How to Make An Easy White Bread

The smell of fresh bread is a welcome addition to any home.

White bread is a staple food of the human diet, enjoyed every day as toast, sandwiches or an accompaniment to a main meal. Producing fresh white bread is not only a cheaper alternative to buying your daily loaf at the store but can be cooked in very little time, making it easy to fit around your lifestyle. Best of all, white bread can be made without knowing any specific baking skills, like how to knead the dough or shape the loaf.

Things You'll Need

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• 6 ½ cups unbleached white bread flour
• 3 ½ tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried yeast
• 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil plus a little extra for coating the dough
• 2 ¾ cups ice water
• Small bowl
• Whisk
• Pastry brush
• Plastic wrap
• Serrated knife
• 2 loaf tins
• Wire tray

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In the smaller bowl, whisk the oil into the water and then add to the mixture. Brush the top of the mixture with the extra oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

2. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and allow to chill. Leave for a minimum of three hours but no longer than 10.

3. Remove from the refrigerator and let the mixture stand on the counter overnight, for a minimum of 15 hours. This second rise develops the flavor of the bread and creates a dough that doesn't require any hand kneading.

4. Stir the dough again, using the wooden spoon. With a serrated knife, separate and place into two loaf tins. Cover each tin with plastic wrap. Allow to stand at room temperature for two hours.

5. Bake the bread in the oven at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and use the knife to make four shallow cuts in the top of each loaf to create a diamond shape.

6. Return to the oven. Bake for a further 25 minutes. To check that the loaf is cooked, remove from the oven and gently tap the underside --- it should sound hollow. If required, return to the oven and bake until cooked.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire tray for 10 minutes. The bread is then ready to eat.

Tips & Warnings

• Add grated Parmesan or chopped herbs to enhance the flavor of your white bread.

• The second loaf can be frozen for up to three months.

References

• "Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Bread"; Nancy Baggett; 2009
• BBC: Easy White Bread