Soft White Bread Food

"SOFT AS WONDER" WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Add ingredients in order given (this is for my machine, your's maybe different).
• Select dough cycle.
• When done, take out dough and on a floured surface, shape into loaf and place in loaf pan. (I try to work it as little as possible).
• Let rise in a warm place for approximately 40 minutes until doubled in size.
• Bake on centre rack of preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack before slicing.

EXTREMELY SOFT WHITE BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Put your hot water, yeast and sugar in your bread machine. Let stand 6-12 minutes depending on the temp of your water. Your yeast will foam.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Use rapid or basic white cycles.
• Or bake for 25 minute @ 350.

SOFT AND FLUFFY WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients (reserve about 1/2 cup of flour) and mix thoroughly in a large mixing bowl.
• Add reserved flour a tablespoon at a time to mixture until a soft, smooth dough is formed.
• You may not need the whole amount or you may need more.
• Anyway, add JUST enough flour until dough comes away from bowl and it doesn't stick to your fingers (ie the dough becomes manageable) Remember, the more flour you add while kneading, the heavier and drier your loaf will be.
• Turn dough out on lightly greased surface and knead for a while, about 10mins.
• Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, until puffy (dough might not double in bulk).
• Transfer dough to a lightly greased surface and shape it into a 8" log.
• Transfer log to a lightly greased loaf pan (8 1/2" x 4 1/2"), cover the pan with plastic proof cover (i just cover with a greased cling wrap, loosely).
• Let dough rise for about 1 hour, until outer edge has risen about 1" over the rim of the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Uncover pan and bake for 35-40mins, tenting lightly with foil for the final 10-15mins if the top is browning too quickly.
• Remove bread from oven, take it out of the pan, and cool on wire rack.
• After 15mins, brush with butter, if desired; to give loaf an exceptionally soft crust.
• NOTE 1: I've tried substituting 2 tbsp lecithin granules for half of the butter (2 tbsp lecithin+ 2 tbsp butter)- it makes an even more tender loaf, and extends the shelf life a bit.
• NOTE 2:You may also use 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk+ 1 1/8 cup of lukewarm water to replace the milk called for in recipe.
• NOTE 3: Potato flour (1/4 cup) may be replaced with 1/3 cup potato flakes.
• Cinnamon Sticky Buns - Combine 3 TB brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Lightly beat 1 egg. Roll out the dough after the 1st rise into a rectangle about 1/3" thick. Brush egg over the dough, and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar. If you like, you can also sprinkle 1/4 cup of dried cranberries or raisins, and 1/4 chopped toasted almonds/walnuts/pecans. Roll up dough, from the long side, into a log. Pinch the edges to seal (brush edges with egg glaze if necessary). Cut the log into 12-14 equal pieces. Place into greased muffin cups/two 8" round pans. Let rolls rise for another 45mins - 1 hr, brush egg glaze again and bake for 25mins until lightly brown. Brush with softened butter after the rolls came out from the oven, if desired.
• Ham & Cheese Buns- You will need 2 slices of ham, chopped (I use honey-glazed ham) and 2 oz. / 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated. Lightly beat 1 egg. Roll out the dough after the 1st rise into a rectangle about 1/3" thick. Brush egg over the dough, and sprinkle the chopped ham and cheese (reserve 2 tablespoon). Roll up dough, from the long side, into a log. Pinch the edges to seal (brush edges with egg glaze if necessary). Cut the log into 12-14 equal pieces. Place into greased muffin cups/two 8" round pans. Let rolls rise for another 45mins - 1 hr. Just before baking, brush egg glaze and sprinkle reserved cheese and bake for 25mins until lightly brown. Brush with softened butter after the rolls came out from the oven, if desired.

WHITE SANDWICH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the yeast and 2 cups warm water in a mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the butter, sugar and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in one-third of the flour until smooth. Add another third of the flour and stir, then turn it out onto a floured board to knead. Knead it over 15 minutes, adding the rest of the flour as you knead. Don't let it get dry too fast; it should stay sticky. Put the dough in a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour.
• Knead the dough another 5 minutes, place it back in the bowl and let it rise another hour.
• Butter 2 loaf pans. Shape the dough into 2 loaves and transfer them to the prepared pans. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake the loaves until golden brown on top and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

BASIC SOFT WHITE SANDWICH LOAF

Steps:

• 1. Make the sponge. In a mixer bowl or other large bowl, combine the flour, water, honey, and instant yeast. Whisk until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter, Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
• 2. Make the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (reserve 1/4 cup if mixing by hand), dry milk, and instant yeast. Sprinkle this on top of the sponge and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour blanket in places: this is fine.)
• 3. Mix the dough.
• Mixer Method Add the butter to the bowl and mix with the dough hook on low speed (#2 if using a KitchenAid) for 1 minute or until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Scrape down any bits of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed (#4 KitchenAid) for 7 to 10 minutes. It will not come away from the bowl until the last minute or so of kneading; it will be smooth and shiny and stick to your fingers. With an oiled spatula, scrape down any dough clinging to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it in. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)
• Hand Method Add the salt and butter to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.)
• Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky (sticky) enough to cling slightly to your fingers a little. If the dough is still very sticky, however, add some of the remaining reserved flour, or a little extra. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)
• Both Methods 4. Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 4-quart dough-rising container or bowl, lightly oiled with cooking spray or oil. Push down the dough and lightly spray or oil the surface. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough onto a floured counter and press down on it gently to form a rectangle. It will be full of air and resilient. Try to maintain as many of the air bubbles as possible. Pull out and fold the dough over from all four sides into a tight package, or give it 2 business letter turns and set it back in the container. Again oil the surface, cover, and mark where double the height would now be. (It will fill the container fuller than before because it is puffier with air.) Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it reaches the mark.
• 5. Shape the dough and let it rise. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and cut it in half. Shape each piece into a loaf: begin by gently pressing the dough (or lightly rolling it with a rolling pin) into a wide rectangle; the exact size is not important at this point. (A long side of the dough should be facing toward you.) Dimple the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large bubbles. Fold over the right side of the dough to a little past the center. Fold over the left side of the dough to overlap it slightly. Press the center overlap section with the side of your hand to seal the dough. (If you have a lot of experience shaping, you may prefer at this point to rotate the dough 90 degrees-a quarter turn.) Starting at the top edge of the dough, roll it over three or four times, until it reaches the bottom edge of the dough: with each roll, press with your thumbs to seal it and at the same time push it away from you slightly to tighten the outer skin. As you roll and press, the dough will become wider. If it is not as long as the pan, place both hands close together on top of the dough and, rolling back and forth, gradually work your way toward the ends, gently stretching the dough. For the most even shape, it is important to keep a tight skin on the surface of the dough and not to tear it. If you want the edges of the loaf to be smooth, tuck the sides under.
• Place the loaves in the prepared loaf pans; the dough will be about 1/2 inch from the top of the pans. Cover them with a large container, or cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise until the center is about 1 inch above the sides of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.
• 6. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it, and a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven, before preheating.
• 7. Bake the bread. Quickly but gently set the pans on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 50 minutes or until medium golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210°F). Halfway through baking, turn the pans around for even baking.
• 8. Glaze and cool the bread. Remove the bread from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Brush the top of the bread with the optional melted butter. Unmold and cool top side up on a wire rack until barely warm, about 1 hour.
• ULTIMATE FULL FLAVOR VARIATION
• For the best flavor development, in Step 2, allow the sponge to ferment for 1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate it for 8 to 24 hours. If using the hand mixing method, remove it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before mixing the dough.
• POINTERS FOR SUCCESS
• • If not using the dry milk, you can replace 1 cup of the water with 1 cup milk, preferably nonfat, scalded (brought to the boiling point) and cooled to lukewarm.
• UNDERSTANDING
• A greater amount of sponge dough starter (pre-ferment) offers a fuller flavor in this "plain" bread, so almost 50 percent of total amount of flour is used in the sponge, compared to the usual 30 percent of hearth breads.
• If using liquid milk, it is scalded to deactivate the enzyme in it that could make the dough sticky.
• Baking the bread at too high a temperature, would result in too thin a crust, which would cause keyholing, or caving in at the sides of the loaf. Therefore, this bread is baked at 350°F. It is also important for the bread to be thoroughly baked so that the crust is firm enough to prevent it from compressing. The loaves should not be cut until completely cool for the same reason.
• THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE
• Flour: 100% Water: 66.3% (includes the water in the butter and honey) Yeast: 0.74% Salt: 2.3% Butterfat: 15.9%

CHEF JOHN'S WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Pour warm milk into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle yeast on top and let dissolve until a few small bubbles begin to a form, 10 to 15 minutes. Add beaten egg, sugar, vinegar, baking soda, salt, cayenne, flour, and butter.
• Knead on low speed until dough begins to come together. Increase speed slightly and knead about 3 minutes more. Use a spatula to scrape the sides clean and gather the dough into the center. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Butter a spatula and a loaf pan. Scrape the dough into the pan using the spatula. Smooth out the top to distribute dough evenly. Dust the top with flour and press gently to even out the dough. Let rise in pan for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Use a sharp knife or razor to cut a deep slash lengthwise through the center of the loaf. You may need to go over it several times. Brush the top with most of the melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Brush hot loaf with remaining butter. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

KITTENCAL'S SOFT WHITE BAGUETTE-STYLE BREAD

Steps:

• Prepare one large cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or sprinkled with yellow cornmeal.
• Attach the kneader blade to a heavy-duty stand mixer.
• In the stainless steel bowl, dump 3 cups flour (to start) 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Melt the butter or Crisco shortening in the microwave for about 22 seconds then dump into the bowl with the flour, sugar and salt.
• In a small cup add in the yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar in 1-1/4 cups warm water; cover with small clean cloth, and proof the yeast for 8-10 minutes, stirring just once with a small spoon or whisk (if the yeast doesn't foam discard and start again).
• After 10 minutes, add in the yeast/water mixture into the bowl and start kneading, adding in more flour as needed to create a soft semi-sticky dough (careful not to add in too much flour, as this will create a heavy bread!).
• Knead for 7-8 minutes, or until dough is the right texture and is smooth.
• Remove dough from the bowl, and let sit on a lightly floured surface covered with a clean tea towel for 10 minutes (this is important!).
• After 10 minutes, knead very gently (dough will come together nicely).
• Form into a semi-round ball.
• Grease a large glass bowl (I just use the same stainless steel bowl that I made the dough in).
• Place the dough in the oiled bowl; cover with a clean tea towel and set in a warm place to rise aproximmately 1 hour.
• Punch down dough and remove to a floured surface.
• At this point you may cut the dough in half to make two small long breads, or keep into one piece for one large loaf.
• Using hands shape into a rectangle (no need to use a rolling pin this dough will shape very easy).
• Roll up tightly then seal all edges.
• Cover the shaped loaf/s with a clean dry tea towel, and let rise for about 30-35 minutes in a warm place.
• After rising set oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small cup whisk/mix together 1 egg white with 1 teaspoon cold water.
• Lightly brush the egg white mixture over the dough, then sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Bake for 25-33 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
• Delicious!

SIMPLY WHITE BREAD II

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select cycle; press Start.

SOFT WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar, dry milk powder, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat water and butter to 120°-130° (butter does not need to melt). Add to flour mixture. Beat on low speed until moistened; beat on medium for 3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide into thirds; shape into loaves. Place in a greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks.