1 small bag granulated sugar (from the kit)

1 teaspoon yeast (measure it out from the kit packet)

1 jar Chocolate—Chocolate Chip Mix

Scant 1¼ cups ice water (add ice cubes to cold water and stir for 30 seconds before measuring), plus more if needed

3 tablespoons corn oil, canola oil, or safflower oil, plus more for coating pan and dough top

First Rise Remove the bag of garnishing sugar and the yeast packet from the jar; set aside. Turn out the jar of dry mix into a large bowl. Measure out and thoroughly stir in 1 teaspoon yeast. In a medium bowl, measure out a scant 1¼ cups ice cold water and whisk the oil into it. Vigorously stir the water mixture into the dry ingredients, scrape down the bowl sides, and continue stirring until thoroughly blended and smooth. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be very stiff. Brush the top with a little oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate the dough for 3 to 8 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature (about 70°F) for 12 to 18 hours.

Second Rise Turn out the dough into a well-oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush the top lightly with oil, then smooth and press out evenly in the pan with an oiled rubber spatula (or fingertips). Cut a ½-inch-deep slash down the dough center using oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife. Cover with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

Let Rise Using Either of These Methods For a 2½- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm (74° to 75°F) room temperature; for a 1½- to 2½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. Let rise until the dough doubles from its deflated size or nears the pan rim, then remove the plastic and continue until the dough extends just above the rim. Sprinkle over the sugar from the plastic bag.

Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.

Baking Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is puffed and well browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with only a few moist particles at the end. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes more to ensure that the center is done. If the top browns too rapidly, cover it with foil. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack and cool completely.

Serving and Storing The loaf slices best when cool, but the bread is good served warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean kitchen towel; or to prevent the loaf from drying out, store airtight in plastic or foil. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days; freeze, airtight, for up to 2 months, then thaw, unwrapped, at room temperature. When thawed, re-crisp the crust in a 375°F oven for a few minutes.