White Bread

0 3
From Plated Cravings
in BAKING, Bread

Servings

2 Loaves

Rating

Ingredients

390 ml lukewarm water, divided
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast, or active dry yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Salt
1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
560 g all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ Tbsp butter, melted for brushing

Instructions

1.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook combine the instant yeast, sugar, and half of the lukewarm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy (if using active dry yeast, let sit for 15 minutes).
2.Add the remaining water, honey, salt, cubed butter, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl. Knead at low speed until the dough comes together and is soft but not sticky. Add a few more tablespoons of the remaining flour if necessary. Continue to knead for 6–9 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and smooth.
3.Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and make sure that it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm and draft-free place for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
4.Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough onto it. Divide it into two equally sized portions. Use your fingers to gently pat each half into a 8×12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets. Starting at the short end, roll up the rectangle into a tight roll and pinch the seams to seal. Tuck the ends of the roll slightly under the roll to create some tension on the surface and place each loaf into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan tucked ends and seam side down. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm and draft-free place until doubled in size.
5.Preheat oven to 200°C and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
6.Bake loaves for 25–30 minutes until golden brown (and the loaf registers 208 to 210 degrees).
7.Invert bread onto a cooling rack. Reinvert loaves and brush the tops and sides with melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

Tips and Tricks

  1. 1 package of instant dry yeast usually contains 2 1/4 Tsp
  2. This recipe works with all-purpose and bread flour. The bread flour will give it a slightly chewier and a bit more elastic crumb.
  3. The second rise will be much faster than the first rise. Be careful not too overproof or the bread will not rise while baking and collapse.
  4. Don’t use an oil spray to grease your non-stick baking pans! Oils spray will ruin the surface of those pans, better use a paper towel or brush with some oil or butter.
  5. My house is pretty cold so I like to use the proof setting on my oven.
  6. The amount of flour you need depends on the moisture and temperature in your house. Some days you might need more, some days less!
  7. This recipe can be halved to make only one 8×4-inch loaf but it can also be doubled to make TWO large 9×5-inch loaves! Just use the little slider in the recipe card next to servings to double the recipe. Make sure your stand mixer can handle the amount of flour. I recommend using a KitchenAid Professional

How to Store

Wrap it in plastic wrap or foil:
If you want to just leave the white bread out on the counter, instead of in a bread box, you’ll need to cover the loaf with either plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. Or a good hack would be to save an old store-bought bread sleeve and store your homemade loaf in there.

Freeze it:
To get more bang for my buck, I always make two loaves or even double the recipe to make two extra-large loaves, and immediately slice and freeze one to save for later. That way once I run out of the first loaf I already have another on hand and ready to eat

If you want a slice right out of the freezer, just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or toaster and you’ll be good to go. Or if you have the time, just let it thaw on the counter for a few hours.

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