White Bread

Here it is, Anne. Instructions for setting the dough to rise overnight will be at the end.

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
butter or margarine

In large bowl, comine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In medium saucepan over low heat, heat 1 1/2 cups water, milk and 3 tbsp. butter or margarine until very warm (120° to 130°F). (Butter or margarine does not need to melt.) With mixer at low speed, gradually pour liquid into dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 3/4 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 3 cups) to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough into ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (80° to 85°F), away from draft, until doubled, about 1 hour. (Dough is doubled when two fingers pressed lightly into dough leave a dent.)

Punch down dough by pushing center of dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; cut in half; cover with bowl for 15 minutes.

Grease two 9x5" loaf pans. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll one dough half into 12x8" rectaingle. Starting with 8-inch end, tightly roll dough, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal. Press ends to seal and tuck under; place, seam side down, in loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. (Dough is doubled when one finger very lightly pressed against dough leaves a dent.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. If desired, brush loaves with 2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted. Bake loaves 25 to 30 minutes until golden and loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped with fingers. Remove from pans immediately; cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

And now for my adaptations. I don't have a thermometer to determine how hot the milk mixture is so I just guess. You don't want it to be too hot or the yeast won't do its job. Instead of beating with a mixer and stirring in the rest of the flour, I use my dough hooks for both steps. I just have a hand mixer with dough hooks and it does a great job. I finish it off with a little kneading by hand right in the bowl. Then grease the bowl and continue as usual. I never roll out the dough with a rolling pin; I just cut it in half and then stretch and roll it with my hands into a loaf shape and tuck the ends under. I've started mixing up the dough the night before, using only 1 1/2 tsp. yeast, and leaving it greased in the bowl overnight to rise. In the morning I put the dough in the pans and let it rise another hour, then bake it. It is working very well. Just make sure you grease the whole ball of dough so it doesn't get dry and crusty before morning.

Don't you love these abstract recipes? Sorry. Baking bread is not an exact science.

~ Charmin