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–+ servings
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Homemade Bread


Course Basic, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 2 loaves
A loaf of white bread sitting on a cooling rack on to colorful napkin.
Easy Homemade Bread Recipe that is fluffy, tender, and delicious and can be used for sandwiches, French toast, and more!

Ingredients  

  • 1½ tablespoons instant yeast or active-dry yeast
  • 5 cups bread flour spooned and leveled
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups warm water between 105° and 115°F
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

  • If working with instant yeast, you can whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (easiest). If using dry active yeast, see the recipe notes.2
  • Add the water and oil to the bowl (make sure your water is between 105° and 115°F) and beat on medium speed for 5 to 6 minutes, the dough should form and pulls away from the edges of the bowl about halfway through the process, but continue to beat the dough for the full time period to build the gluten.
  • Transfer the dough to a large metal or glass bowl (I use the 5qt bowl from this set) that has been lightly greased either with cooking spray or oil. Cover with a clean damp dishcloth and place it in a warm area to proof for 1 hour. If not using a proofing method that requires the oven (see notes)3 you can also use plastic wrap to cover the bowl, but be sure to spray the underside with non-stick spray so the dough doesn't stick to it. The dough should double in size.
  • Once the dough has risen, quickly punch it down in the center to release any excess air.
  • Then transfer it to a clean and lightly floured surface and divide the dough in half. Then knead the to halves of dough for 30 to 45 seconds and shape into loaves. Use flour as needed to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the surface but don’t add more than you have to. I like to pinch the edges into the middle and flip them onto the bottom of the pan so you have a nice tight and rounded top. You can also roll your dough out with a floured rolling pin into a rectangular shape and then tightly roll it up into a loaf shape (similar to what you might do with cinnamon rolls, but without the cinnamon).
  • Place it in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan4 and repeat with the other half of the dough.
  • Allow the loaves to proof from an additional 40 to 60 minutes. The dough should rise about 1-inch above the edge of the pan when it's done.
  • Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes. To be precise, your bread is done when the internal temperature is between 190° and 200° F. I think it is pretty easy to tell when it's done by eyeballing it because the top will be a nice golden brown and when you tap on the top it will be hard and sound hollow.
  • Once the loaves are done baking, remove them from the oven and immediately turn them out onto a wire rack. If you leave the loaves in the pan they will get soggy.
  • Allow the bread to cool fully before slicing.

Notes

  1. I have tested this recipe with both all-purpose and bread flour and the bread flour was far and away superior (better rise & texture). However, if all you have is all-purpose flour, it will still result in a delicious loaf of bread. You will need to add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the recipe if you use all-purpose.
  2. If you're using dry-active yeast, you'll need to activate it before using it. To do this, you'll stir together the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a medium bowl until the yeast appears to dissolve. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, it will begin to foam and almost double the original volume of the mixture. Then mix it into the dry ingredients where you would have added the water.
  3. My oven have a proof setting built in and some houses are naturally quite warm or you might have a stove that puts off a lot of warmth, however, if none of those fit you, here are a couple of tricks for proofing dough.
    • You can turn the oven on for about 5 minutes and then shut it off before placing the dough in the oven to rise. Make sure you use a glass or metal bowl and avoid plastic wrap for these oven methods.
    • You can place the dough in the oven and on the rack below it, add a baking dish with about 3 cups of boiling water, the heat and steam will help the dough proof.
  4. Any loaf pan sized between 8x4-inches and 10x5-inches should work.
  5. Shelf Life: This loaf of bread will last about 3 days at room temperature when placed in a large Ziploc bag or wrapped in plastic wrap.
  6. How To Freeze: Allow the bread to cool completely before placing it in a large freezer bag and squeezing out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  7. Okay, guys, so that best this about this recipe is that it can also be used to make dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls without any changes to the dough itself. So from one batch of dough, you can make any of the following combinations:
    • 2 loaves of bread
    • 24 dinner rolls
    • 16 cinnamon rolls
    • 1 loaf of bread and 8 cinnamon rolls
    • 1 loaf of bread and 12 dinner rolls
    • 12 dinner rolls and 8 cinnamon rolls
    To Make Dinner Rolls: Simply divide the dough into two portions and then make smaller equally sized portions of dough (about 1.8 – 2 ounces each) and pinch the dough into the center, flip them over and swirl them around on a well-floured surface to help seal them. place them in a greased baking dish to proof for 1 hour and then bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
    To Make Cinnamon Rolls: Divide the dough in half and then roll one half out on a lightly floured surface. The over it with the same filling recipe from my No-Yeast Cinnamon Roll Recipe, roll the dough up, slice, place in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and proof for 1 hour and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Top with my vanilla Icing Recipe!
  8. Nutritional information is an estimate per loaf of bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 1470kcal | Carbohydrates: 253g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Sodium: 1764mg | Potassium: 341mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 26g | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/homemade-bread/