Black Pepper Pullman Loaf

A good basic sandwich bread.

Ingredients:
1/4-ounce active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 T sugar
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups bread flour
2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 T coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Preparing the dough:
Sprinkle the yeast in a medium bowl and pour the warm water over the yeast. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar to the bowl and stir to dissolve. Allow the yeast to bloom in the water for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the water begins to foam. Add the flour, the remainder of the sugar, the butter, black pepper and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook attachment, and add the bloomed yeast and water. Run the machine on low until a dough forms, then on medium for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, wrap with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place to proof until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Once proofed, remove the plastic from the bowl, and punch the dough down. Place the dough into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and allow to proof until the dough is ballooning out of the top of the pan, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Once the bread has proofed, place the pan in the oven and bake until the dough sounds hollow when thumped with your finger, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 20 minutes before slicing.