Who can resist the smell of freshly baked bread? Of course, it is easier to pick up a loaf at the supermarket but making bread at home makes eating it all the more rewarding. Baking bread is simple and requires very few ingredients. This recipe for a loaf of white bread from Baking Mad is easy and only takes 35 minutes to bake.
If you are gluten-free and would like to know how to bake bread, then you can learn how to make a gluten-free version here.
This recipe can also be made vegan if you substitute the butter for a non-dairy alternative.
Easy white bread recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
What you will need:
• 2lb loaf tin
Ingredients
• 500g White bread flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp White caster sugar
• 15g Unsalted butter
• 1 sachet Easy bake yeast or Time saver yeast
• 300ml Warm water
Try these bread baking essentials to get you started
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Method
- Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the butter, stir in the yeast.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the warm water. Mix together until a soft dough starts to form. This will take a couple of minutes. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, this can take up to 10 minutes
- Shape into a loaf and drop into a lightly greased 900g (2lb) loaf tin, or shape into a round on a baking tray. To make rolls, divide the dough in to 50g-75g pieces, shape into balls and place on a warm baking sheet.
- Cover the dough with oiled cling film or a damp tea cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes- 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Pre-heat your oven to 230°C, 210°C Fan / 450°F / Gas Mark 8.
- Sprinkle the dough with a little flour to create a crisp, rustic coating on top of the bread. Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F, gas mark 6) and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the bread is risen and golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- For rolls, bake just for 15-20 minutes at 230C, 210 Fan/450F/Gas Mark 8. Turn out the bread and cool on a wire rack.
Tip: For a crisp crust, remove the loaf from the tin and place on a baking sheet for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Once the bread has cooled, wrap the bread in brown paper.
Video on how to bake bread:
If you prefer to follow instructions visually then here is a video tutorial on how to make bread from Jamie Oliver
Should you invest in a bread maker?
If bread making is going to be a regular occurrence in your kitchen, then a bread makerwould be an excellent investment. Check out this affordable bread maker that will make baking bread so much easier!
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