Читать книгу The Clueless Baker - Evelyn Raab - Страница 43

Wonderful White Bread

This is white bread you can feel really good about. Because you made it yourself. Awesome.

6 cups (1.5 liters) all-purpose flour (approximately), divided

3 tbsp. (45 ml) granulated sugar

4½ tsp. (22 ml) (2 envelopes) quick-rise instant yeast

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

1½ cups (375 ml) water

½ cup (125 ml) milk

2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter or vegetable oil

In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups (500 ml) of the flour (only part of the total amount), the sugar, yeast granules and salt.

In a saucepan, or in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the water, milk and butter or oil. Heat on the stove or in the microwave until very warm to the touch — don’t boil. Add warm liquid to the flour mixture, stirring to make a very gooey batter. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the mixture becomes a soft, sticky dough that is difficult to stir. Dump it onto a well-floured surface and knead by hand, sprinkling with additional flour whenever necessary, until it is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. This should take 8 to 10 minutes. You might not need to add the full amount of flour.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl that’s large enough for the dough to expand, and turn it over to grease the top of the dough. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size — about 30 to 45 minutes.

When the dough has risen to double in size, punch it down, then knead it a few times on a floured surface. Let the dough rest while you prepare the baking pans.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pans. Divide the dough in half, form into two loaves and place the loaves in the pans to rise again — this time to almost (but not quite) double — about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place the risen loaves in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are nicely browned on top and make a hollow sound when you tap them. Remove from pans and don’t you dare taste them until completely cool. Ha! Like you could resist.

Makes 2 gorgeous loaves of bread.

Wonderful Whole Wheat Variation

Substitute 2 cups (500 ml) — or more — of whole wheat flour for the same amount of the all-purpose flour in the recipe. The more whole wheat flour you add in proportion to white flour, the heavier the resulting bread will be — so it’s wise to experiment with gradual changes to the recipe until you find what you like best.