DELICIOUS HOMEMADE BREAD BY HAND (WHITE OR WHEAT)

Delicious Homemade Bread by Hand (White or Wheat) image

This is homemade bread (you can do white or wheat) that doesn't require the use of a bread machine at all. It freezes well and is all around just a great recipe that always impresses and keeps my children asking for more. You can make this with wheat by substituting white flour for wheat and 1/3 cup honey for the sugar. This recipe is EASILY doubled and does perfectly. Enjoy one and freeze the other.

Provided by SixUnderSix

Time 2h31m

Yield 1 Loaf, 12 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/3 cups warm water (not hot but not cool either)
2 1/4 teaspoons bulk yeast (or 1 packet of yeast)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Steps:

Mix yeast and warm water in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. During this time you should see bubbles appear in the water (perfectly normal).
Once yeast and water have sat for 10 minutes, add the oil, salt, sugar and 1 cup of flour. Mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes, stir in the rest of the flour and mix with a large spoon until you can no longer mix by spoon and continue by hand kneading as you go. Once you have all flour completely mixed in, you should have a texture that is NOT sticky and not dry (if it IS sticky add more flour and if it IS dry, add a LITTLE more water until desired consistency is reached). Roll into a dough ball.
Place in an oiled boil (must be oiled and not sprayed) and flip one time. Cover with a damp towel and place in warm environment (NOT HOT). What I do is preheat the oven to 170 and then immediately turn off while I'm mixing the dough - this leaves the oven at the perfect temperature to rise. Let rise for 1 hour OR until doubled in size.
Remove towel and dough and place dough ona lightly floured surface. Knead the dough and roll out into a large rectangle (you MAY need to lightly flour your rolling pin as well). You will now roll the rectangle back up along the short side (if you roll along the long side it will not fit in your bread pan). Pinch seams together on bottom and on ends and place seem side down into a sprayed full-size loaf pan. Place a damp towel over the loaf pan and put it back into the oven to rise a second time (again no heat on) for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven at about 24 minutes and let it rise the last 6 minutes on the counter while you preheat your oven to 370 degrees F.
Place uncovered loaf pan into the oven and bake for 30-32 minutes.
Cool on wire rack and allow cooling time before cutting. Enjoy!