My first batch of bread yielded a gummy texture on the inside of my loaf which was commented on by all of the culinary critics in our house. I really loved the ease of this bread though and wasn’t willing to give up just yet. These next two loaves were cooked at 475 degrees for forty minutes.
The exterior ended up being a tad too crunchy, but the interior was gosh darn perfection. These loaves were not gummy at all and the bread sang to me when I opened the oven with that beautiful golden crust. I think we will try it again at 475 for 35 minutes and see if we hit the ultimate perfection.
As we dined on roasted chicken salad sandwiches on this amazing bread, I looked across the table and said to my husband, “You realize that no one else does this, right?” In spite of his full mouth, he grinned and said, “I know, I know.”
Sometimes I feel like I am running the America’s Test Kitchen show over here and I fear that if something should ever happen to me, my husband’s next wife will have one ridiculous act to follow.
Hey-I do this too
But you are right, not many other folks do 
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It looks really good – I can’t wait to try it!
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First, excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard…
I have a male friend who does exactly this ATK process of trial and error(as well as reading Cook’s Illustrated for additional information) when cooking/baking. His family is spoiled too… but it results in some fabulous food!
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i made your DIY hot dog buns yesterday, and man, my husband LOVED them! He never gets so excited about food i make. He only ate one hot dog, but kept going back to the kitchen for more buns. i’m totally going to try your bread, too. Thanks for inspiring me!
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that looks sooooo SOOOOOO good!
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To create a softer crust: when the bread is golden and done, remove it from the oven and carefully place on a dish towel. Brush with melted butter and then wrap the dishtowel around the loaf. Let it cool that way and when you unwrap the loaf it should be much more supple.
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YUM. O. This looks fantastic (and mine ALWAYS turns out flat). Sad. True.
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Hi Amy – your bread looks awesome! I’m glad you didn’t give up on it, inspite of the gummy texture
I actually use my digital thermometer (the same one I use to check meat or casseroles, or just about everything I make!) to check the internal temperature of my bread. That way if the crust is pretty, but the inside only registers 190 degrees, I won’t pull it out early and ruin the whole thing. There has been a lot of discussion in the ATK bulletin board about this bread and dealing with the crust and the inside texture. I find my family likes the texture if I pull it out right around 208 degrees. Just some ideas…
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Oh, honey, you don’t give yourself enough credit! If something were to happen to you (God forbid!), Ryan would NEVER find anyone to live up to you!!!
My mom keeps trying to make me believe how easy it is to make your own bread. Of course, she doesn’t have any rugrats running around anymore. Me? I’m just not equipped with the patience to do that kind of stuff. More power to you, girl!
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That bread looks great! Can it be made with whole wheat flour? I’ve been using white whole wheat flour in particular and I love it.
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Sally- I bet you could experiment with it. I will read some more and I promise to test some whole wheat recipes too. This is just the first recipe in the book and I am going to do the last loaf today and start a new batch so I can share on that.
Mandy- You are a LIFESAVER! Thank for those excellent tips. I will try that this time and see if that helps.
Jessica- I am SOOOO glad your hubby liked the hot dog rolls. I bet he would LOVE that recipe converted into the cinnamon buns. Let me know if you need it and I will post it here in the comments. You will feel so proud!!
Jen- I will definitely try that next time. Thank you so much for helping me out- I really appreciate it!!
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Thankfully I just saw this post, too! Thanks for sharing the new temp and time for baking this bread. You even got those yummy little air pockets in your bread!!! Good job!
His,
Mrs. U
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