Name: Luxury Bread
Yield: Makes one 2½-pound (1.15-kg) round loaf
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 6 cups (780 g) unbleached stone-ground white flour, more for kneading; 2 teaspoons (5 g) active dry yeast; 1½ cups (375 ml) tepid water, more if needed; 1 tablespoon (15 g) salt; ⅔ cup (150 ml) light ale; 1 egg lightly beaten with ½ teaspoon salt, for glaze; ¼ cup (60 g) fromage blanc or plain whole-milk yogurt; 4 tablespoons (60 g) butter, at room temperature, more for the bowl

Preparation info

Makes
one
2½ pound round loaf

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Cookbook Library

By Anne Willan

Published 2012

About

Ingredients

⅔ cup (150 ml) light ale
2 teaspoons (5

Method

To Make the Starter

Warm the ale in a small pan to about body temperature. Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave for 5 minutes. Stir and set aside until the yeast froths, 5 to 10 minutes more. Sift about one-fourth of the flour into a warmed bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with your hand, gradually drawing in the flour t