White bread

I make a lot of bread and I experiment with bread recipes all the time.  There’s only two of us so I strive to tweak recipes to make only one loaf instead of the typical 2 or 4 loaves most recipes yield.

This recipe makes one loaf of bread with a firm, somewhat dense but still soft texture with a fine crumb and a crust that is not quite crunchy but still firm.  To me it is the very essence of what sandwich bread should be.  It’s different from the bread I usually make in that the recipe I usually use has a tender crust and is more fluffy and light.  Still, I liked this one very much.  Oh, and it made wicked good toast.  image

A little about flour and yeast:

I never use bread flour.  I dislike the taste.  I use Heckers all purpose unbleached flour in all my bread making.  If I can’t find Heckers, King Arthur is my second choice.  I know you can find Heckers at Netgrocer. 

I swear by this flour.  It’s cheaper than most flours but the quality is far superior in my opinion.  It’s kosher as well.  And the label is awesome.  It has a picture of a child about 3 years old with a huge loaf of bread and a knife which he is using to cut the bread...aimed squarely towards his hand.  Fortunately, there’s a recipe for cinnamon rolls on the back which will make him feel much better as he convalesces after amputating his hand.  (Picture below the jump.)

I use Red Star yeast which I buy in bulk here.  One packet of yeast is equal to 2-1/4 tsp.

Ingredients:

4 C flour
2 tsp salt
2-1/4 tsp (one packet) yeast
1/4 C milk
3/4 C water
1 TBSP butter, softened
1 TBSP sugar

Directions:

Grease a standard loaf pan and a 2 qt glass or metal bowl.  Set aside.

Combine milk, water and butter in a 2 cup measuring.  Microwave for about 45 seconds on high.  Butter should be melting but not fully melted.  Place flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.  Add milk and stir well until you can form a ball.  Add flour small amounts at a time until you can handle the dough without it sticking all over your hands...much.  It should be somewhat sticky just not realllllly sticky.  (Yeah, real helpful instructions, I know.) The more flour you add, the heavier and dryer your bread will be.  Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (the top of the fridge is a really good spot) until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.  Remove from bowl to a floured surface and knead a few times.  Form dough into a loaf shape and place into a greased bread pan.  Cover with the kitchen towel and put it back on top of the fridge for about 45 minutes.  The dough will have once again doubled. 

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until well brown and hollow sounding when tapped.  Remove from pan immediately and place on wire rack.  Brush the top with butter...I use a paper towel I wipe in the butter.  I just rub the buttered part of the paper towel on the bread.

Makes one loaf. 

image

Posted by Donna on Sunday, December 06, 2009 at 07:36 PM
Filed in: Breads • ◊ Permalink
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