Make toast, build a sandwich, griddle French toast: this soft, nicely spongy bread can do it all. Its mild wheatiness blends seamlessly with other flavors, however you choose to serve it.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix and then knead the dough until it’s smooth and bouncy; this will take 5 to 6 minutes on medium-low speed of a stand mixer.
Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan.
Shape the dough into a 9” log and place it into the prepared pan. Cover the pan loosely with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap or a reusable cover.
Let the bread rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it crowns about 1” over the rim of the pan.
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s mahogany brown; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf will read 190°F.
Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out onto a rack, and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Store leftover bread, well wrapped, for several days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.
To prepare in a bread machine: Add all of the ingredients to the bucket of your bread machine, and use the dough cycle to mix and knead the dough until it's smooth and bouncy. Most bread machines will knead this dough more than necessary, resulting in dough that's difficult to shape and a final loaf with a chewy, tough crust. To avoid this, check the dough after about 5 minutes into the dough cycle and if necessary, end the cycle early, once the dough looks smooth and cohesive. Proceed with shaping the dough by hand (step 5) and bake as directed.
