Easy Homemade White Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Cups all purpose flour
- 3 Cups Bread flour
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons Lard Shortening can be substituted
- 4 1/2 teaspoons regular or quick active dry yeast I use SAF-INSTANT
- 2 1/4 cups very warm water If water is too hot, it will kill yeast. See tips
Instructions
- 1. Mix together sugar, lard, warm water and yeast. Add 3 cups of flour and salt. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl for chunks. Switch to dough hook attachment and add remaining flour. Mix with a dough hook for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If mixing by hand, knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth. 2. Place dough in a large bowl. Allow to rise for 1 hour (covered with a tea towel or lightly with plastic wrap) so that dough is doubled in size. 3. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans. 4. Turn dough onto counter and cut in half for 2 loaves, or in to 6 equal pieces for mini loaves. Gently pat or lightly roll dough into a (roughly) 6x9" rectangle. Roll up lengthwise and tuck ends under. Place in 2 loaf pans (prepared with non-stick spray). 5. Allow loaves to rise an additional 45 minutes. This will ensure that your bread is light and airy while baking and not dense.6. Preheat oven to 425° F and bake loaves 23-25 minutes. Be sure to remove loaves from their pans quickly after baking so they don't become soggy on bottom from condensation. This bread freezes very well. Simply allow it to come to room temperature and then add it to a gallon ziplock bag. You can pre-slice it if you want. Allow to come to room temperature the day of thawing and eating.