Easy White Bread Recipe
I’ve been meaning to give you guys a simple white bread recipe for a while now, but better late than never. This white bread is incredibly simple to make with only a handful of ingredients needed. Baking truly is one of my passions, more so than cooking, believe it or not. To me there’s nothing better than the smell of bread baking in the oven. This bread is perfect for sandwiches, or toasting in the morning and serving it with butter and jam.
Flour – We only need good old fashioned all purpose flour! No need for the fancy stuff. Salt – Believe me, salt makes all the difference, so don’t skip this! Yeast – I used instant yeast today. You can use active dry yeast as well, the difference really is that active dry yeast needs to be activated first, whereas with instant yeast it’s not necessary. Water – It’s super important to make sure your water is lukewarm. The best temperature of the water should be anywhere from 95 degrees to 105 degrees for this. You don’t really want anything warmer, as it will kill the yeast. Sugar – Sugar is important when making bread, it’s what makes it soft and tender by absorbing some of the water and slowing down the formation of gluten strands. Sugar is what feeds the yeast. Butter – I always use unsalted butter, especially in breads, because we already add salt, so this way I can control how much salt is added to my bread. Did you know that small quantities of butter is added to breads because it results in a higher rise and a crisper crust!
How to make white bread
Best place for your dough to rise
Dough thrives in a warm, draft-free environment. If your oven has a “proof” function, then use it. The “proof” function preheats the oven to 100 F degrees, causing a warm, but not hot environment for your dough to rise nicely. If your oven doesn’t have this “proof” function, I would still use the oven. What I usually do is preheat the oven to 200F degrees, or whatever the lowest setting is for it. Once it reaches that temperature, turn off the oven, then place the dough in there to rise. This will speed up the proofing process tremendously.
Can I double the recipe?
This bread recipe is perfect for doubling and making two loaves. Simply slide the serving slider to change the number of servings from 10 to 20. This will automatically change the ingredient amounts, allowing you to make enough dough for 2 white bread loaves.
I don’t have a mixer, can I still make this bread?
Of course! Although it will take you longer, you can still knead the dough by hand. The dough needs to be soft, smooth and elastic, so you’ll have to knead it for about 15 to 25 minutes. Kneading bread dough by hand might also require a bit more flour, so play with it and see what works for you.
My dough didn’t rise!
Probably one of the most common questions I get on this blog is why didn’t my dough rise? Since I’m not with you in the kitchen when you’re baking, it’s really impossible for me to pinpoint where you went wrong or what happened with your dough. There are many reasons why dough doesn’t rise, so here’s my list for possible reasons.
How to store
White bread, or any bread for that matter will last about 4 days at room temperature. Simply make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or use a bread bag.
Can you freeze bread?
Bread is great for freezing. It’s important to freeze bread while it’s still fresh and not after it has gone stale. Let the bread cool completely before storing it in freezer bags. Bread will last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
More Delicious Bread Recipes To Try:
No Knead Skillet Bread Ready in less than 3 hours, Start to Finish! Fast and Easy No Knead Bread in less than 3 hours, Start to Finish! Artisan Bread Ciabatta Slow Cooker Bread Poppy Seed Roll Easter Bread Cinnamon Bread Easy Focaccia
