Basic White Bread Recipe

Baking bread at home is really satisfying, and it's actually a lot easier than people think. It's hard to beat fresh bread still warm from the oven.

Here's my recipe for a basic White bread made with just 4 ingredients. It is an easy recipe so anyone should be able to make it. It does require a bit of patience as there is quite a lot of waiting during the proving stages. It can be made into whatever shape you prefer but for now I'm keeping it fairly simple. I usually make about 8 rolls or a couple of small loaves with this quantity.

Ingredients

• 500g Bread flour
• 300g water
• 1 x teaspoon salt
• 1 x teaspoon dried yeast (I use Allinson Easybake yeast which is available in the Supermarkets)

Instructions

• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle
• Add the water and sprinkle over the yeast
• Mix the ingredients by hand or with a spoon until it starts to come together
• Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes. You can do this with a food processor to make life easier. Here is my technique for kneading by hand. The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you're finished.
• Now leave it to prove (for the yeast to do it's work). This just means leaving it for a couple of hours somewhere warm, till it's doubled in size. The bowl should be covered so the dough doesn't dry out. I use a spare shower cap, but you can also use a tea towel or cling film.

 

• At this stage the dough needs "knocking back". This just means briefly working the dough again to push out some of the air. It may seem strange after putting so much work in to get the bread to rise, but this stage ensures that the air bubbles are more uniform and gives a better structure to the bread, and stops it collapsing during baking.
• The next step is to shape the dough, and place on a greased baking sheet. As it's just a simple recipe I made 4 rolls and one small loaf (you can use a tin or do it free form).

• The dough needs a final prove before baking. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise again, this time for about 30 minutes to an hour. While you're waiting you can preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 around 200° C.
• Now to bake your bread.  The rolls will take 20 minutes to cook and the loaf around 40-45 minutes. (You can tell when it's done by giving it a tap on the bottom and it should sound hollow).
• Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Results

 Here are the finished results.

The bread has a light crust and is soft and fluffy on the inside. If there is any left it also freezes well. I slice the loaf prior to freezing and use it to make toast.

Give it a try, and let me know how you get on.

If you liked this post please feel free to share.