These lovely loaves are made from a simple overnight dough with sour cream cheese filling. The recipe is a modified no-knead loaf, although it takes a modicum of kneading, and it’s even easier, as it doesn’t require all the hours of resting that no-knead bread does. It contains both cold water and boiling water, a little sugar, and a half-cup of sour cream–this mixture apparently provides a welcoming atmosphere for the yeast.

Flour, either white or whole wheat, is added to the mix and kneaded by hand–very briefly–until it makes a rough dough. The dough rests for about 10 minutes. Then minimal kneading again rest; repeat. The three sets of brief kneading are enough to make it look like proper bread dough. It takes only about an hour for the dough to double in size.

The mixture of boiling water, cold water, and sour cream must be one where the yeast thrives because, even in a cold kitchen on a cold day, the dough is unstoppable. It continues rising enthusiastically for another hour until it domes over the top of the loaf pan. The oven spring is just as enthusiastic. Midway through the baking,  move the top oven rack up one notch or the bread was going to run right into it.

In addition to being easy to put together and relatively quick, this recipe makes an exceptionally good basic white sandwich loaf. Jim is a very good audience for freshly baked bread. The goodness of bread still containing a hint of warmth from the oven.

Ingredients;

  • 1 cup water (95 F to 110 F)
  • 2-1/4 tsp or 1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 3 cups bread flour

Instructions;

  1. In a large bowl, mix warm water and yeast. Add sugar, salt, sour cream, and canola oil.
  2. Stir then add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add in enough remaining flour to make a dough that follows the spoon around the bowl.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed until the dough is firm and smooth to the touch.
  4. Place dough in a medium greased bowl. Turn dough over in a bowl so that the top is also lightly greased.
  5. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
  6. Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes or until the bubbles are out of the bread.
  7. Shape dough into a loaf. Place loaf in greased 9 X 5-inch bread pan.
  8. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
  9. Brush loaf with egg white if a glossy crust is desired.
  10. Bake bread at 375 F for 45 minutes or until bread top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when the top is tapped.
  11. Remove bread from pan and let cool on a rack.