This very easy bread recipe is nearly foolproof. I taught Katherine how to do it when she was seven. If she can do it, you definitely can! Making bread is not as difficult as you may think. There are a couple of crucial steps and as long as you follow them, you are good to go!
White Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Warm water (not hot!)
- 3 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Active yeast
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup Olive oil vegetable oil will work as well
- 6 cups White flour
Instructions
- Combine warm water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil. If you are unsure if your yeast is still good, wait a few minutes to see if the mix begins to bubble. If it does, your yeast should be fine.
Thoroughly mix these wet ingredients and add to the flour.
If you have a Kitchen Aid, turn it on setting one or two and, using the dough hook, let it knead for five minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, use your hands to knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes.
Cover with a cloth for one hour.
Divide the dough into two bread pans and let rise for thirty minutes.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Preparation tips:
Make sure the water is not hot. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. On the other hand, if it is too cold, it won’t activate the yeast. If you have a thermometer, you want the water ideally to be 110-115 degrees. I just stick my finger to it and if it feels slightly warm, I know it is good.
When you add the wet ingredients to the flour and turn on the mixer, it is going to send up a little messy white cloud. I put a small dishtowel towel over the mixer to minimize the mess.
Even if you measure carefully, sometimes the dough can be too wet or too dry. You want the consistency to be wet and sticky but not like a soup. Add a little flour or water to compensate. The dough is done kneading when you can pinch it in your fingers, draw them apart and the dough stretches like a string.
If you let the dough rise for too long, don’t worry about it. Just poke it so that it falls back and let it rise again. If it rises too much, it will collapse in the oven. It will still be delicious, it just won’t look quite as good and be a bit more dense (all the better to spread butter on!)
Baking Tips
Knowing your oven can be a bit tricky- I always have to add five minutes to any recipe with my current oven. It is done when the bread turns honey brown.
I let the bread cool in the pans for about 2-4 minutes before getting them out of the pans. If they sit in the hot pans for too long, they build up condensation. These non stick pans are my top favorite. If it doesn’t slide out right away, gently run a butter knife around the edges to loosen it up.
DON’T BE GREEDY let your bread sit for at least 8 minutes to cool off. If you don’t, it will collapse when you cut it.
I hope you enjoy this very easy bread recipe! I have been making it for years and love it very much.
Now that you have delicious bread, why don’t you make some tasty vegan clam chowder to go with it? You could also have some chocolate spice cookies for dessert. :)
