White Bread
Updated: Oct 8, 2020
Servings: 1 loaf
Storage Life of Ingredients: 1 year
This white bread loaf is so moist and soft, I can't stop myself from going back for more.
My grandmother would come to visit when I was young and she always made her wonderful homemade bread. She used the same dough to make white bread, dinner rolls, and scones. After tasting the wonderful rolls my daughter made, I wondered if the same dough would work for a loaf of bread. It did, and boy was it good.
Pictured Process
Measure the temperature of the water with a candy thermometer. If the water is too cold, the yeast will not activate. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Combine the water, yeast, and sugar together in a small bowl and stir with a fork.
Allow to rest for 5 minutes until yeast is foamy.
Whisk 2 cups of bread flour and salt together is a small bowl.
Pour the yeast mixture into your stand mixer. Add the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes with the paddle attachment. This will help form the gluten.
Continue adding bread flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Knead for 10 minutes. If the dough gets sticky at the bottom of the bowl, add a little bit more flour.
Grease your hands and a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn over to coat both sides with oil.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
This double batch was almost too much for my bowl!
Punch down dough.
Form it into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375° (375° for altitudes 3,000 or less, 400° above 3,000 feet.)
Bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Storage Tips:
Bread Flour: Bread flour can be stored in 5 gallon food-grade buckets with resealable lids. Layer the flour with bay leaves to keep the weevils away. Grains will keep for at least a year using this method.
Yeast: I always keep my yeast in the freezer. Label it with the date bought and the date it expires so you will know how long it will last on your shelf if the power goes out. It will last at least a year if kept in the freezer.
Sugar: I store my sugar in 5 gallon food-grade buckets with resealable lids. Sugar is best if used within 2 years.
Oil: Oil will last a year in the original store container on your pantry shelf. Make sure to check the "best by" date since you don't know how long it has been sitting on the store shelves.
Salt: Salt will last for 5 years in its original container on your pantry shelf.
