Excellent Homemade White Bread
Making bread is such a basic kitchen skill for you to learn. It will repay you many times over. A beautiful warm loaf just out of the oven is dreamy delicious, and for company it's impressive. You won't be sorry learning this skill, I never have been.
Once you can work with the dough, a whole world of possibilities opens up. That is why after decades of making bread, almost without thinking, I was really woken up today by a recipe for white bread that I tried by cookbook author Melissa Clark. It is amazing. It freezes well and it makes the best-textured bread I have had in years. My friend Leasa said it looked like her Julia Child recipe bread, which since my friend is an amazing cook and baker, tells me all I need to know.
The recipe yield is two loaves so I decided to make one loaf a plain sandwich bread and the other one a cinnamon raisin loaf. It was, after all, not that expensive an experiment to attempt and fail.
The dough came together easily. I ended up using 5 1/2 cups of flour.
The recipe needs two periods of rising but trust me, the end result is worth it.
I incorporated the brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins in one loaf, leaving the second plain. This loaf was really tasty but I did not like the holes created in the bread by the raisins. Therefore, the next time I will simply make it with cinnamon and brown sugar, essentially a Cinnabon. Then all we will need is icing ( lord help me ).
Then it was time for another rise and finally, it was time to bake.
I am really happy with this bread recipe. It is easy but a little time consuming with the three separate rises. From start to finish, it took 4 hours give or take. The results are perfect. Make 2 loaves and freeze one.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast - I used 3
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk - I used 1 cup milk 1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons butter - I used 4- also some for buttering the top of the loaves
2 eggs
5-6 cups flour
Method:
I warmed the milk in the microwave ( 1 cup ), it should be no more than 110* when you add the yeast. Then I added the sugar, the cream, and mixed it. I like to get the sugar melting before I add the yeast. Let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt. When the yeast is bubbling add the slightly beaten eggs and the yeast mixture to your mixing bowl. With the dough hook attachment, begin to add the flour. I like to add it gradually. Let the mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough should be stiff and slightly sticky. Turn the dough mass out onto a floured surface and give it a few good kneading turns by hand. Bread dough needs you to touch it this way, think I am kidding? I'm not, asking a Chef. Then place it in a greased bowl to rise in a warm place for 1 - 1 1/2 hours covered with a clean dish towel.
Butter or grease two bread pans. When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it a few turns to deflate. Place back in a warm place until it doubles again. Perhaps 30 minutes.
When the dough has doubled, you can weight it and divide it into two loaves. I weigh all my dough so as to get consistent sizing and consistency interior texture in my end product. Shape it and place into the bread pans. Let it rise again in a warm place, 45-60 minutes.
When the loafs clear the top of the pans, butter the tops and bake at 400* for 10 minutes and 350* for 20-30 minutes. When the bread is nicely brown and sounds hollow when tapped, it is done. If you want to test the internal temperature, it should be 200*. Let the bread cool on wire racks.
I hope you try it!
~ Hugs from Mum
Once you can work with the dough, a whole world of possibilities opens up. That is why after decades of making bread, almost without thinking, I was really woken up today by a recipe for white bread that I tried by cookbook author Melissa Clark. It is amazing. It freezes well and it makes the best-textured bread I have had in years. My friend Leasa said it looked like her Julia Child recipe bread, which since my friend is an amazing cook and baker, tells me all I need to know.
The recipe yield is two loaves so I decided to make one loaf a plain sandwich bread and the other one a cinnamon raisin loaf. It was, after all, not that expensive an experiment to attempt and fail.
The dough came together easily. I ended up using 5 1/2 cups of flour.
The recipe needs two periods of rising but trust me, the end result is worth it.
Then it was time for another rise and finally, it was time to bake.
I am really happy with this bread recipe. It is easy but a little time consuming with the three separate rises. From start to finish, it took 4 hours give or take. The results are perfect. Make 2 loaves and freeze one.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast - I used 3
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk - I used 1 cup milk 1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons butter - I used 4- also some for buttering the top of the loaves
2 eggs
5-6 cups flour
Method:
I warmed the milk in the microwave ( 1 cup ), it should be no more than 110* when you add the yeast. Then I added the sugar, the cream, and mixed it. I like to get the sugar melting before I add the yeast. Let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt. When the yeast is bubbling add the slightly beaten eggs and the yeast mixture to your mixing bowl. With the dough hook attachment, begin to add the flour. I like to add it gradually. Let the mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough should be stiff and slightly sticky. Turn the dough mass out onto a floured surface and give it a few good kneading turns by hand. Bread dough needs you to touch it this way, think I am kidding? I'm not, asking a Chef. Then place it in a greased bowl to rise in a warm place for 1 - 1 1/2 hours covered with a clean dish towel.
Butter or grease two bread pans. When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it a few turns to deflate. Place back in a warm place until it doubles again. Perhaps 30 minutes.
When the dough has doubled, you can weight it and divide it into two loaves. I weigh all my dough so as to get consistent sizing and consistency interior texture in my end product. Shape it and place into the bread pans. Let it rise again in a warm place, 45-60 minutes.
When the loafs clear the top of the pans, butter the tops and bake at 400* for 10 minutes and 350* for 20-30 minutes. When the bread is nicely brown and sounds hollow when tapped, it is done. If you want to test the internal temperature, it should be 200*. Let the bread cool on wire racks.
I hope you try it!
~ Hugs from Mum
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