A staple of humanity for longer than time itself, bread was once the pinnacle of human invention (probably). Here I share with you the culmination of thousands of years of baking knowledge as we unpick the secrets of classic white bread. You’re welcome.
Classic White Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 500g (1lb) Whole Wheat Flour
- 10g (1tbsp) Instant Dry Yeast
- 32g (2tbsp) Sugar
- 6g (1tsp) Salt
- 32g (2tbsp) Olive Oil
- 325g (11oz) Luke Warm Water (around 36°C)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine 500 grams of Flour, 10 grams of Yeast, 32 grams of Sugar, 6 grams of Salt, 32 Grams of Oil and roughly mix together
- Add 325 grams of lukewarm Water (it should be the same as the ambient temperature of your hand, approximately 36°C) and crudely mix together with a wooden spatula
- Using your freshly washed hands, bring the mix into a ball, turn out onto a worktop and then knead vigorously for around 10 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour, but remember that the dough should remain sticky
- Return the Dough to the mixing bowl and coat with a very thin layer of Oil. Rub your oily hand around the rim of the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap
- Leave the dough somewhere warm to rise until it has doubled in size
- Once risen, turn the dough out onto the work top and knead again for 3-4 minutes. You will notice the texture of the dough has changed, it will be more elastic than the first round of kneading
- Form the dough into a small version of the bread shape you require, pinching it tight from the underside, and place it on a lightly oiled baking tray (alternatively, place in a lightly oiled bread tin) covering loosely with plastic wrap and allow to once again double in size
- During the second rise, pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F, Fan 170°C, Gas Mark 5)
- Once risen, perform a few decorative cuts in the top of the dough with an extremely sharp knife. This will give hot air a place to escape instead of blowing a hole in the side of your bread. Dust with flour
- Place the bread in the centre of the oven
- After 50 minutes, check on the loaf. Protecting your hands, turn the loaf upside down and tap the underside, if the bread is ready it will sound hollow (the noise it makes when you tap on a closed plastic box). If not ready, bake for another 10 minutes and repeat
- Leave to cool
- Congratulations, you made a delicious loaf of fresh white bread
Nutrition
A Little More Info on Classic White Bread
Some Background on Ingredients
Flour: There’s a bit of room for maneuver here, I like to use one that’s labelled ‘whole wheat flour’ and apart from the word ‘imported’ everything else is written in Thai. However, from experimentation, it seems to be a strong unbleached white flour. Anything with a high gluten content will work just fine. Something like: Bob’s Red Mill Strong Bread Flour.
Yeast: There are a variety of yeasts available, but for our standard loaf we’re using instant dried yeast to keep things simple. Saf instant dry yeast has never let me down, and appears to be available worldwide
Sugar: Sugar has a bit of a deal going with the yeast, giving it the energy it needs to create a reaction. Which kind of sugar is up to you, for white bread I usually go for the white variety.
Salt: Salt does the opposite to sugar, it will slow down the reaction with the yeast. A little is ok, but err on the side of caution. Having spent a lot of time in the Himalayas, I’ve grown quite accustomed to using the pink salt that comes from up that way
Oil: This is up to you, my go to is Olive Oil , but other oils will work just fine, just don’t use anything with an overpowering aroma. If you’ve recently fried bacon, try using the leftover oil from that.
Water: Any drinking water is OK, but the temperature is critical. Too cold and the yeast won’t react, to hot and the yeast will die. The ideal temperature is when you dip your hand in and don’t feel anything at all (approximately 36°C).
Alternatives to Classic White Bread
Switching to a Classic Brown Bread
For those looking for something a little more wholesome, baking a delicious loaf of brown bread takes no extra effort. Just follow the recipe as described, but switch out half of the flour for wholemeal, and use a richer brown sugar instead of the white.
Hamburger Buns
Have a blast at getting to grips with enriched dough as you tackle the realm of hamburger buns. These delightfully soft meat holders will have everyone at the barbecue singing your praises!
Dessert Bread
If whipping up a loaf of white has got your baking juices flowing, you can try taking things up a little. For example. how about stepping into the realm of dessert bread and giving these World Class Chelsea Buns a try!
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