Easy Homemade White Bread

Never before have I been more thankful to know this easy homemade white bread recipe than right now during this unprecedented pandemic we are experiencing. 

We are just a few days into the no-school, no-public gatherings, and isles of no bread in the grocery store. With six kids that are addicted to PB&J’s and Nutella sandwiches all day every day… You can just imagine how fast we go through a loaf of bread in our home. 

Thankfully, flour, yeast, sugar, oil & salt are still on the shelves of the grocery store and with this easy recipe, you can combine just these five ingredients to make delicious, easy, homemade white bread!

HUGE BONUS: Your house will smell Amazing!

I make the bread dough using my Kitchen Aid mixer, but I learned how to make bread the old fashioned way. A big bowl, wooden spoon, and your hands. 

My sisters and I read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder series The Little House On The Prairie when we were girls and were obsessed with the frontier life. Things like churning butter, kneading bread, and feeding chickens sounded magical. My mom was awesome to encourage us to get in the kitchen and get flour everywhere while we channeled our homesteading ancestors and made bread from scratch. 

Making this easy homemade white bread is really a great activity to do with your kids too! I consider cooking and baking a life skill and if you learn to bake bread, you learn the basics of science, math, and food combinations. 

I should note, this is not a last minute bread recipe. It really relies on two proofing times. The first being 1-2 hours and the second 30-50 minutes. This is essential for making bread that actually slices like the white sandwich bread you are used to. 

Speaking of slicing… You will notice this bread to be more crumbly than store-bought. This is because homemade bread doesn’t have all that extra stuff that the store-bought bread does. Have you ever read the ingredient list on your bread? It’s kinda frightening! Use a bread slicing guide like this one to create perfect slices every time. 

Easy Homemade White Bread

March 19, 2020

by Keikilani Jackson

Category baking recipes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Warm Water
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 2 1/4 tbsp Yeast
• 6 cups All Purpose White Flour (1/2 cup more if dough is sticky)
• 1/3 cup Oil (olive oil, melted butter, etc)
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, add warm water, sugar, & yeast.
2. Stir to dissolve. And set aside to proof.
3. In mixer bowl, add flour, oil, & salt.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Slowly pour in water mixture with the mixer on low speed.
6. Once all of the water is added, turn up speed on mixture to medium.
7. NOTE: if dough is sticking to the sides of the mixer add in more flour a tablespoon at a time until it forms a ball.
8. Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. (This is an important step)
9. Grease a large bowl with oil.
10. Turn out kneaded dough into large greased bowl. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot in the kitchen.
11. Allow dough to rise for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
12. Once doubled in size, punch dough down and turn out onto a cutting board.
13. Fold dough over itself a few times and divide in half.
14. Flatten 1/2 of the dough into a long rectangle and roll it up. Repeat a second time and fold ends under.
15. Place dough into a greased bread pan.
16. Repeat process with second dough half.
17. Cover both bread pans with a towel and allow to rise for another 30-50 minutes or until the dough has risen out of the bread pans at least an inch or two.
18. Bake at 375˚ F for 35-45 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
19. Remove from oven and brush with butter.

Tags

baking,

bread,

homemade,

Recipe,

sandwich,

white bread

https://allmygoodthings.com/2020/03/easy-homemade-white-bread/

Here are some extra tips for this easy homemade white bread recipe:

• DO add more flour if your dough is sticking to the sides of your mixing bowl. But only add a little at a time to keep from adding too much flour.
• DO knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. This is vital.
• DO NOT bake this bread without rising twice. It will not be fluffy and light.
• DO NOT use butter to grease your bread pans as it can burn.
• DO allow the bread to cool before slicing. If you can’t wait to eat it, just be careful as the bread will be much easier to crush while hot. 
• DO practice! The more you make this recipe, the easier it will get. Honestly, I don’t even need the recipe now as I have been making it so often. 
• DO let your kids help! They may make a mess, but they will be proud of the finished product and will love spending time with you in the kitchen. 
• DO eat your bread within 2-3 days. It will mold much faster than store bought bread. 
• DO make extra and take it to your neighbors! This is the time to be neighborly.
• DO order this bread slicing guide to ensure your slices are perfect every time!

I hope this recipe helps sustain your pantry during this crazy pants season. I plan on baking bread twice a week for our family. As I know we will consume a minimum of that much! Now onto making Instant Pot strawberry jam, pretzel hamburger buns and hotdog buns!

This post contains affiliate links which help to support this blog.