Make It Yourself...Simple White Bread

  I’ve seen lots of recipes for “one-hour” homemade bread that produces loaves that just don’t have the good gluten formation of regular bread.  They depend on a larger-than-usual amount of yeast, and skip the first rise in the bowl.  They make a somewhat crumbly too-soft loaf that lacks structure.

We much prefer this simple white bread recipe that adds only 10 minutes for the first rise, but uses less of the expensive yeast and makes a perfect loaf.  I made these loaves from getting out the mixer bowl to getting the loaves from the oven in less than 90 minutes, and most of that time was simply waiting for rising and baking.  You don’t even need a bread pan; you can bake free-form loaves on a baking sheet. 

Check out our mixer bread information HERE.  Remember, you can also make this recipe by hand too, the way I did for years.

My husband thinks this recipe tastes just like his mother’s bread – it tastes like our Mom’s too!  Easy enough to make every week…delicious, versatile, just great bread that says “Homemade”.

                            Simple White Bread

Yield:  "2 Loaves”

  6 ¼    Cups  Flour, All-purpose  or Bread -- 1# 12 ounces

  3        Tablespoons  Sugar

  2        Packages  Instant Yeast or Bread Machine Yeast

  2        Teaspoons  Salt

  1 ½    Cups  Water -- 120°-125°

     ½    Cup  Milk -- 120°-125°

  2        Tablespoons  Butter, oil or lard

• In mixer bowl, combine 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, scraping bowl occasionally.  Change to dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 6 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a tight cover; let rise 10 minutes in a warm place. (No need to grease the pan or dough if you cover it tightly.)
• Shape 2 loaves, 1 1/2 pounds each, into rounds or long loaves, or into greased 9x5" loaf pans.  Place your free-form loaves on a half-sheet (13 x 18" pan), greased or lined with parchment. 
• Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 25 minutes. While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375°.
• If desired, beat 1 egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; brush over raised loaves.  Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired.  Slash loaves with a sharp knife, (lightly spray your knife with cooking spray to prevent dragging). 
• Bake at 375° for 28-30 minutes. (Cover with foil during last 5 minutes to prevent excess browning if necessary.)  Loaves should read 200° with an instant read thermometer. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Cost per loaf:  51¢ with bread flour, 41¢ with all-purpose flour and butter.