Let’s Learn How To Make Bread!
My then-boyfriend (now hubs) bought me a bread machine in college, as he knew how much I loved to bake… and I made all of the breads with it – raisin, walnut, cranberry, banana, whole grain, etc etc etc. I loved using it because you would just put all the ingredients into the machine, hit start and it’s done in an hour! Sadly I left the machine back home and it didn’t make it with me when I moved to the East Coast.
Since then, bread making has been a rarity, but it’s fun to make, and you feel a great sense of accomplishment! It takes time, yes, but all good things are worth waiting for! I’ve been making some Japanese Milk Bread here and there, but I opted to make a simple white bread this time around to have on hand, sometimes they’re better for certain sandwiches and toast.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make this bread with different dairy options. You can use dairy-free milk, like here I used coconut milk. The option you choose with more fat will result in a more richer bread.
If you have the time to bake something this week, challenge yourself to baking bread (like the rest of the quarantine population is apparently doing!)
White Bread Recipe
Making bread isn't as hard as you think! Here's a simple basic bread recipe.
- 2 cups Bread Flour (plus more for dusting to roll out dough )
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp active yeast (or instant (skip activating the yeast step))
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 tbsp olive oil (plus more for greasing pan)
Start Making the Dough
Whisk together flour and salt in one bowl
If you are using active yeast, activate it by warming your milk to 110 degrees fahrenheit (lukewarm to touch), toss in your sugar and yeast into this mix and wait until this mixture is bubbly and foamy. This is when it's ready to be combined with the flour mixture.
Once yeast is activated, pour into the dry ingredients, and add in the oil.
Using your fingers, slowly mix the dough so the wet becomes incorporated into the dry. Then start using your hands to mold the mix into a dough. It will be sticky but try not to over mix this dough.
Begin the First Rise
On a lightly floured surface, mix the dough enough so it's not too sticky, and mold into a shape of a ball. Return this ball back into the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a damp cloth. Place this by a warm location so it helps the yeast to rise.
After about an hour, or until the dough has risen by 2x, roll the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it's soft and bouncy.
Begin the Second Rise
Grease the inside of a 9×4 bread loaf pan (I use a pullman loaf) and place the dough into the pan and ensure the dough is spread evenly.
Cover the pan with a damp cloth, and allow it to sit again in a warm area until the dough has risen to the top of the loaf pan.
Get Ready to Bake!
Once the dough has risen in the pan, brush the top of the dough with milk and place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Rotate this halfway through. The last 5 minutes place foil at the top so as not to burn the bread.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Run a knife alongside the loaf pan to release the bread from the loaf pan if necessary. Otherwise remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a baking sheet.
Enjoy the day of baking the bread, up to a few days room temp or I like to slice the bread and freeze them! Leave them out for 15 minutes to thaw and you can enjoy it as is or toast.
Pro tip: One important factor of starting this bread is activating the yeast if you are using activated yeast (which I do in this recipe). Warm your milk to luke warm temperature between 110-115 degrees fahrenheit, and toss in your yeast and sugar. This activates your yeast. When it becomes bubbly, you can add this to your dry ingredients and move on to your next steps!
Hope you enjoy making something, whether or not it’s bread!
Love,
Rina
