Pan y margarine

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of flour

¼ teaspoon of yeast

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of lukewarm water

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients. Pour the water into the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing to incorporate. Once the dough forms (takes a few minutes of mixing), into a ball, place in a clean bowl, cover with a towel, and set in a draft-free, dry place for 1 and ½ hours.

After the dough has risen for at least 1 and ½ hours, remove from the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface, gently stretch and shape into a small loaf. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with a towel, and set in a draft-free, dry place for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to xxx F and once at temperature, place a baking dish with water on a lower rack. Remove the towel from the baking sheet and bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes. As oven temperatures and environmental factors influence baking times, start checking the bread at 30 minutes and remove from the oven when done.

When I was young, we spent most Saturdays at my grandparent's house. If we arrived early enough to have breakfast, we would stop at the grocery store and buy a fresh loaf of bread. My grandfather would cut the baguette into small rounds and toast those in the oven. Served plain, with unsalted margarine on the side, we’d crunch our way through the toasted slices. My grandparents and father would enjoy an espresso with theirs and we’d all enjoy a slow morning together.

This super simple recipe hails from Tiktok and will have you baking bread in almost no time, with no kneading or elaborate starters required. The creator splits her dough in half, which makes perfect sandwich loaves, but I prefer to make a single loaf, which reminds me of the ‘sin sal’ toasted baguette breakfasts my family spent many mornings enjoying.