White Bread
I am a complete sucker when it comes to bread, especially homemade, right out of the oven bread. This recipe is straightforward and perfect for that morning or afternoon you feel like whipping up some fresh bread. To up the nutrient and fiber content, you can switch out half the AP flour for whole wheat. I wouldn’t recommend swapping out more than that because the bread can come out tough and dry. This recipe make two large loaves of bread.
5 3/4 cups AP flour
1 pkg/envelope active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups whole milk
2 TBsp sugar
1 TBsp butter (plus extra for rubbing over top once baked)
1 1/2 tsp salt
In a stand mixer bowl, place 2 1/2 cups of the flour and the packet of yeast. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt just until the butter starts to melt (don’t boil). With the bread hook attachment, add the warmed mixture into the bowl with the flour and yeast. Mix for 30 seconds then add the rest of the flour. Mix over low/med power for 6 minutes.
Near the end of the mixing time, oil a bowl that will be large enough for the dough to double its size in. Remove dough from mixing bowl, roll into a ball then rub with oil and place in the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl/dough with a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise until the dough doubles in size. How quickly it rises will depend on how warm your kitchen is. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen to encourage the rise but don’t place it someplace hot or in direct sunlight (it will inflate quickly then rapidly deflate).
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down (removing large air bubbles). Divide the dough into two equal portions and mold into two loaf shapes. Place in heavily oiled bread pans and cook for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Okay, now the hardest part, when the bread comes out of the oven, lightly rub a little butter across the top of the loaf, remove it from the pan and let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes before you cut into it. I know, so hard to resist. The problem with cutting into it right away is that the you will crush the loaf and it won’t bounce back. Once slightly cooled, slice it up and try not to inhale the entire loaf. This bread will make your house smell heavenly and is divine with a swipe of butter, jam or honey. Enjoy!