The basic, white bread recipe is the standards that forms the basis of all other bread recipe methods you’ll work with.
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Jump to RecipeA Good Start
I think that it’s fair to say that a bread, made from scratch, isn’t automatically the recipe you’d start with. When you think about learning how to bake, it is typically easier to start with a cake – like I did – or cookies, cupcakes or muffins. You have to start somewhere.
Cookies and cakes are fantastic, but baking bread is just something else. Not having to rely on the supermarket for fresh, soft or crispy, white or wholewheat bread is a game changer. But like I said, it’s not easy. It takes some skill, some getting used to the feel of a sticky dough, and knowing then it’s ready.
All good cook books start with the basic, white bread recipe. And for a reason. You only have to worry about the right amount of water, the proofing of the bread and making sure the bake is good.
Beyond the Basics
The fact that we call it a basic recipe, and it is simple, should not fool you. When baked properly, it is versatile, extremely good and rewarding to eat. It is the go-to bake that you can also use to experiment with. You can bake large loafs, divide and use baking pans (see the photo), use pre-ferments, cut it up even smaller and bake buns and rolls. When you feel you master this, you can add fillings. Think of cheese, vegetables, chocolate, fruits, butter, eggs and sugar. Change up your flour game. Your imagination – aided by your taste buds – are your only limitation.
In this recipe we also discuss the cob loaf, the round version of this bread. You’ll likely find it interesting that the exact same dough will have a different taste and texture. And just wait until you bake this in a Dutch oven.
So with that, let’s get started.
The Basics: White Bread
Ingredients
- 500 grams All-purpose flour
- 350 milliliter water Filtered
- 10 grams salt
- 10 grams yeast Instant
Instructions
Preparation
- Put the flour in the mixing bowl. Add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other side of the bowl. Although it won't immediately slow it down, salt can have an effect on the yeast when you add them together. Slowly add about 75% of the water to the bowl on the side of the yeast, mix with a wooden spoon or your fingers and work your way across the rest of the bowl. Perhaps you will not need all of the water, or maybe you need to add a bit more. What you are looking for is a coarse, soft dough. It should not be too wet or too sticky. Do not worry if it is a little wet or sticky at the start. When you knead the dough, it will become dryer and softer. Do not add more flour.
- Once all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough starts picking up the loose bits in the bowl, flick over the bowl and turn the dough on your clean kitchen table top. You can use a bit of oil to grease the table top, but you will find you will not need it. Do not use flour, as this will mess up the consistency of the dough. Now, you knead.
Kneading
- You will find your own technique of kneading dough quickly enough. The most important is that you work the dough, to allow the proteins to turn into gluten. My technique: I grab the dough with the fingers from my one hand, and push the dough away with the palm of my hand. I grab the dough, fold on itself, and push it away again, and repeat, and repeat. After a couple of minutes you will start to see a change in the consistency of the dough. It will become softer, almost silky. When you stretch the dough between your hands, you will notice it will start to stretch, instead of rip. Kneading will take you around 7-10 minutes. If you knead too short, the gluten will not have fully formed, and too long will result in a tough, heavy bread. The dough is ready when you try to make a window of the dough: a thin film of dough, about 0,5 centimeters thick, that does not immediately tear up. This is called the "window pane test". If it rips too easily, just knead a bit more.Yes – you can use a kitchen machine to knead. This will take 5-7 minutes, and I recommend to knead the last few minutes by hand so you can feel when the dough is ready. Don't overwork.
First or Bulk Proofing
- Clean the bowl you have been mixing the dough in, and grease it with a bit of oil. Form a ball of the dough, place in the bowl and cover with the lid, clean film or a kitchen towel. Place the bowl on a warm spot. Do not place it on direct heat, and do not place it in the full, hot sun as this will dry out the dough and leave a harder skin that you will see in the dough. Leave for the first proofing for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- After the hour, there will be nice bubbles in the dough, as the yeast has done its job for the first time.
Second Proofing and Preparation
- Use the dough scraper to get the dough out of the bowl and onto your work space. Cut the dough into the number of loafs you want. If you use the one, leave it intact, but you can make 2 decently sized loafs, or 3 smaller ones: the smaller ones will yield significantly smaller slices than a usual slice of bread. Decide what type of bread you want. Tin Loaf Bread:Grease up the baking tin or tins with a little bit of cooking spray or neutral oil. Place the dough, top down, on the workspace. Gently push the dough out into a square. Fold over ⅔ of the dough onto itself, from the edge furthest from you, towards you. Pinch the edge into the bread. Carefully stretch the remaining ⅓ and fold it back. Pinch the edge into the main piece. Flip the dough over so the seam is facing down. You now have a dough that resembles a log. Push the ends of the log underneath itself so you have clean edges. Lift the dough, and place it in the prepared backing tin. Cob LoafIf you make a free form bread, such as a round loaf, a cob loaf or boule, flick the dough over so the top is the bottom. Grab a corner of the bread and pull it towards the middle; pinch it stuck. Repeat for all corners, and continue to go around the loaf. It will get harder to do: if you feel resistance, stop before you overstretch and tear the skin on the top. Turn the dough over, and between your open hands, roll it over the clean work surface, and feel more resistance build in the outside. Place in a bread basket or banneton with the seam side up and pinch the seams together; or place the loaf seam side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and leave for the second proof for about 45-60 minutes. Towards the end of the second proofing time, preheat the oven to 220oC or 425oF. If you use a baking tin for steam, place an empty tin in the oven.
Baking and Cooling
- When the loafs are ready after the second proofing, make 2 or 3 deep, quick lacerations in the breads. These will act as vents and allow for the moisture to evaporate from the bread., and they will allow the bread to rip open and create a tear or ear exactly where you want it. Place in the oven, and drop a few ice cubes in the baking tin to get steam. If you use a spray bottle, spray a mist in the oven.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- The breads are ready if they have a dark, golden-brown crust on the top and the bottom. If you tap on the bottom, it sounds a bit like a hollow piece of wood. Place on the cooling rack right away and allow to cool before you cut and eat.