what are possibly the two most perfectly symmetrical loaves I've ever made. The bread is light and airy and tasty. Just to be sure, I ate a piece untoasted and a piece toasted. It browned beautifully and is just crunchy enough. Upon further reflection, I'm thinking maybe it's the lard that makes it so toastable. Yep, testing will have to occur.
