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Place the shaped dough in greased pans and let rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gentle fingerprint. This dough makes a very high loaf when properly kneaded, so be a little bold about giving it time. Bake the bread in a preheated 325°F oven for nearly an hour. Rolls take 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size, at 400°F. Brush the rolls with butter when they come out of the oven (the bread, too, if you feel fancy).

Yogurt Bread

SPONGE INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (3.5 g)

¼ cup warm water (60 ml)

3 cups whole wheat bread flour (450 g)

2 teaspoons salt (11 g)

3 tablespoons honey* (45 ml)

⅔ cup yogurt (160 ml)

⅓ cup cold water (80 ml)

This delicious bread is the one we feature in A Loaf for Learning. In this version, the recipe is adapted to the sponge pattern. Making part of the dough ahead lets you prepare the rest on a faster schedule than normal, without sacrificing the quality of the bread. (It also makes it even more important to use yogurt that is fresh.) The timing and measurements here are for a sponge that ferments for 6 to 10 hours; for other sponge timings, see this page.

TO MAKE THE SPONGE

Dissolve the yeast in the ¼ cup warm water. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl; add the honey, yogurt, cold water, and dissolved yeast, making a stiff dough. Knead about 5 minutes, and set aside in a cool place, snugly covered to keep the dough from drying out, but with plenty of room in its container for the sponge to rise. Keep at room temperature for the shorter period, or in a very cool place if it will stand a full ten hours.

When you mix the sponge into dough, once again you have the choice whether to let it rise more or less quickly, depending on how warm the mixing water is and how warm you keep the dough. For dissolving the yeast, though, use warm water always.

TO MAKE THE DOUGH

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (⅛ oz or 3.5 g)

1 ½ cups warm water (350 ml)

the sponge from above ¼ cup oil (60 ml)

3 cups whole wheat flour (450 ml)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Soften the sponge with the liquids and work in the rest of the flour measure, adjusting the consistency as required. Knead until silky, about 15 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour check to see whether the dough is ready. Gently poke your wet finger about ½ inch deep into the center of the dough. If the hole doesn’t fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first.

Press the dough flat and divide in two. Round it and let it rest until relaxed, then deflate and shape into loaves. Place in greased 8″ 4″ loaf pans and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough slowly returns a gently made fingerprint. If the dough rises nicely, slashing the loaves can be very pretty. We like to make one long vertical cut, about ¾ inch deep, in Yogurt Bread. Bake 45 minutes to an hour at 350°F.

Overnight Started Bread

SPONGE INGREDIENTS

¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 g)

¼ cup warm water (60 ml)

2 cups whole wheat flour (300 g)

6 tablespoons powdered milk (45 g)

½ teaspoon salt (1.75 g)

¼ cup cold water (175 ml)

This is one of our standbys. A good all-purpose bread for sandwiches and toast, it is flavorful and dependable. Because the sponge ferments overnight, the bread has some of the qualities of a long-rising dough: warm flavor and good keeping quality. The addition of fresh ingredients in the morning provides characteristics you would expect from a fast dough: energetic yeast activity and a high, speedy rise.

The composition of the sponge, incidentally, is not arbitrary. Much testing and tasting—and some research, too—have gone into balancing the ingredients. There is just enough salt, for example, to