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Homemade White Bread
Bake a beautiful, tall loaf of homemade white bread right in your own kitchen. This reliable staple yields a soft, tender crumb and a golden crust that holds up well for sandwiches or morning toast. Warm milk and softened butter enrich the dough, giving the finished bread a comforting, nostalgic flavor. The process of kneading and shaping the dough brings a wonderful aroma to the house. Serve thick slices warm from the oven with a generous smear of butter and fruit preserves.
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon plus cup sugar
- 2 cups milk, heated to warm (105° to 115°F)
- 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
- 1 tablespoon salt about 7½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
Instructions
- 1Mix the warm water, yeast, and one teaspoon of sugar in a large bowl. Stir the mixture to dissolve the yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes until a foamy layer develops on top.
- 2Pour in the warm milk, softened butter, the rest of the sugar, salt, and four cups of the flour. Beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon, then slowly stir in another three cups of flour to form a soft dough.
- 3Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Knead the dough for about 8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic, adding just enough of the remaining half cup of flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands and the counter.
- 4Form the kneaded dough into a tight ball and place it into a large, greased bowl. Turn the dough over once so the top is lightly coated in oil or butter. Drape a piece of greased plastic wrap loosely over the bowl and set it in a warm spot, around 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- 5Coat two 9 by 5 inch metal loaf pans with grease. Gently punch down the risen dough to release the air, then move it to a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal portions. Pat or roll each piece into a rectangle measuring roughly 12 by 7 inches.
- 6Starting from one of the shorter ends, roll each dough rectangle into a tight cylinder. Pinch the final seam and the open ends firmly together to seal the loaf. Set each rolled dough piece into the prepared pans with the seam facing down.
- 7Drape greased plastic wrap loosely over the loaf pans. Leave them in a warm area for another hour, allowing the dough to rise until it has nearly doubled in size again.
- 8Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes until the crust turns a deep golden brown and the loaves produce a hollow sound when you tap the bottom. Take the bread out of the pans immediately and transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool completely.