Anadama Bread
Yield: Two 9×5 loaves or three 8½x4½ loaves.
Soaker
1 cup (6 ounces) cornmeal
1 cup (8 ounces) water, at room temperature
Dough
4½ cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) water, lukewarm (90° to 100° F)
1½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons (4 ounces) molasses
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Cornmeal for dusting (optional)
1. The day before making the bread, make the soaker by mixing the
cornmeal and water in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit
overnight at room temperature.
2. The next day, to make the dough, stir together 2 cups of the
flour, the yeast, soaker, and water in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of
an electric mixer). Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and
ferment for 1 hour, or until the sponge begins to bubble.
3. Add the remaining 2½ cups of flour, the salt, molasses, and butter and stir
(or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the
ingredients form a ball. Add water if necessary to make a soft, slightly sticky
mass.
4. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfrer the dough to the counter, and begin
kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook),
sprinkling in more flour as needed to make a tacky, but not sticky,
dough. The dough should be firm but supple and pliable and definitely
not sticky. It will take about 10 minutes of kneading to accomplish this (or 6
to 8 minutes in the electric mixer). The dough should pass the
windowpane test and register 77° to 81° F.
5. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it
around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
ferment the dough at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until it
doubles in size.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces
of 24 ounces, or 3 pieces of about 16 ounces. Shape the dough into
loaves, and place them into bread pans that have been lightly oiled or
misted with spray oil. Mist the tops of the loaves with spray oil and
loosely cover the tops with plastic wrap.
7. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the loaves crest
fully above the tops of the pans.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
Place the pans on a sheet pan and remove the plastic wrap. Mist hte tops with a
spray of water and dust with cornmeal.
9. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate
the sheet pan for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or
until the loaves are golden brown, including along the sides and
bottom, and register at least 185° to 190°F in the center. They should
make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
10. When the loaves are done, remove them immediately from the pans
and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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