Basic White Bread

Since it is the foundation for literally hundreds of recipes, mastering basic white dough will give you a starting point for your journey of exploration of the world of breads.  After you get this down, it’s all about the shaping.

Ingredients

2 cups of warm water (100 to 110° F)

2 packages of active dry yeast

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

5½ to 6 cups of all-purpose or bread flour

Directions 

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, oil, and salt, and mix well. Add 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding more flour as needed to make a smooth and elastic dough that is only slightly sticky. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and place in a clean, dry bowl.   Cover with a dry cloth and let rise about an hour or until doubled. Punch the dough down, and knead it lightly.  Shape the loaves as desired.

Notes

--There are lots of variations on this basic white bread regarding the amount of water, sugar, salt and oil.  I like this one because everything’s in “twos” except the flour, so it’s easy to carry in your head.

--Remember that bread flour has more protein than all-purpose so it will absorb more liquid, so you may use less of it if you are used to making bread will all-purpose flour.

Try this recipe with different pans or shapes, too!