Need a very basic white bread recipe

6 years ago

I know some of you bake bread. I would like a very simple recipe for bread. I also need (or is that knead) to know what type of flour to get. I just want to have the ingredients on hand, just in case. Another question, do I spray the loaf pan before putting the dough in? I have baked bread before but that was at least 40 years ago. Thank you .

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Elmer J Fudd

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I think the first no knead bread approach was in the NY Times, it was developed by a NYC baker. Cooks Illustrated, and Kenji Lopez-Alt (Good Eats website, and he formerly of CI) have refined the first. For those who aren't Cooks Illustrated subscribers, the recipe on NY Times and Good Eats sites are freely available.

The difference is that these I've mentioned all recommend not less than 12 hours of resting time for the dough/yeast mixture and longer is okay too. During that time, the dough ferments and develops flavor complexity which greatly enhances the taste. As I recall, the CI recipe also calls for something less than a glassful of lager beer in place of some of the water, to boost the "bready" flavor. (beer is made from grain fermented by yeast). Both CI and Lopez-Alt develop recipes by iterative experiments, first doing things one way, then another, then another, etc., to determine the optimal approach and ingredient choices and amounts and I trust that method to refine the "how-to's".

The difference between the short rise recipes mentioned by others above and the longer ones I prefer is whether you set up the dough the afternoon before baking, or the same day. I'm always happy to plan a bit ahead and set aside more time for a better result, others can choose which they prefer. It's no more work, there's just a longer wait interval in the middle.

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Comments (16)

Annie Deighnaugh
6 years ago
The easiest bread to make is artisan bread. It's no knead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0t8ZAhb8lQ&t=10s

And it comes out delish.
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sephia_wa
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I just recently saw this recipe. A friend made it and said it was delicious. And doesn't require kneading!

https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-yeast-bread-recipe-no-knead/

ETA - looks like Annie and I were posting the same thing at the same time. :>)
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maifleur03
6 years ago
Back when my mom was making bread she just used the regular flour. You can spend a fortune on flours as there are so many kinds. If you have not made bread before I would start with it then expand. There is a bread flour that I have seen at my store that the wheat has more gluten.
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lucillle
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I use a Zojirushi bread machine and I'm not sure whether the machine recipe is differently from a hand kneaded recipe, and I also notice that over different models recipes may vary slightly. I am experimenting with a flour that is malted and higher gluten, it should arrive soon, I think some glitch at Amazon has delayed it, and I do think different flours can have different results but even with basic bread flour the Zojirushi has always made a great loaf of bread.
- 1-1/3 cups water (320mL)
- 4-1/4 cups bread flour (544g)
- 4 Tbsp. sugar (46g)
- 2 Tbsp. dry milk (8g)
- 2 tsp. salt (11.2g)
- 2-1/2 Tbsp. butter (35g)
- 2 tsp. active dry yeast (5.6g)
- I am experimenting with pizza dough, using a longer rise then freezing the dough for several days, as it freezes and unfreezes yeast activity continues and it is making a good pizza crust.
janey_alabama thanked lucillle
amylou321
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/perfect-white-sandwich-bread/

This is the recipe I use. I "knead" it in the mixer with the dough hook. I find it very easy. I am someone who is often wary of baking things.....especially bread. I still cant get up the courage to try to make brioche. Anyway....

This is from the last time I made it, Valentine's Day. It also works well in heart shaped bread pans, in case you were wondering. :-p

It's very good.

Oh, all purpose flour. That's what I use. And yes, spray both the bowl you will use to let the dough rise in and the pans to bake it in. Regular pam works fine. I have also brushed them with canola oil when I found myself with bread dough and no pam in sight. Worked fine.
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Jasdip
6 years ago
I've done the no-knead bread a few times. It's good but very crusty. I like it once in a while.

An easy regular sandwich bread is this one.

Amish White Bread
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User
6 years ago
If you're using a loaf pan, grease it well, then sprinkle with a bit of cornmeal. Enjoy the process -- these new "no knead" recipes work very well and are so much easier than kneading the way my mom taught me.
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joann_fl
6 years ago
I made rolls today. Do you have a bread machine? I have a great recipe, it's very easy
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User
6 years ago
King Arthur Flour's website is a wealth of information. Here's a good basic white bread recipe: no knead crusty white bread

If you would accept slider-sized breads, look at their recipe for Little Sally Lunns.
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ci_lantro
6 years ago
You don't HAVE to have special bread flour. All purpose will work fine. There is a limited selection of flour available in a lot of places right now. So I don't want you to think that you have to chase down a specialty flour for a basic white loaf. Our grandmothers & great grandmothers did fine with what was available which was probably just plain all purpose flour unless they lived in a huge city w/ a lot of immigrants and maybe had more choices.

Any home made bread is way better than what the large commercial bakeries produce.
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lucillle
6 years ago
You don't HAVE to have special bread flour

This is true, and you will have a fine loaf of bread. But experimenting with different recipes and flours can be fun. It could lead to experimenting with biscuits and cakes and pastries too, many which do better with a finer, lower gluten flour.

Ingredients make a difference, but as Ci_lantro says, home made bread is better that most large commercial bakeries (but without a little practice probably not as good as an excellent experienced baker at a bread and pastry shop could do.)

Just doing it will increase your skill, after each loaf you will learn and be better.
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Chessie
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I have made the original NYTimes no-knead bread, many many times. It is stupid simple. And absolutely delicious. Occasionally I add grated cheddar and chopped jalapenos to a loaf. Sooooooo good! I usually do use a cast iron dutch oven, but I have also used a baking stone and it was just as good. I would not put this bread in a pan. Also, you don't really need to use the cornmeal - I simply cut a sheet of parchment and put it under the loaf.

No-Knead Bread - original Jim Lahey recipe

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

1 5/8 cups water

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

Sea salt
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended;
  dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough
  rest 12 hours to 20 hours, at warm room temperature, about 70
  degrees.
1. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work
  surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and
  fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and
  let rest about 15 minutes.
1. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on
  towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another
  cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will
  be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked
  with a finger.
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats.
  When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under
  towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess,
  but that is O.K. Sprinkle with sea salt. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
2. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
janey_alabama thanked Chessie
Annie Deighnaugh
6 years ago
If you are looking for something bread like and simple to make, don't forget biscuits. I make whole wheat biscuits and love them.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/whole-wheat-biscuits-recipe-1910094
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ci_lantro
6 years ago
King Arthur's Beautiful Burger Buns is a great recipe for sandwich buns. I have no doubt that it would make a good loaf of bread, too.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/beautiful-burger-buns-recipe

The last time I made it, I added a couple of rehydrated individual serving packets of unsweetened mixed grain cereal and they were even better. Note that you will need to substantially cut back on the am't of water called for in the original recipe.
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lucillle
6 years ago
My first loaf using the new high gluten flour just came out of the machine and the bread is wonderful.

Need a very basic white bread recipe

Elmer J Fudd

Comments (16)

Annie Deighnaugh

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