bread for sandwiches

The most simple recipe for basic homemade white bread - made from just yeast, sugar, water, flour and salt this white sandwich bread will become a staple in your house!

Basic White Bread Recipe

water, divided ((45°C/110°F))

Tablespoons granulated sugar ((or honey))

active yeast

flour ((plain

salt

Tablespoon softened butter ((to

Activate the yeast - Add 1 cup of the water to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar and yeast. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes or so until it starts to bubble and foam.

Make the dough - Add the flour and salt to the yeast mixture and start to combine with the dough hook on your mixer or with a wooden spoon if making by hand. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup water as needed to make a dough. You want the dough to be slightly tacky and sticking to the bottom of the bowl but clearing the sides when kneading.

Knead the dough - Knead for 7 minutes using the dough hook on your stand mixer on low speed, or for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured bench, until the dough is smooth, soft and bounces back when pressed gently.

First rise - Leave the dough in the mixing bowl or place back in the large bowl, cover with a clean tea towel film and put in a warm, draught free place to rise until approximately doubled in size, around 1 hour.

Shape the loaf - Grease the loaf tin with non stick cooking spray, oil or butter. Punch the dough down to release the air and then gently tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten it into a rectangle the length of the loaf tin and fold in half lengthways and tuck in the ends. I repeat this process 2 or 3 times until I have a smooth loaf with tightly tucked in ends. Transfer the loaf, seam side down into the loaf tin.

Second rise - Loosely cover the loaf again with the same tea towel or greased gladwrap and put it in the same warm place to rise until it has doubled in size again, is round on top and just over the top of the loaf tin. It is ready when the loaf will resist slightly when you gently press down with your finger but will still spring back into shape. This step will take about 45 minutes. Once you have left this to rise, pre-heat your oven to 190°C.

Bake the bread - Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the loaf from the oven and brush the top with softened or melted butter, letting it drip down the sides into the loaf tin. Place the loaf tin back in the oven and continue baking for a further 5-10 minutes until the loaf is golden brown on the top, bottom and sides and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. If you have an instant read thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of 88°C/190°F.

Remove from the oven and tip the loaf out of the tin and cool on a wire cooling rack before slicing and serving.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or slice and freeze the loaf.

A simple recipe to help you master the basics of bread making - my favourite easy homemade white bread recipe! You'll be a master baker in no time!

Easy Homemade White Bread

(250 mls) warm water ((45°C/110°F))

tsp (10 grams) sugar

tsp (7.5 grams) active yeast

tsp (4.5 grams) salt

(around 550 grams) high grade flour

(125 milliliters) milk

Activate the yeast by adding 1/2 cup (125ml) of the warm water, the sugar and the yeast, stir it up and leave it to sit for 15 minutes or so until it is foamy.

Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Once the yeast is foamy, add this and the remaining warm water and milk and mix together until incorporated.

Using either the dough hook on your stand mixer, or by hand on a lightly floured bench, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth, elasticy and bounces back when pressed gently.

Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with gladwrap/clingfilm and put in a warm, draught free place to rise until approximately doubled in size. Depending on the temperature this will take between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Oil or butter the loaf tin you will be using. I prefer to use butter as it gives the crust a bit of crunch and great flavour. Gently tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a roll about twice the length of the loaf tin you will be using. Gently flatten it using your knuckles and then fold it into thirds length ways, like a letter. Flatten it out again until it is about the length of two thirds of the loaf tin, and then roll it up from the long side, towards you into a tight roll. Make sure it is rolled firmly, but don't stretch or break the dough. Transfer the loaf, seam side down into the loaf tin.

Cover the loaf again, but I like to use a supermarket bag so that it is not touching the dough and to give it enough room to rise slightly above the top of the tin without touching the bag.

Put it in the same warm place to rise until it is round on top and just over the top of the loaf tin. It is ready when the loaf will resist slightly when you gently press down with your finger but will still spring back into shape. This step will take about 30-40 minutes. Once you have left this to rise, pre-heat your oven to 230°C.

Once the bread has risen, put it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 230°C and then reduce the heat to 200°C and continue baking for a further 20-30 minutes until the loaf is golden brown on the top, bottom and sides and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. I always take the loaf out and remove it from the tin so that I can check that it's properly cooked. It's easy to put it back in at this stage if you think it needs a little longer. If while baking the top is going a little too brown, gently cover it in tinfoil to stop it from browning too much.

Remove from the oven and the tin and cool on a wire cooling rack before slicing and serving.

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Basic White Bread Recipe

Easy Homemade White Bread

Top 2 bread for sandwiches recipes from across the web

The most viewed bread for sandwiches recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Basic White Bread Recipe

Easy Homemade White Bread

The most viewed bread for sandwiches recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine