BASIC WHITE BREAD(LONG PROCESS)
Source of Recipe
BBR
Recipe Introduction
Posted by: YoopergrammaUP_MI**********First of all, use bread flour. It will be labeled bread flour in the store. Next, your ingredients need to start out at room temperature. I keep my flour in the freezer and my yeast in the fridge so I take them out the night before I want to make bread.This I can promise: if you follow the directions, your bread will be so good that you can enter it in a contest and KNOW that you'll win.
List of Ingredients
Start out by putting the kettle on to boil. You'll need boiling water later.
Step 1
In the large bowl of your electric mixer (or any large bowl if you use a hand mixer), stir together:
2 cups of very warm but not hot water
1/4 cup of honey (you can use sugar in the same amount)
Sprinkle over the top 2 pkgs of dry yeast. Let stand until foamy. This is called "proofing" the yeast. Stir down and let foam again.
After proofing the yeast, mix in 3 cups of bread flour! Then beat in mixer for 8 minutes.
Then proceed with step 2.
Step 2
Add: 1 TBSP salt
1/2 cup oil
3 cups Bread Flour
Mix slowly until all ingredients are moist, then beat at high speed for 8 minutes. Time it. 8 minutes.
Stir (it takes a while) until all the flour is mixed in. You'll need a sturdy spoon because the dough gets stiff. When the flour is mixed in, cover with a damp towel.
Recipe
Next, put a deep pie pan or large shallow baking pan (a lasagne pan would do) on the bottom rack of your oven. Pour the boiling water into the pan. Place the covered bowl of bread dough on the middle rack of the oven. Close the oven door, and you'll have the perfect warm and moist place for your bread to rise. Let it double in size and punch it down.
For a smooth loaf that will slice nicely, let it rise again in the bowl. If you're pressed for time, or if you want a nice, puffy loaf to eat as soon as it's done, skip one or both risings.
Dump the dough out on an oiled surface (wood surface works best). Divide the dough with a sharp knife into three pieces if you're using the smaller 8" loaf pans or into two pieces if you use the standard 9" pans.
Brush your hands with oil and form the loaves by GENTLY kneading. Don't get carried away kneading! It's only necessary just to flatten it to about twice the width of a finished loaf. If the dough starts to crack and the surface gets rough or bumpy-looking, you've kneaded too much. Fold in half and roll into shape. Seal the seam by pinching, and place it seam side down in an oiled pan. Brush top with oil.
Arrange pans on the middle rack of your cold oven. Pour the water out of the pan on the bottom rack and refill with boiling water. Close the door, and when the dough fills out the sides of the pan and is rounded on the top, take the pan of water out of the oven and turn the oven on to 350ºF. Set your timer for 20 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 300ºF. The 9" pans should bake for 40 more minutes. The 8" pans only need 25-30 minutes more.
To check for doneness, turn the loaves out on a rack. If the sides spring back when pinched, it's done. If they don't, put it back in the pan and bake a few more minutes. If your bread stays in the oven a few minutes too long, it won't hurt it. Be sure bread is completely cool before storing (in plastic wrap or bags
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