Basic White Bread

After playing with several recipes and techniques, I think I have found my favorite basic white bread recipe for our home at this point. Although, I'm still a very novice baker, I am learning and improving each time I bake.  I have noticed that the recipes work better when weighing out the flour versus measuring cups.  One of the European bread recipes I tried explained that different flours result in variable weight per cup.  Taking that advice, about 5oo grams of flour works well for bread and all-purpose flours per loaf.  This recipe is a combining of a couple of those and a touch of my own development added. 

It's simple.  It's very basic in that it only has four ingredients.  Most importantly, it tastes wonderful.

Ingredients- (yields 1 loaf)

500g    bread flour  (I have used bread flour and all-purpose and both work)

7g         instant yeast

1½       cups warm water (distilled works best at 100-110 degrees)

1            tsp salt  (fine sea salt)

*Optional:

2            Tbsp butter (melted to brush the top for the last five minutes of baking)

Directions-

Weigh out your flour.  Add it and the salt into mixing bowl.  In a small bowl add the warm water and then the yeast.  Allow to sit for a few minutes to activate.  Create a hole in the flour and add the liquid.

Begin incorporating the flour and liquid.  As it starts to come together, I put it under my Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook and allow it to do all the kneading.  If you don't have a mixer, place on a lightly floured surface and begin kneading the dough thoroughly.  

When blended smooth, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea cloth and allow to proof for 2 hours of until it doubles in size.  

Once doubled, dump onto a lightly floured surface again.  Stretch and pull a few times to shape into a football shape, and place into a greased bread tin.  

Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray and allow to rise again for about thirty minutes.

Place into a preheated oven (350F) for one hour.  Remove, and brush top with melted butter and return to oven for five minutes.  

Remove from oven and tin.  Place on a wire rack until completely cooled.   Store in an airtight container. (I save store bought bags for my own bread.)

*** As an alternative to traditional bread tins, pull and stretch the dough into a ball.  Spread some rolled oats onto a baking stone, and place the ball over the oats.  Allow to proof for thirty minutes then slash with a sharp knife and bake at 450F for thirty minutes.  (butter the top and bake for five more minutes)

Enjoy