Best Airy White Bread Recipes

WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook combine the instant yeast, sugar, and half of the lukewarm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy (if using active dry yeast, let sit for 15 minutes).
• Add remaining water, honey, salt, cubed butter, and 4 cups flour to the bowl. Knead at low speed until the dough comes together and is soft but not sticky. Add a few more tablespoons flour if necessary. Continue to knead for 6-9 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and smooth.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and make sure that it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm and draft-free place for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough onto it. Divide it into two equally sized portions. Use your fingers to gently pat each half into an 8x12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets. Starting at the short end, roll up the rectangle into a tight roll and pinch the seams to seal. Tuck the ends of the roll slightly under the roll to create some tension on the surface and place each loaf into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan tucked ends and seam side down. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm and draft-free place until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 390 degrees F and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
• Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes until golden brown (and the loaf registers 208 to 210 degrees).
• Invert bread onto a cooling rack. Reinvert loaves and brush tops and sides with melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

TRADITIONAL WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Stir in lard, salt and two cups of the flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

AIRY WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to your bread machine in the order reccomended by the manufacturer.
• Set to"dough" cycle.
• When dough cycle finishes, remove dough from bread machine and punch down and knead on a floured surface.
• Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, set dough into the pan, and set aside in a warm place (i set mine on the back burner of my stove-- it gets hot while the stove warms up, and causes the bread to rise quickly) and let the dough rise to just about the top of the loaf pan.
• Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
• When dough is done, tap on the top of the loaf.
• If it sounds hollow inside, it is done.
• If not, cook in additional 5 minute increments, till bread is done.
• Let cool a bit before cutting, or the bread will get smushed.

SIMPLE CRUSTY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
• Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
• Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
• Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

SOFTEST SOFT BREAD WITH AIR POCKETS USING BREAD MACHINE

Steps:

• Pour warm water into the pan of bread machine and stir honey into warm water until dissolved. Add yeast to the mixture and let stand until yeast begins to foam, about 10 minutes. Add flour, olive oil, and salt to the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
• Select soft setting if machine has that option; otherwise select regular setting and start the machine. Let finished bread cool before slicing.