Kitchen Confidence: Homemade White Bread
Do you have a meal or a dish that makes you FEEL like a great cook? Preparing food day in and day out can get pretty mundane, so when I fall into that cycle I like to remember what food I prepare that really makes me feel alive! If I make something I feel good about, it gives me confidence to try more new things too!
One recent recipe I tried and felt successful with was homemade bread. It sounds like such a simple thing, but I had never made it before and it always felt like this elusive thing to me. Then one day I decided to just buy the ingredients and make it start to finish, without any interruptions. I was baking for fun, not out of necessity to feed my family. Now that I’ve made this bread, I feel confident in the kitchen and more able to tackle new things!
A major reason for my success was using the tried and true sandwich bread recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Here is the recipe for you to try too!
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 3/4 cups very warm water
1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (like grapeseed, canola, vegetable, avocado)
butter for top of loaves, optional
Directions:
One recent recipe I tried and felt successful with was homemade bread. It sounds like such a simple thing, but I had never made it before and it always felt like this elusive thing to me. Then one day I decided to just buy the ingredients and make it start to finish, without any interruptions. I was baking for fun, not out of necessity to feed my family. Now that I’ve made this bread, I feel confident in the kitchen and more able to tackle new things!
A major reason for my success was using the tried and true sandwich bread recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Here is the recipe for you to try too!
The Best White Sandwich Bread ? Mel's Kitchen Cafe
My kids and I just used this recipe today, and the bread is so delicious! It’s soft and wonderful. Thank you so much!
Yield: 2 loaves
Serving size: 5
Calories per serving: 49
Ingredients:
Serving size: 5
Calories per serving: 49
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 3/4 cups very warm water
1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (like grapeseed, canola, vegetable, avocado)
butter for top of loaves, optional
Directions:
1) In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl, if making the dough by hand), combine THREE cups of the flour, salt, yeast and sugar.
2) Add the water and oil and mix until combined. The mixture will be thinner than bread dough.
3) Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 10 minutes; it will be slightly bubbly at the end.
4) With the mixer running (or stirring by hand), gradually add another 3 to 4 cups of flour, until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl and doesn't leave a lot of doughy residue on your fingers when touched while still being just slightly tacky (not overfloured and dense).
5) Knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
6) Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap or a light kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
7) Lightly punch down the dough and divide it into two equal pieces.
8) Grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread pans.
9) Press each piece of dough into a thick rectangle about 8-inches long; roll it up, pressing on the seams, and pinching the final seam together.
10) Place the dough loaves into the prepared pans.
11) Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or thin kitchen towels and let rise until doubled and the dough has risen about 1-inch above the top rim of the pan, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
12) While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
13) Bake the bread for 30-32 minutes until golden and baked through.
14) Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter (or use a stick of butter, peeling the paper back and rubbing it on the top of the hot bread).
15) Let the bread cool completely.
16) The bread can be stored at room temperature, covered in a bread bag, for a couple days, or frozen for up to a month or so.
Source: melskitchencafe.com
2) Add the water and oil and mix until combined. The mixture will be thinner than bread dough.
3) Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 10 minutes; it will be slightly bubbly at the end.
4) With the mixer running (or stirring by hand), gradually add another 3 to 4 cups of flour, until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl and doesn't leave a lot of doughy residue on your fingers when touched while still being just slightly tacky (not overfloured and dense).
5) Knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
6) Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap or a light kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
7) Lightly punch down the dough and divide it into two equal pieces.
8) Grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread pans.
9) Press each piece of dough into a thick rectangle about 8-inches long; roll it up, pressing on the seams, and pinching the final seam together.
10) Place the dough loaves into the prepared pans.
11) Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or thin kitchen towels and let rise until doubled and the dough has risen about 1-inch above the top rim of the pan, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
12) While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
13) Bake the bread for 30-32 minutes until golden and baked through.
14) Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter (or use a stick of butter, peeling the paper back and rubbing it on the top of the hot bread).
15) Let the bread cool completely.
16) The bread can be stored at room temperature, covered in a bread bag, for a couple days, or frozen for up to a month or so.
Source: melskitchencafe.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Stefanie Hathaway