Component/Breads and Pastries

White Bread

Time: 3 hr Yields: loaf Cost: $1.35 per loaf Difficulty: 6/10

A constant work in progress to make bread that works for sandwiches. Mostly appropriated from The Commonsense Cookery Book. Every time I make it I come up with something I should change for the next time. The 15 minutes of kneading is long enough that I usually take a little break in the middle, but it is usually a really pleasant activity.

Ingredients

  • Bread flour 0.5 kgs
  • Bread flour 6 tbsp (for kneading)
  • White sugar 1 tbsp
  • Salt 1 tbsp
  • Dry yeast 1 tbsp
  • Water 375 ml

Steps

  1. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and stir.
  2. Measure out hot water (40 degrees) and mix until the dry mixture.
  3. Pour a small pile of extra flour (4-6 tbsp) onto the bench and then turn mixture out and knead, incorporating flour little by little as needed. Knead for 15 minutes.
  4. Pour oil around the sides of a large bowl and use your hand to coat the bowl. Place dough into it and then turn over so top is coated in oil. Run a teatowel through hot water, wring out and then cover bowl with it. Rise until doubled, 1 hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 230 conventional, boil a kettle.
  6. Knock back and knead dough for 1 minute.
  7. Shape dough and lower into floured bread tin, cover again and rise for 20 minutes.
  8. Place cake dish in oven and fill with boiling water.
  9. After second rise, bake the loaf for 30 minutes.