If you like bread, here’s one for you.
I fell in love with this bread the first time that my husband made it. It’s so fluffy and delicious and it’s absolutely better than anything you would buy from the store. Of course white bread can be used in all sorts of ways, toasted for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, a side for dinner, a snack, sliced for an appetizer board, you name it.
Lately, we’ve been enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches. Probably because they are a good companion to soups and chilis. How do you make grilled cheese? My husband spreads some mayonnaise on the outside of each slice of the bread. Mayo? I’ve never heard of such a thing for a grilled cheese. He uses American cheese inside, but of course most cheeses will work. If you’ve never made grilled cheese with mayo, then you must try it because I think you get a more crispy golden crust than with butter. I’m sure that my husband is shocked to hear me say that because I’m not really a fan of mayo, but you can’t deny the facts. 😉
To top it all off, it’s even easy to make. The bottom line is that this homemade white bread is a winner and if you’re interested in a new bread recipe, then this bread is a must make.
Steps for White Bread
(Makes 1 loaf)
Hardware:
- Stand mixer
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (typically 2 and 1/2″ deep)
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/3 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 packet of yeast (equivalent to 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
- 4 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
- Add the warm water and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Connect the dough hook attachment for your stand mixer.
- Add the flour, salt, honey, and melted butter and turn the stand mixer on to a low speed. (I use speed 2 on my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.)
- Once the dough has come together and there is no longer loose flour, turn the stand mixer to a slightly higher speed. (I use speed 3 on my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.)
- Let the stand mixer knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
- While the mixer is kneading, spray a large bowl with cooking spray.
- Form the kneaded dough into a ball and place it into the oiled bowl to rise until it has doubled in size. (Typically 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the temperature, but be patient, it may take longer.)
- Once the dough has doubled in size punch it down and flatten it into a rectangle that is roughly as wide as your loaf pan is long. Your goal is that the rectangle be less than an inch thick so make it as long as it needs to be.
- Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Tightly roll your rectangle up into a log and place it into the loaf pan with the seam on the bottom.
- Let your loaf proof for 30 to 60 minutes. It should be puffed up to about 1 to 2 inches above the top of your loaf pan. If you are using an extra deep loaf pan, adjust accordingly.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Once preheated, bake the loaf for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven, it should be golden brown on the top and it should sound hollow if you smack it with a wooden spoon.
- Let the loaf cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan. Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Adapted from: The Flavor Bender
