Homemade Basic White Bread

Your PB&J sandwiches will be amazing with freshly-baked white bread. Susan Reid of King Arthur Flour shows basic bread-baking techniques such as blooming yeast and kneading dough. And her belt-and-suspenders approach to easily removing bread from the baking pan? Brilliant.

INGREDIENTS

Maked 1 loaf

1 cup + 2 tbsp (9 oz) warm water (keep extra on hand)
2½ tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp honey (or any sweetener)
3½ cups (17 oz) all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting work surface)
1½ tsp salt
¼ cup dry milk powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
non-stick cooking spray
Special Equipment

9” x 5” loaf pan
plastic wrap (or shower cap!)
parchment paper for lining pan
bowl scraper
dough whisk

HOW-TO

In a medium-sized bowl add the yeast and water followed the honey and flour (it is helpful to reserve the last ½ cup of flour to add slowly while mixing, to get the correct consistency- it may not all be needed)
Finally, add the salt, milk powder, and butter before mixing (can be done in stand mixer, or mixed by hand). Mix until it forms a shaggy mass that begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If dough is too dry, add extra water, 1 tbsp at a time. If too wet, add the ½ cup of reserved flour, a little at a time
Knead 5-8 minutes by hand* on floured surface until dough is elastic and springs back to the touch
Transfer to a bowl coated with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with plastic and allow to rise 1-1½ hours until doubled in size
Roll dough into a ball, then pat into a rectangle, about 16” x 6” x 1”. Fold two ends into the middle, then fold the opposite ends into the middle, and pat into a 9” x 5” rectangle
Place seam-side-down in a lightly-greased, parchment paper-lined 9" x 5" loaf pan. Drape loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise for 45-60 minutes or until it has risen about an inch over the top of the pan
Preheat oven to 375º
Remove plastic and bake 35-40 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 190º. Note: if the top of the bread is browning too quickly, top with a tent of aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking
Remove bread from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing

*Using a Bread Machine: Put all ingredients into the bucket of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program machine for dough or manual, and press 'Start'. Examine dough about midway through the kneading cycle; it should be smooth, not gnarly. Adjust consistency with additional flour or water. Allow machine to finish cycle. Complete remaining recipe steps