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Loafing Around

When it comes to forming a loaf of bread, you have choices! You can simply form your dough into a regular loaf — squarish, baked in a loaf pan — which is convenient for sandwiches. Or you can make a fancy braided loaf. Or a round one. Or do something weird and free-form. Go ahead — loaf around.

Regular loaf

On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough out with a rolling pin or by hand, to a 9-inch (23 cm) square. Approximately. Now roll the dough up firmly into a cylinder, pressing out any air pockets or bubbles. Place in a well-greased 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan and tuck the ends under neatly. There. Nice and tidy. Let rise and then bake.

Rustic round loaf

By hand, form the dough into an evenly rounded ball and place it — smooth-side-up — on a well-greased baking sheet that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise until almost (but not quite) doubled. Just before baking, remove the cover and cut a shallow X in the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife. When the loaf is baked, this cut will allow the loaf to expand, giving it a very snazzy, professional look.

Beautiful braided loaf

For a simple braided loaf, divide the dough into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 1 inch (2 cm) thick. Pinch the three ropes together at one end and proceed to braid the three strands until you come to the end. Pinch the other end together so it doesn’t unravel and place the braid on a well-greased baking sheet.

For a double-decker braided loaf, you can make two braids — the smaller one on top of the larger one. Simply divide the original lump of dough into two unequal portions (one noticeably larger than the other). Divide each into three ropes, then braid each one as above. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger braid, let rise and bake as usual. There: double-decker!

Crazy mixed-up loaves

Make a loaf out of balls of dough squashed into any shape of pan. Roll the dough out into a long snake and form it into a spiral, a squiggle, an octopus, a figure eight. Make a turtle, a bunny, an elephant. Shape your dough into an alligator. A dump truck. A daisy. Have fun. Go crazy. It’ll all get eaten in the end.