Instructions: STEP 5: THE FIRST AND SECOND RISE

Form the dough into a ball. Place it in a clean, dry 3-to 4-quart bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a draft-free place where the temperature is between 80F and 90F. On a hot summer day, simply let the dough rise in a cool part of your kitchen (in a cupboard, for example); on a winter day, set the dough in a draft-free spot that is several feet from the refrigerator. (Never set dough on the refrigerator or you will kill the yeast.) Allow the dough to rise until it has slightly more than doubled in size and feels light and spongy when pressed with the fingers. This will take about 2 hours. Resist the temptation to cut the rise or to speed things up by placing the dough in a very warm place; if the rise is rushed, the baked bread will not have the proper texture and will have little flavor.

At this point you can proceed to form the loaf (next step), but your bread will be more flavorful and better textured if you let the dough rise a second time. Flatten the dough with your fist and reshape into a ball. return it to the bowl, cover, and let double a second time, which will take about an hour.

Note: Recipe may be slowed or temporarily arrested after the first rise by refrigerating or freezing the dough.

STEP 6: FORMING THE LOAF

1 tbs. soft butter or vegetable shortening

To produce an evenly textured, professional-looking loaf, you must shape the raw bread rather than simply plopping it into the bread pan. I find the following method consistently reliable. ( The instructions given below are for a single large loaf, but the same general procedures apply to the forming of two smaller loaves.)

* Select either one 7 1/2-cup loaf pan measuring about 9 x 5 x 2 1/2 inches, or two smaller loaf pans with a capacity of 4 to 5 1/2 cups each. Grease the pans with soft butter or vegetable shortening and set aside.

* Invert bowl and let rise dough fall upside down onto an unfloured work surface, pressing it lightly to deflate. (The work surface must be unfloured because if flour is incorporated into the dough during forming, the loaf may not stick together and may have gaps inside when baked.)

* Pat he dough into a rectangle about 6 inches wide and 8 inches long, with the short side facing you. Dont worry if the dough sticks to the work surface.

* Starting with the short side nearest you, roll the dough lengthwise into the tightest cylinder possible.

* The dough will widen when rolled, and interior layers may push out at the ends. Poke any protruding layers back into the cylinder, then bring the top layer of the loaf over the protruding folds to cover them.

* With the sides of your hand, lightly jab along the bottom of the cylinder, both at the ends and at the sides, to tuck the dough underneath and stretch the top of the loaf tightly. Give the dough a few light slaps, particularly at the sides to make sure that it is well stuck together; then press the sides of the loaf at he ends between your palms to make them taper slightly. When you are through, the loaf should resemble a mammoth grain of rice.

* Lift the formed loaf between your hands as place it, seam side down, in the center of the greased bread pan. If the loaf has been formed correctly, it will touch the ends of the pan, but not the sides. Dont worry if the loaf is slightly too long for the pan, and therefore wrinkles or crumples in the center: it will puff up as it rises.

Note: Recipe may be slowed or temporarily be arrested at this point by refrigerating or freezing the loaf.

STEP 7: FINAL RISE OF THE FORMED LOAF; PREHEATING THE OVEN

Loosely drape a piece of plastic wrap over the bread pan. (If the day is humid, lightly flour the wrap to prevent the dough from sticking.) Place the dough in a draft-free place where the temperature is between 80F to 90F. allow dough to rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size; if you are using a 7 1/2 inch loaf pan, the dough should fill the pan and puff slightly higher than the rim of the pan at the center. Avoid letting the dough rise too much, or a large bubble may form just beneath the top of the loaf, causing the loaf to flatten-rather than puff-as it bakes.

About 20 minutes before the end of the rising time, set rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400F.

Note: Recipe may be temporarily arrested at this point by freezing the risen loaf.

STEP 8: BAKING THE BREAD

Place the risen loaf in preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Avoid opening the oven door during the first 20 minutes of baking, while the bread is expanding. When the bread is done it will have shrunk perceptively from the sides of the pan. To be absolutely certain that it is fully baked, invert the loaf onto your hand

(protected with a pot holder ) and thump the bottom with your finger-it should sound hollow, as though it were a shoe box filled with crumpled wads of tissue paper. If the bread sounds more like a filled carton f milk, return the loaf to the pan and bake 5 o 10 minutes longer. Remember that bread often looks done on the outside while the interior is still sticky.

Note: Two smaller loaves will need only 30 to 35 minutes in the oven.

STEP 9: COOLING AND STORING THE BREAD

As soon as the bread is done, unmold it right side up onto a wire rack; if hot bread is allowed to stand in the pan it will soften and wrinkle disappointingly. At room temperature, the bread will take about 2 hours to cool completely. Avoid the temptation to slice the bread while still warm. Stem will escape and loaf will dry out; furthermore, bread needs more settling time after baking in order to develop its flavor. If you do slice a warm loaf, immediately turn it cut side down on a plate or on the countertop to finish cooling.

When the loaf is thoroughly cool, place it in a plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and tie securely. Store in a bread box or, better, in the refrigerator. If you do not plan to eat the bread within 3 days, wrap it tightly in foil, place in a plastic bag, seal the bag airtight, and freeze. The bread will keep nicely for several months in the freezer, but it should be consumed soon after thawing since the bread has been frozen tends to go stale quickly.

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