Step 6: Cool Before Slicing
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Allow the loaf to rest for at least fifteen to twenty minutes before slicing into it — this resting period is genuinely important rather than just a suggestion born of impatience. The interior of the bread continues to set and firm up from residual heat during this period. Slicing too early produces a slightly gummy, underdone texture in the crumb even if the outside looks perfectly baked. Patience for these few minutes is rewarded with clean, neat slices and the proper tender texture that makes this bread so satisfying.
Tips for the Best Possible Results
The freshness of your baking powder and baking soda matters more in this recipe than in almost any other baked good, because these are the only leavening agents the bread has. Baking powder that is more than six months old after opening, or that has been stored in a humid environment, may have lost enough potency to produce a noticeably denser, flatter loaf. Test your baking powder before using it: drop half a teaspoon into a small cup of hot water. It should fizz vigorously and immediately. If the reaction is sluggish or absent, replace the baking powder before proceeding. This thirty-second test can save an entire loaf of bread from disappointing results.
Once you add the liquid to the dry ingredients, work efficiently and get the bread into the oven as quickly as possible. The chemical reaction between the leavening agents and the liquid begins immediately upon contact, producing carbon dioxide gas. If you allow the mixed batter to sit on the counter for an extended period before baking, the gas escapes before the bread has a chance to set it in place, resulting in a less risen, denser loaf. Mix quickly, shape quickly, and bake immediately.
