Mana Toast (White Bread)
Greetings food adventurers! We’re back in Dungeon Crawler World: Earth today, visiting a Safe Room on the first floor. This Safe Room has very few amenities. What it does have is Mana Toast. This is the most basic of white bread, toasted. Everybody knows how to make toast, but you need a nice loaf of bread to make it. Here is that bread!
The four important keys to this bread are using metal loaf pans (not glass), mixing by hand before the kneading phase, spritzing the hot oven with water to create steam, and getting the oven extra hot then reducing the temperature so the bread gets a nice crust and does not burn. This is a classic white bread that’s great for sandwiches, French Toast, or regular toast.
In chapter 41 of Book 1, Carl and Donut each receive a single piece of toast from a toaster in an unmanned Safe Room. The item description says, “Mana Toast. This is toast. It refills your mana. That’s it. Nothing more. F**k you.” Their toast is burned, but I’m not going to waste good toast even for the sake of a photo. (because this is actually darn good toast)
Inspired by Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl book series.
Mana Toast (White Bread)
Special Equipment
- Wooden spoon
- Food thermometer (for the water temp; optional but recommended)
- Stand mixer (optional but recommended)
- Two metal loaf tins (glass will not properly brown the crust)
- Spritz bottle full of water OR a metal roasting pan
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 cups warm water not over 110°F
- 1 Tbsp table salt
- 5 to 5 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- Flour for dusting
- Boiling water only if using the boiling water method
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the top of the warm water. Let this stand for about five minutes while the yeast gets happy and foamy. (Note: if using a stand mixer, do this in the stand mixer bowl but don't use the mixer yet!)
- Add 1 cup of flour and 1 Tbsp table salt to the yeasted water. Mix with a wooden spoon.
- Add 4 cups of flour one cup at a time to the liquid, mixing briefly with a wooden spoon between additions just until incorporated. Mix together just until all the flour is wet and you have a shaggy looking dough. (Do this part by hand, not in the stand mixer)
- Add the extra flour only if the dough is very wet and sticky, and only 1/4 cup at a time.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before kneading.
- Put the bowl in the stand mixer and knead with the dough hook on low speed for 8 minutes. (Or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface, which will take a little longer). Do not over-knead; more is not better! If it starts to feel tough instead of fluffy, it’s too much kneading.
First Rise:
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. If it is wet and sticky at this point, it’s okay. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 hour. (If in doubt go to the next phase)*
Shaping and Second Rise:
- Punch down the dough gently with your knuckles.
- Clear a space on a counter or cutting board, and spread a handful of flour on the surface. Pour the dough onto the flour. You may need a silicone spatula to help scrape the dough out of the bowl if it's on the wetter side.
- Sprinkle another small handful of flour on top of the dough so it is not sticky and it’s easy to move around.
- Cut the dough in half and shape into two equal-sized loaves.
- Place the loaves into two metal loaf pans. Cover each pan loosely with plastic wrap.
- Let rise in a warm place for another 45 minutes. (Start heating the oven at 30 minutes)*
- If using the boiling water method (see below), start some water boiling in a pot or kettle.
Bake it:
- Preheat oven to 500 F.
- Deeply slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally with a sharp knife. (optional: brush the tops with cold water, it helps the bread rise in the oven)
- Place a metal roasting pan on the bottom of the oven and carefully fill it 1" deep with boiling water OR have a spritz bottle full of water ready. (both are optional but doing one of them will improve the crust texture)
- Slide pans into oven. If using a spritz bottle, quickly spritz the door and bottom of the oven about ten times, then close the oven quickly to trap the steam.
- IMPORTANT!!! Immediately reduce the temperature to 425 F.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Storage:
- Let the bread fully cool before wrapping it in plastic wrap or putting into a bread bag. If you won't use both loaves within a few days, put one into a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer.
