White bread is something that you can easily bake yourself, and in my opinion theres nothing
much better than fresh bread that fills your home with the wonderful aroma.
Welcome to recipes by Carina where I share with you how to make classic and simply delicious
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This recipe makes one perfect loaf of white bread, all you need is a few ingredients and
some time.
To get started on this recipe we’re going to wake up the yeast.
This recipe uses activated dry yeast, you could use instant yeast or fresh yeast if
that is what you have on hand.
Look up the conversions online and it will tell you exactly how much to use.
Add one and a half teaspoon of yeast to a small bowl, this works out to be about 5-6
grams or 3/4 of a packet of yeast.
To the yeast we’re going to add 3/4 of a cup or 190ml of warm water.
Add about half a teaspoon of white sugar to the bowl and give it a good mix, set to the
side while the yeast activates.
Active dried yeast is a living thing that lies dormant, so what we’re doing here is
waking it up and giving it some food so it starts to produce gas which in turn will rise
your bread.
You’ll notice I give the recipe amounts in metric and imperial, cups and grams so
no matter where you live in the world the recipe should be easy enough to follow.
If you would like the full recipe for this white bread it will be on my website as well
as the measurements in the description box below.
While the yeast is activating, this will take about 10 to 15 minutes, measure out the dry
ingredients.
I’m going to be making this recipe in my kitchenaid, however I’ve made it countless
times by hand as well as in a bread maker and every way turns out perfect.
You can easily use a machine if you’ve got one but if you don’t all you need is a large
bowl.
Measure out 2 and half cups or 300g of high grade, strong, or bread flour.
These are all the same ingredient, just different names.
We need this type of flour instead of all purpose as it contains much more protein which
develops the gluten in the bread.
Gluten is very important here as it’s what gives the bread structure and it’s unique
texture.
Add a teaspoon of salt for flavour as we’ll as the other half teaspoon of sugar.
Check your yeast and when it’s foamed up something like this it’s ready to be used.
If by chance it hasn’t a couple of reasons why could be the yeast is out of date, or
your water is too hot which will kill the yeast, or the water may be too cool and if
this is the case the yeast will just take longer to activate.
Pour it into the bowl with your dry ingredients and begin to mix your dough on a low speed
with the dough attachment.
If you are doing this by hand use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together.
Once your dough has started to form, you can add the butter.
Some type of fat is common in a lot of breads but it’s not essential.
It adds flavour as well as in my opinion a better texture to the bread and gives it a
longer shelf life.
We only need a tablespoon, you can substitute oil or shortening here if you would like or
completely leave it out.
If you are making this by hand once you’ve formed a dough tip it out on a clean and floured
surface and begin to knead.
There are a few different techniques when it comes to kneading but essentially what
you are trying to do is pull the dough and fold it over itself.
Give it a try and you’ll pretty quickly find your natural rhythm.
The dough needs to be kneaded for about 10 minutes.
That’s just a guideline, you’ll pretty quickly be able to tell when its ready.
As we knead the dough, the proteins are kind of being wrapped around each other, creating
gluten which allows the dough to be super stretchy, smooth, and strong.
You’ll know your dough is about ready when it becomes smooth to the touch and also when
you press the centre it springs back.
Also a quick note on the stickiness of dough.
For this recipe you want your dough to be sticky, but not stick to your fingers.
It should feel tacky when you press it but shouldn’t be making a huge mess everywhere.
As you do continue kneading the dough does tend to loose it’s stickiness so if you
are adding extra flour make sure to do it a small amount at a time so you don’t dry
it out.
Now we should be ready to give the dough its first proof.
Add a small amount of oil to a clean bowl, shape your dough into a ball, place it in
the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.
Leave your dough in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in volume.
When your dough is ready, flour your surface and turn the dough out.
Give it just a quick knead to knock it back before shaping it as we want to keep most
of the air in.
You want to shape it into a ball, then kind of press the sides so it turns into more of
a log shape, trying to make sure the top stays completely smooth as this will give you the
best finish once it has baked.
Place your dough into a greased loaf tin.
I’m using a 7inch or 18cm loaf pan here which I find to be the perfect size.
If you do want to use a 9 inch or 23cm loaf pan I would recommend doubling the recipe.
Cover your dough with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to prove for a second
time which should take about 45 minutes.
When your dough has domed up it’s ready to go into a 200C | 400F oven for about 25
minutes, it should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Remove your bread from the tin immediately and place on a cooling rack to stop it sweating.
Leave it too cool completely before slicing.
Your loaf should stay fresh for a couple of days but it’s best enjoyed the same day
you bake it.
I would love to see a picture if you try out this recipe.
Remember to subscribe to my channel and take a look at all of my other recipes.
Thank you for watching, I hope you enjoyed this recipe and I will see you in my next
video.