This Easy White Bread Recipe is a family favourite and a huge crowd pleaser. Simple ingredients come together to make sensational sandwiches and terrific toast.
Add 600 grams of bread flour to your large mixing bowl or free standing mixer.
Tip in the 7 grams of yeast on one side of the bowl and your 9 grams of fine sea salt (7 grams table salt) on the other. Add 1 tsp of sugar anywhere!
Mix the dry ingredients a little and then pour in 375 mls of tepid/warm water (not hot).
Keep mixing until the dough comes together.
If you are using a free standing mixer and a dough hook then keep mixing on a medium speed for 4-5 minutes. If using your hands then tip out the dough onto your surface and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Oil your bowl with ½ tbsp oil and turn the dough around in it too. Cover and place somewhere warm to double in size and puff up. This is the first prove and should take about an hour.
Once doubled in size then empty out onto the work surface and knead again for about a minute. This is called knocking back. Begin to shape your dough into a fat cigar shape. This is done by rolling it gently and pulling the edges down and under so that the outside layer of the dough becomes tight. See video in recipe card.
Place in your oiled or non stick 2lb loaf tin, cover with oiled cling film and put somewhere warm for about 40 minutes until the dough has puffed up again. This is called the second prove.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6
When ready remove your cling film and using a sharp serrated knife score either 3 diagonal lines about 0.5 cm deep or one horizontal line across the top of the loaf. Bake for about 40 minutes. The loaf will be brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped smartly.
Take out of the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.