Classic White Bread 16 Servings Or 2 Loaves Food

CLASSIC WHITE LOAF

Steps:

• Make the dough by tipping the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and making a well in the middle. Pour in most of the water and use your fingers or a wooden spoon to mix the flour and water together until combined to a slightly wet, pillowy, workable dough - add a splash more water if necessary. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 mins until smooth and elastic. This can also be done in a tabletop mixer with a dough hook. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Knock back the dough by tipping it back onto a floured surface and pushing the air out. Mould the dough into a rugby ball shape that will fit a 900g loaf tin and place in the tin. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 30 mins. Dust the top of the loaf with a little more flour and slash the top with a sharp knife if you want. Bake the bread for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and continue to bake for 30 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when removed from the tin and tapped on the base. Leave the bread on a wire rack to cool completely. The loaf will stay fresh in an airtight container for 3 days or can be frozen for 1 month.

CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons honey. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle or dough-hook attachment. Add butter and remaining 1 3/4 cups water and 3 tablespoons honey. Whisk flour with salt; add 3 cups to yeast. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add remaining 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl and forms a ragged, slightly sticky ball. Butter a large bowl.
• Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Transfer to prepared bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
• Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour. Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough; divide in half.
• Shape 1 dough half into an 8 1/2-inch-long rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Transfer dough, seam side down, to pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush each loaf with butter, or dust with flour for a rustic look. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drape loaves with plastic. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above tops of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake, rotating pans after 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Let cool completely before slicing.

CLASSIC WHITE SANDWICH BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine water and 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over liquid and stir. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minute.
• Combine remaining milk, butter and 2 tbs sugar, salt and 2 cups flour in large bowl and mix until creamy. I mix everything by hand but you can use a mixer on med-low for about 1 minute.
• Add yeast mixture and one cup of flour and mix by hand or beat with mixer.
• Mix or beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away then switch to kneading until all the flour is mixed in, until smooth and elastic.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn the dough once to coat it.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Lightly grease two 9X5 loaf pans.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and divide in half.
• Pat each half into a long rectangle.
• Fold one rectangle like a letter, overlapping the short sides into the middle. Press to flatten.
• Beginning at the narrow end, roll the dough into a log and roll the log until it is the same length as the loaf pan.
• Pinch the ends and along the seam to seal and place in loaf pan seam side down.
• Repeat folding with other half of dough.
• Cover loosely with plastic and let rise until dough is about 1 inch above pan about 1 hour.
• Bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees F until loaves are golden brown and pull away from the edge of the pans, about 40 minutes.
• Turn onto racks and let cool completely.

CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water. Stir in 2 2/3 cups warm water, sugar, salt, shortening and 5 cups of the flour.
• Beat until smooth.
• Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.
• Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour (dough is ready if impression remains).
• Punch dough down; divide in half.
• Roll each half into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches.
• Roll up, beginning at short side.
• With side of hand, press each end to seal.
• Fold ends under loaf.
• Place seam side down in greased loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches (or three 8.5 x 4.5 x 2 inch loaf pans).
• Brush loaves lightly with butter.
• Let rise until double, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 425.
• Place loaves on low rack so that top of pans are in center of oven.
• Pans should not touch each other or sides of oven.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped.
• Remove from pans immediately.
• Brush loaves with soft butter; cool on wire rack.

BUTTERMILK ROLLS OR CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients except salt.
• Mix egg, and buttermilk and melted butter.
• Add liquids to dry ingredients until a uniform dough is made (may be shaggy at this time).
• Cover and let sit for 20 minutes to strengthen dough.
• Add salt.
• Knead by hand or mixer for 8 minutes. In a mixer, the dough will clean the sides of the bowl, but the bottom may stick some so take time during the kneading to mix the dough from top to bottom once or twice.
• Also during the kneading add flour or water to make a soft and tacky but not sticky dough. Sticky means dough stays on the fingers when touched.
• Test for a windowpane (stretch some to see if it tears or is thin enough to show light through). Knead a little more if necessary.
• Let the dough rise in oiled and covered bowl until doubled (60 minutes or so).
• For rolls: divide into 2 ounce portions and stretch a smooth side to form a ball. Roll with a cupped hand on a clean surface to smooth it out. The ball can take some downward pressure.
• Place on parchment 1" apart, cover and let rise for 20 to 45 minutes or unitl almost doubled in volume.
• For loaves: divide into 2 loaves, shape and place in 8 x 4" pans.
• Let rise covered, for 45 to 60 min until doubled or just shy of doubled.
• Preaheat oven to 400 F and drop temps once bread is placed in the oven.
• Bake loaves at 350F until 205F internally, rotating in oven after 20 minutes.
• Brush rolls with egg-water mixture if desired.
• Bake rolls at 375F until 205F internally (15 to 20 min) rotating the pan half-way during the bake.
• Remove bread from pans or parchment and cool on a rack.

CLASSIC WHITE BREAD (ABM)

Steps:

• Place ingredients into your bread machine in the order suggested by your manufacturer.
• Operate machine according to manufacturer instructions.
• Recipe can be easily made on regular, normal, rapid, and delayed cycles.
• Make a 1-pound (small) loaf.