Make your own White Bread recipe in 5 simple steps

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This homemade White Bread recipe from scratch makes a light, fluffy, soft and incredibly tall bread loaf that is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or simply with butter and jam.

All you need is basic pantry ingredients and 5 simple steps to make this Sandwich Bread from scratch right in your own kitchen in just 2 hours.

A Basic Recipe to Note Down:

Now being a really scary time, it is advisable to leave the house only if needed.

Given the circumstance, it is good to know a few basic recipes, that you can make at given point of time with basic ingredients.

One such recipe that I would highly recommend you guys to try right now is to make your own Sandwich Bread.

This White Bread recipe, being a classic you'll want to keep on hand.

It turns out so light, fluffy and incredibly soft. Everyone will think it came right from the bakery! 

And you can put this to use in so many ways - make a toast for breakfast, pack it in school lunches, as a snack, dunk in your soups or as a side for dinner.

In case you have any leftovers turn it into croutons and bam it tastes even better.

Here is a detailed step by step recipe with photos for you guys.

How to make Basic Bread at home from scratch:

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

How to make the bread by Hand?

Onto your bowl, add in the water (pic 1), yeast (pic 2) and sugar (pic 3). Stir to dissolve the yeast.

Start by adding milk powder (pic 4), salt (pic 5) and 3 cups of flour (pic 6). Mix and when you see no more dry flour in the bowl, tip into your countertop and start kneading.

The dough is going to be sticky, but that is OKAY. That is how it is meant to be.

Add 1/4 cup of flour at a time and keep on kneading until you see that it is no longer sticking too much onto your hands.

You can refer the video in the recipe card or on Youtube on how to knead the dough for even better understanding.

At this stage add the oil (pic 7) and knead until you get a soft smooth, elastic and tacky dough (pic 8).

It would take nearly 15-18 mins to reach this stage.

I would recommend you guys to check the detailed video on Youtube on how I have kneaded the dough and till what stage.

How to knead the dough in a stand mixer?

Even in this case, the procedure remains the same.

To the bowl of your stand mixer add in water, yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast.

Add 3 cups of flour and salt.

Start adding 1/4 cup of flour at a time until you see that the dough is starting to come together by leaving the sides of the bowl.

At this stage add the oil and knead it further for 6-8 mins until you get a smooth elastic and tacky dough.

Whenever you are making white sandwich bread you have to be mindful to use the flour amount as a guideline.

The exact amount of flour you use will depend on how you measure it, the climatic and temperature conditions of where you live and several other things.

So always advisable to gradually add the flour.

Step 2: First Proofing

Once kneaded, it is time for First Proofing.

You can use the same bowl in which you kneaded the dough to proof as well.

Simply grease it with oil and transfer the dough to it. Coat the dough also with some oil.

Cover with a cling wrap and let it proof on counter-top for 1 hour.

How to proof the dough in Instant Pot?

By now you guys know that I simply love proofing dough in the Instant Pot.

So much so that I have a separate detailed post dedicated to the why's, how's and FAQ's of proofing the dough in the instant pot.

And recently I made Bagels in my Pot and totally loved it too..

Please feel free to read it if you are interested.

So simply grease the bowl with some oil. Transfer the dough (pic 9). Apply some oil on top of it.

Close the lid.

Choose the Yogurt Button (pic 10) and set the timer to 30 mins (pic 11).

Proofing on the countertop: 1 hour
Proofing in the Instant Pot : 30 mins.

Step 3: Shaping the Dough

This is an important step. Note the pictures or simply follow the video.

Once proofed, knock down the dough to remove air bubbles and transfer it on to your countertop.

Shape it to a rectangle to the size of your baking pan.

Fold it into thirds pinching the seams really well.

Again fold it such that the ends meet the centres. Pinch well.

Roll it over and place it into your baking pan.

Loosely cover with a cling wrap and let it proof until it reaches the brim of the pan.

Second Proofing : 30 mins

With under-proofed bread dough, you would end up with a smaller bread loaf that is denser and has less volume and also smells yeasty!!

How to check whether the dough has risen enough?

The bread dough will rise with a dome in the centre.

Just look at the sides to check how well it has risen.

When you gently press the dough with your index finger, you will have an indentation and it will remain; indicating that the dough is proofed well.

If it bounces back without an indentation it means the dough is under proofed.

And if the dough collapses, it means the dough is over-proofed and you have to restart from shaping the dough again.

Step 4: Baking the Bread

Once the bread has proofed enough, simply bake it in a preheated oven of for

An easy way to check whether your homemade bread loaf is done is to tap the bread on the bottom for that characteristic “hollow” sound.

However, a fool-proof method to ensure well-baked bread is to use a thermometer. The bread loaf is done when the internal temperature reads 195°F. 

To avoid a soggy bread bottom, make sure not to leave the bread in the pan to cool completely.

Leave it in the pan only for about 5-10 minutes and then place it on a wire rack to cool completely.

This is to prevent the formation of condensation on the pan and making the bread soggy.

My top 5 tips to bake the best homemade bread ever:

1. Be mindful about the quantity of flour. Take the amount mentioned in the recipe card as a guideline and add little flour at a time until you reach the soft, elastic dough stage.
2. The key to soft bread is the gluten formation which is achieved by kneading it well. Follow the video tutorial for a clear picture and different stages of bread kneading.
3. Choose the right bread pan to get the desired tall loaf of bread.
4. Always keep the bread dough covered to prevent it from drying.
5. The usual tips of baking remain the same for this recipe too - preheat the oven, brush the baking pan with oil or butter, do not leave the bread for too long in the pan once baked.

Choosing the Right Bread Pan:

In our step 3 - Shaping the Dough the one thing that determines the size of the dough is the size of the pan.

Shape the dough according to the bread pan.

I like to use my 9x5 inches or an 8.5x4.5 inches bread pan for this particular recipe. And hence I shape my dough accordingly.

Apart from the bread pan, the other tools that would help you to make this loaf would be a bench scraper.

An inexpensive and easily available tool, this is a must for baking bread.

Like I mentioned in Tip 4, kitchen towels come handy and prevent the dough from drying out.

How to store Bread?

Well, honestly homemade white bread won't last long like the store-bought ones as it is devoid of preservatives.

It would stay good in a bread bag or container for 2-3 days.

And in the freezer for up to a month.

However, do not keep your bread in the fridge as refrigeration would dry out the bread.

You can use this bread to make any kind of sandwiches, as a toast or simply with butter and jam.

I am enjoying this with homemade Instant Pot Strawberry Jam.. Delicious..

Recommending few basic bread recipes like this
Instant Pot No Knead Bread,
No Knead Bread loaf and
a Bagel recipe that I feel would be handy to you guys at this time.

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White Bread Recipe from scratch

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4.34 from 18 votes

White Bread Recipe in 5 simple steps

This homemade White Bread recipe from scratch makes a light, fluffy, soft and incredibly tall bread loaf that is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or simply with butter and jam.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Proofing Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 1 9x5 bread loaf

Author Sushma Iyer

Ingredients

• 3 - 41/2 cups (approx 500 g) All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 tsp ( 7 g) Salt
• 2 tbsp (40 g) Sugar
• 2 tsp (8 g) Instant Yeast
• 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) Warm Water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) Oil
• 1/2 cup (50 g) Milk Powder

Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare the Dough

• In a bowl combine together water, yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
• Add the dry ingredients - milk powder, salt and 3 cups of flour. Combine till you see no more dry flour.
• Transfer the shaggy mass of dough onto the worktop well dusted with measured out flour. Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hand. Add little flour at a time if need be.
• Once the dough is less sticky, add the oil and knead well until you reach the soft, elastic and tacky dough stage. This would take 15-18 mins of your time.

How to knead the dough in a stand mixer?

• To the bowl of your stand mixer add in water, yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Add 3 cups of flour, milk powder and salt.
• Start adding 1/4 cup of flour at a time until you see that the dough is starting to come together by leaving the sides of the bowl. At this stage add the oil and knead it further for 6-8 mins until you get a smooth elastic and tacky dough.

Step 2 - First Proofing

• Once kneaded transfer it to a greased pot and allow it to proof for 1 hour or until double in size.

How to Proof in Instant Pot?

• Grease the bowl of your pot with some oil. Transfer the dough into it. Coat the dough with oil as well. Place it in the pot. Close the lid
• Choose Yogurt mode. Set the time to 30 mins.

Step 3 - Shaping and Second Proofing

• Once proved, punch the dough and tip it over on to your counter-top. Shape it into a rectangle. Fold it into thirds. Pinch the seams really well.
• Then bring the edges to the centre. (Refer the video in the recipe card or the step by step photos for clear picture) Roll over and place it in the greased baking pan (9x5 inches) cling wrap and allow it for second proofing.
• Let it proof till the dough reaches the brim of the pan around 30 mins.

Step 4 - Baking

• Once proofed, place it in a preheated oven of 350°F (180°C) for 30-35 mins until the bread turns golden brown in colour, sounds hollow or the internal temperature reads (195°F).
• Once baked brush the top with some butter to soften the crust, let it cool in the pan for 5 mins and then turn over and let it cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.

Video

Notes

1. The recipe can easily be doubled to make two bread loaves.
2. Always gradually add the flour. The exact amount of flour you use will depend on how you measure it, the climatic and temperature conditions of where you live and several other things.
3. I always use instant yeast to make all my breads. If you like to use the Active variety make sure to activate the yeast first before proceeding with the recipe.
4. Keep the dough covered using a kitchen towel or a cling wrap at all times to avoid it from drying out.
5. Once baked, do not leave the bread in the baking pan for too long as due to condensation the base would turn soggy.
6. You can use this bread to make any kind of sandwiches, as a toast or simply with butter and jam.
7. Refer the video in the recipe card or on Youtube for steps on how to knead and shape the bread. 

Choosing the Right Baking Pan

I prefer to use 9x5 inches baking pan. You can also use 8.5x4.5 inches baking pan.

Shape the dough according to the size of your baking pan. 

How to Store Bread?

The bread stays fresh for 2 days at room temperature in a bread bag or bread container or even in an air tight container.

Avoid storing the bread in the fridge as it tends to dry out the bread.

Can I leave out Milk Powder?

Yes, you can. Use plain flour instead. Milk Powder acts as an enrichment and makes the bread soft but if you do not find any just leave out.

 

 

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Conclusion:

At this time of the year, it is essential to learn few basic cooking and baking recipes.

This White Sandwich Bread is one amongst them.

This homemade White Bread recipe from scratch makes a light, fluffy, soft and incredibly tall bread loaf that is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or simply with butter and jam.

In just 2 hours you all would have a beautiful homebaked bread that is going to leave your house smelling soooooo aromatic.

I will see you soon with yet another one

Until then

Hugs

Sushma