A Loaf of Bread - The Essentials

Have you ever wanted to bake a loaf of bread that is up to the standard of your local bakery.  Crispy, outer crust that is soft in the middle, small irregular crumb texture, with a flavor profile that is distinct but not over powering.  It's actually not that hard.  Four ingredients:  AP Flour, Salt, Instant Yeast, and Water.  Time is another essential but that's another subject that requires more explanation.

Instant yeast removes the fear of killing the yeast with water too hot or risking inactivity with water not warm enough.  There is a threshold of 'cold' where the yeast will not perform and that is somewhere around 50 F.  To be safe always have the temp above 60 F.

Evaluation:

• Crust.  Well formed & crispy, and deep golden brown.  Depending on preference could be darker.  Tapping on the bread gently should create a hollow sound.  
• Shape.  The classic baguette that can be scaled at 12 oz.  A variable, try making boules, batards, or large loaves using 1-1.5 LBS of dough.
• Crumb.  Nice pockets that show some gaps, but not too much.  Large holes that are not well formed indicate you did not knead enough.  The more water in the recipe, the larger the holes.  

Signature Loaf

Dried Fruit, Nuts, Cinnamon, distinguish this bread as almost 'dessert' like, but without the fat content.

Vary the dried fruit using cranberries, cherries, raisins.  Nuts are a variable, too, as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts would all work.