Fleischmann's Master Bread Dough


I don’t usually try “master” recipes, but this one from "Fleischmann's Yeast Best Ever Breads" was a winner.  The dough was easy to work with, and quick to make.  I liked the idea of making a plain loaf of bread for breakfast toast, and a fancy-shaped loaf for sharing with a soup or pasta meal.  It also has directions for pizza crust and rolls.  I can visualize this recipe being the go-to recipe for busy housewives – inexpensive and easy to make.  It cost me $2.16 to make 2 loaves of very nice bread – or $1.08 each, from basic ingredients without unnecessary additives.  If you want a more nutritious loaf, add a tablespoon or two of wheat germ or bran, or a tablespoon of each to the flour. 
**If you use active dry yeast, the first rise should double, about 30-60 minutes; the second rise should also double, about 1-1 1/2 hours for a loaf.                 
                            Master Bread Dough
  6 ¼    Cups  Flour, All-purpose -- 1# 12 ounces (I use Bread Flour)
  3        Tablespoons  Sugar
  2        Packages  Instant or Rapid Rise Yeast
  2        Teaspoons  Salt
  1 ½    Cups  Water -- 120°-130°
     ½    Cup  Milk -- 120°-130°
  2        Tablespoons  Butter -- softened
In mixer bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.  Heat water, milk and butter until very warm (120-125°).  Gradually add mixture to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer with paddle attachment, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough, mixing well.  Change to dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 6 minutes.
Cover bowl with a lid or plastic wrap; let rest 10 minutes.  Punch down lightly and knead a little to remove big air bubbles.
Shape as desired, let rise and bake.  Remove from pan; let cool on wire rack.
Loaves: (about 1 1/2 pound each) Roll 1/2 of dough to 12 x 7" rectangle.  Beginning at short end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll.  Pinch ends and seal.  Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan, seam side down.  Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 25 minutes.  Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Bread should be about 190° to 200° with an instant read thermometer when done.
Hearth Braid:  Divide 1/2 of dough into 3 equal pieces (about 8 ounces each).  Roll into 16" rope.  Braid on greased baking sheet.  Cover, let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush over braid.  Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.  Bake at 400° for 25 minutes until done.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
Pizza:  Grease 14" or 2 12" round pizza pans.  Roll 1/2 of dough and fit into prepared pans.  Top as desired.  Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes until done.
Rolls:  Use 1/2 of dough.  Shape into 10-12 equal pieces and place in greased 8" pan.  Cover; let rise until doubled, 30 minutes. 
For dinner rolls:  Top with egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water; sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.
For onion rolls:  Top with egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons instant minced onion.
For either, bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until done.  Cover with foil during last 5 minutes to prevent excess browning if necessary.
For hamburger buns:  Use 1/2 of dough. Shape into 8 pieces and flatten to bun shape.  Cover; let rise until doubled, 30 minutes.  Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until done.  Cover with foil during last 5 minutes to prevent excess browning if necessary.
  "2 Loaves"

SOME HINTS FOR BREAD BAKING:

34 comments:

  1. Very nice. What beautiful loaves of bread! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  2. i dont have a stand mixer can this be done by hand?

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    1. Absolutely! You need to mix the dough well and then knead the dough for 10 minutes until very smooth and elastic before the first rise. Myrna and I learned to make bread that way, and there is a certain connection with bread-making by hand that you don't get with any machine.

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  3. Can you tell me how much yeast is in 2 packets as I have a jar not packets. Thanks, cant wait to try this

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    1. If you use instant or quick-rise yeast, try 4-4 1/4 teaspoons. I usually use 4 teaspoons of Fleischman's instant yeast.
      You'll like this recipe.

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  4. I just tried this and thought it made great loaves. When I posted my adaptation I linked back here to you and gave you credit for the recipe. Just thought I would let you know I had done so. Thanks again for all of the great posts you have shared. dkc

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    1. Hi, Diane. Your loaves looked great! What size were your pans? I do bake loaves in some 4 x 12" pans.

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  5. Thanks Diane. I follow your blog and enjoy it so much. You are great in letting us know that you linked to us. It is neat to see who has looked at from your post. Hope your weather is better than ours here. I am so ready for spring.

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  6. Hi Sue and Myrna,
    Thank you for the nice notes and kind words. As I have often said yours is indeed one of my very favorite blogs and I read you almost daily unless I am out of town. My pans for these loaves were 4" x 12" and I like to cut them into thirds or halves, split them and toast, them make big tenderloin sandwiches! Just add the b-l-t, pickles, and onions. Yum! We don't have any snow. Just cold wind, grey, rain and gloom. Baking bread makes my house feel much happier on days like this. Ditto on ready for spring!

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  7. hello maam. a beginner here down in texas. my wife has a kitchenaid mixer and I want to try to make basic homemade bread. my kids like the soft breads but not too doughy or definitely not crusty or chewy. can you send pictures of what your bread looks like inside? thanks.

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    1. I agree with Myrna, a good soft grained white bread to try the first time is her batter bread: White Batter Bread.
      The Fleishman's recipe makes a little firmer slice, however, very good. Use regular white flour instead of bread flour for a little softer loaf, and butter the top of the loaf while still warm.

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    2. thanks for posting the inside pic. tried 4 loaves Saturday. a lotta work but i liked it. 3 turned out perfect inside but kinda dark outside. maybe due to our new oven(?). apparently im supposed to handle it gently after rising... the first loaf deflated when I set it down on the dang counter too hard after rising when I was opening the oven door. yes ill try the other recipe and the shortening glaze yall suggested. very helpful website. any other sugg's or warnings are much appreciated.

      texas rookie

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    3. About your dark loaves - make sure your oven is fully preheated - takes at least 20 minutes no matter what the buzzer says. That keeps the oven more even while it's baking your bread. If you see it's getting too dark after baking 20-25 minutes, tent a piece of foil over the top of the loaf (quickly, don't leave the oven door open too long); that will let the loaf continue to bake inside so it's not doughy while the crust doesn't get too brown.

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  8. If your kids like a basic soft bread, you might try the white batter bread http://iowasue.blogspot.com/search?q=white+batter+bread
    we have posted. For a softer not chewy or crusty top brush with butter or shortening while it is still warm.

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  9. I made the bread but used the active dry yeast. I knew that your liquid could not get over 110 degrees or it would kill the yeast but I tried it anyway and followed the directions. I am a obsessive rule follower lol and well as I guessed my bread turned out dense and very compact. It still tastes good and we will use it to dip into our bean soup today or pintos tomorrow. But overall love the recipe.

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    1. Misti,
      You may not have let your bread raise long enough if you didn't use instant or rapid-rise yeast.
      **If you use active dry yeast, the first rise should double in size, about 30-60 minutes; the second rise should also double in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours for a loaf.
      Ordinarily, this is a very good, home-made bread...however, homemade bread will never be as light and airy as purchased breads, which use a lot of additives to make fluffy bread.
      Hope you'll give it another try.

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    2. Hope you like it as much as we do...its a good starter recipe. Who doesn't like homemade bread even if it isn't perfect the first time. Let us know how it turned out.

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    3. First time bread-baker here who just made her second batch of this bread. It's very tasty and family loves it. It's a keeper. Is there a recipe for sourdough and rye? Also, I have active dry yeast that is not in packets. Is it safe to say that the packets contain 2 teaspoons? What other tips are there for active dry yeast users?

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  10. First...Active dry yeast packets contain 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast. I haven't used active dry yeast in more than 20 years...instant or bread machine yeast gives me very good results in much less time.
    I'm not a sourdough baker...I usually want to get my bread made and move on to other projects.
    The links to my favorite rye flour recipes are: Root Beer Rye Bread
    and Pumpernickel Big Buns.

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  11. Hi! I am getting ready to make this bread, sounds great, but I am a bit confused, regarding the rising directions. I am used to putting the bread dough into a greased bowl for the first rise, punching down and then shaping the dough and putting it into bread pans for the last rise. In this recipe it only specifies resting for 10 minutes in the mixing bowl, then shaping the dough and putting it into the bread pans. Is this correct and if so, would I punch down the loaves, in the bread pans, then allow to rise, again?? Thanks for any help you can send my way!

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    1. The directions are for using "Instant" or bread machine yeast. If you use regular active dry yeast, use the method you are used to. Instant yeast is almost 100% active while active dry yeast has some dead cells due to higher temperature processing and require a different method.
      We don't reply to emails because of security concerns, we want to avoid hacking.

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  12. Thanks Sue, this clarifies it for me. I just started using the instant yeast, when I wasn't able to find original active dry yeast, earlier this year. Time to get baking!

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    1. Let us know how your recipe comes out! It's one of my regulars.

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  13. Replies
    1. As far as I know there's no reason not to increase it if you have a dough bowl and/or mixer large enough. You can mix it by hand like our Mom did...she made a 5 loaf recipe, but she had a very large dough bowl.

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  14. Good Morning,
    I wrote you about 3 years ago on making bread and you were most helpful , I'm very sorry about the loss is your Sister God Bless You for all your wonderful help you both have given all these years
    I have a question on letting your dough rest? Do you press out the air after the rest? before rolling it into a loaf? Knead it a bit? Or just cut it in half and shape it? Also King Arthur seems to feel temp of liquid should be between 80 and 105? As they say lower is better ? What are your thoughts I admire and have loved your site for years and you have lots of experience tryed and true from home cooking like most everyday folks like us Thank You God Bless Donna

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  15. Hi, Donna...
    I do press out the air after the rest and before rolling it into a loaf...I knead it a bit so I don't have holey bread.
    I like about 125° plus or minus 5° for INSTANT yeast, which is all I use any more. I am not an artisan bread maker...I am a practical, "we make our bread every week, but I also have other things I need to do" kind of baker, so the method in this recipe gets me good bread as efficiently al I have ever made. We never, ever buy bread so I bake weekly, just like my mom and grandmother did. This method is much easier than what they did or how I made bread when I first married, but I think the quality of the loaves is just as good with newer yeast available now. The lower liquid temp would be best for plain dry yeast.
    I hope you are still trying your hand at bread and thanks for your comment.

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  16. Good Morning Sue,

    Thank you for your quick response , my husband asked this morning as he seen your pictures of your dough in the pan before baking and after and asked how come hers is much taller in in loaf pan before she bakes it? And you(me) are always measuring a inch before you bake yours? I looked and thought yes hers looks so full and beautiful!! Am I to let my dough rise more in my pans before baking? Your looks so full and Beautiful and yes I'm still struggling with trying to make bread and I'm not going to give up I love the smell in the house but there are so many variables in making bread I am going to try and see what it is I keep doing to not get the results I woukd like . Thank You Once Again Donna

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    1. Yes, I have found that I need to let it rise enough before I bake it, at least 1 inch above the pan in the center. However, how about the size of your pan? You should have an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan...a 9 x 5 pan is too big to get a nicely shaped loaf for this recipe.
      You also should get some "oven spring", that is it will rise some more in the oven before the crust sets. If you oven is too hot you may not get enough oven spring either.
      You need a warm place (but not hot) to let your bread rise...I usually let mine rise on top of the stove near the oven vent...but I also turn it once or twice to keep it evenly rising. If your kitchen isn't warm enough, let it rise another 5 or 10 minutes. Don't forget it though...if it gets too high it may fall.
      Do you have an instant read thermometer to check the temp of your water before making your loaf so it isn't too hot for your yeast? It's a good way to check for doneness too. They are inexpensive but accurate - try Walmart for one.

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  17. Yes ? Sue I do let my bread rise about 1"in the center of my pan but it does not look beautifully full and puffy like yours so I'm going to let it go a little longer till it looks more like yours and give it a try ? . I've been doing Ina Gartens bread over and over but cut the receipe in half it's easier for me so I'm going to move on to your Fleishman'Master Receipe see if that gives me better luck ? To me yours looks like about 2"? Or so ? Above the pan ? and I do use a 8x4 pan, Gosh all your baking and cooking looks so professional, just like something out of a magazine! !! I envy your talent , I follow receioes to a T, and try to adjust the next time I try a receipe but for some reason I just don't know for the life of me why my stuff does not look any way close to your beautiful baked goods!. Thank You so much for your time as I just read earlier your trying to retire , so I left a comment in that area for you I understand completely but I'm sure gonna miss you and would not have been tring to ask questions knowing your trying to retire ( huggs & smiles) You are just wonderful for all you do have done and all you are ! . God Bless, Donna

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    1. I am a professional...I trained and worked as a hospital dietitian. I was trained by some pretty good bakers, who baked for hundreds every day. Practice, practice, practice was their motto.

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  18. Good Morning Sue,

    We'll yes I should have known you were a professional when looking at all your Beautiful food I kept thinking boy she is like a professional! !! Well? No wonder you are!!! And I've been rereading some of your advise and I am going to try like the dickens to master at least one receipe for bread I even got a bread machine from a sale to use on the dough cycle but the dough is always so lax I also seen you use a food processor I had been thinking of getting one ? But was not sure if I needed the 14 c or smaller ? It's just my husband and I but I do like to master something , I have been reading everything on your site and decided to just stick with all your advise not only to me but others and I hope to master somthing? I think there is too much information on the Internet and I am sticking with all your receipes I too have a love for cookbooks and have many!!! Well once again Thank You So much and practice is good but if you don't know what your doing wrong you may be making the same mistakes over and over not knowing that and I think that is my problem I'm not aware of the ingredient/s that needs adjusting ?? Thanks DONNA

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  19. Maybe your kitchen isn't warm enough for the first rise...you can let it rise longer, 15 or 20 minutes, it just gets a few more bubbles in it. I'm glad you are keeping on trying...this bread recipe is a good one and versatile; once you get it mastered you can try a lot of the variations. This is the recipe my husband thinks is just like his mothers, and it may be! I use my mixer the most for bread; I couldn't justify the time or space a bread machine takes and I gave mine away. A mixer mixes the dough just as well.

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