Combine all the ingredients, and mix & knead them until you have a soft, smooth dough. I used by hands, but you can use a stand mixer or bread machine to do this. Cover and allow the dough to rise until its puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, and shape into a 8" log. Place in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, 1½ to 2½ hours.

Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 40 minutes., tenting it with foil after 15minutes.

The bread is done when it is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190ºF. (I don't have any such fancy equipment in my kitcehn but the bread was definitely done and delicious.)

Remove it from the oven, after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack.

Brush with melted butter (I brushed some earth balance), if desired; to keep the crust soft.

Cool the bread 30 minutes before slicing.