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Basic white bread recipe

Basic white bread recipe

Easy bread recipe Our classic recipe for basic white bread produces a light and fluffy interior with a chewy golden crust. Serve fresh from the oven slathered with butter.  This is it. The recipe that takes you by the hand and leads you through the process of baking your own bread. Whether a novice or an old hand this recipe produces the real deal, fluffy white bread with a slightly chewy crust. Eat fresh from the oven with butter and jam, make little finger sandwiches or use the day-old bread for cheese toasties. No special equipment is needed for homemade bread. There’s no denying that a stand mixer helps but all you need is a hot oven and a bit of elbow grease. The dough has been kneaded enough when it looks smooth and when you poke your finger into it the hole it fills back quickly. You could also do what is known as the ‘pane test’. To do this, take a small amount of dough and slowly stretch it until the piece is so thin in the middle you can see light through it. I find this the most satisfying way of knowing your hard work has paid off.  Don’t be put off by how many steps this basic white bread recipe has. We’ve done this deliberately to put as much information as we can. What do I need for the perfect loaf of white bread? Yeast is at the heart of this white bread recipe. We say to use dried yeast, but instant dried yeast can be substituted. Ironically using instant yeast means the bread takes longer to prove, but as we set the dough aside for between 45-75 minutes, we leave room for the time lag. Look for high protein plain flour – this will be labelled as bread and pizza flour. High protein means high gluten, which makes the bread stronger and able to hold more carbon dioxide which is responsible for the rising. The lactic acid in milk helps tenderise the crumb and the natural sugar adds flavour and contributes to the golden crust. When making homemade bread, the water needs to just be luke-warm. Too hot and it may kill the yeast, it needs to be just warm enough to help activate the yeast. Now that you have your baker’s hat firmly on your head, how about venturing out to other types of bread making. From buttery brioche, to sourdough and focaccia and classic pizza bases. Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe Tester.

50 minutes12 servings39 kcal

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