A loaf for people who like bread more than they like bread-making

Bread has acquired an odd reputation. Somewhere along the line, baking became wrapped up in jargon, hydration percentages, and people discussing starter cultures as if they were raising exotic pets. This loaf has no interest in any of that. It's simple, forgiving, and difficult to mess up. Whenever I bake bread, I'm reminded of the old slogan "We want bread, and roses too!", which came out of the American labour movement and carried a simple idea. People need bread, but they also need beauty, friendship, music, dignity, and all the things that make life more than simply getting through another day. I was reminded of that often when I lived in London and spent time at The Bread & Roses Pub, one of my favourite pubs in the city and home to countless conversations, pints, and evenings that stretched pleasantly longer than intended. Perhaps that's why I like baking bread. Not because I'm trying to become a baker, and certainly not because I enjoy obsessing over hydration percentages.…