Myrtle Allen's Brown Bread

In years past, a loaf of homemade bread was a fixed element in our meal plans. Three things have caused that to change. One is a conscious effort to reduce the starches in our diet. Another is the availability of first-rate breads from local bakeries. But the most important has probably been schedules which leave too little time for a process which simply cannot be hurried.

When time does allow, we find ourselves turning repeatedly to a few favorite recipes. One of those certainly is Myrtle Allen's Brown Bread. Still warm from the oven, this loaf is an extraordinary complement to a hearty soup or a salad-centered meal. And it has the added virtue of requiring less than half the usual time.

1. Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, and put the bowl into a warm oven. Add 1/2 cup of the water to a small (cereal-sized) bowl and sprinkle the yeast into it. Mix well. Blend in the molasses. Allow the yeast to proof (in 3 to 5 minutes, the yeast-molasses-water mix should have a foamy head on it, confirming that the yeast is active; if not, toss it out and start over).
   
   
2. Add a second half cup of water to the yeast mixture. Pull the flour from the oven, and stir into it the yeast mixture. Add enough warm water to make a wet, sticky dough (roughly one more cup should do it, but this will vary substantially from day to day).
   
   
3. Scrape the dough directly into a buttered bread tin (9x5x3). That's right, no kneading. Cover the loaf with a slightly damp paper towel and set aside. In 30-60 minutes it will grow by about one third.
   
   
4. Preheat the oven to 450^o. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaf from the pan, and return the loaf to a turned-off oven for 5 to 10 minutes. This will make the bottom and sides crustier. Remove the loaf to a cooling rack.

1 large loaf   

Source: Beard on Bread