How to Make White Bread

"White bread" isn't boring at all when it comes fresh out of your oven; you'll be surprised at how good it can be. Although baking bread is a long process, the yeast does the work all by itself most of the time. Makes two loaves.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Mixing the Dough

1. In a measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water.
2. Mix together salt, sugar, and 5 cups flour in a large bowl.
3. Add milk, oil and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Start by stirring with a wooden spoon, but you might graduate to your hands after a few minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 10 to 15 minutes, adding as much as flour as necessary if the dough feels sticky.
5. Form the dough into a ball.

Preparing and Baking

6. Put the smooth ball of dough into a clean bowl coated lightly with vegetable oil. Turn the dough once so that the top is oiled.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough rises to roughly double its original size. Check after 45 minutes.
8. Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and punch it down.
9. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and let rest for five minutes.
10. To make a pan loaf, use your hands to roll each piece into a thick cylinder a little longer than your bread pan. Using the heels of your hands, press the cylinder in to compress it to the length of the pan.
11. Put the loaves into oiled bread pans. The sides of the loaves, especially the short ends, should touch the sides of the pan.
12. Put a kitchen towel over the bread pans and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is roughly twice its original size, about 35 to 40 minutes.
13. Put the loaves in the oven at 400 degrees F and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown and the bottoms have a hollow sound when thwacked with your hand.
14. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Tips & Warnings

• Yeast needs a warm environment (ideally about 100 to 110 degrees F) to "turn on" and start to grow. However, too warm an environment (over 115 degrees F) will kill the yeast. If the water you use feels nicely warm, but not too hot (as for a baby's bottle), it's probably fine. For more info, see "How to Proof Yeast" in the related eHows.
• Bread flour has more gluten than all-purpose flour, and makes for a higher loaf; gluten, a wheat protein, is what allows the dough to rise well. (The protein network of the gluten lets the dough stretch without falling.) You can substitute all-purpose flour.
• For more on kneading, see "How to Knead Bread Dough" in the related eHows.
• Don't leave salt out of bread dough; it will rise too quickly and fall.
• To test dough for proper rising, press your fingertip into it. If a slight impression remains, the dough is ready.
• Although it is tempting to rip right into fresh bread, it won't cut well until it's cooled (in technical terms, it will smoosh).