Home Made White Bread

I love homemade bread. I love making it and being able to see what I have created, So I am especially excited to share this recipe with you. It is simple and easy to make and it is, aside from the waiting part, very quick. I make this recipe with my wonderful Bosch Universal Plus Mixer. It is the wonder of my kitchen and every time I turn it on I feel a small thrill.

If you do not own a mixer, do not fret! you can do this by hand. One the things I love the most about this bread is that you can really make it your own. When I make this bread I frequently add cayenne powder. I love to add cayenne powder to everything! but i will add garlic powder and onion powder as well to the mixture, it tastes wonderful and looks pretty as well. I have also added ground flax seed as well.

When I make Chicken Pot Bread-Bowl! I make this recipe for the bread bowls, It makes 4 Bowls and I add a wonderful Brown sugar/Cinnamon mixture to it in place of the regular sugar and it compliments the chicken mixture in it really well.

Well roll up your sleeves! here is the recipe!

Home Made White Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups water, warm

1/4 cup butter, melted  

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons salt

Approximately 6 cups of flour

Preparation:

1) Warm the water and butter in a measuring cup until just warmed and you can leave your finger in it comfortably. if you are using traditional yeast add it to this water/butter mix. if you are using instant yeast add it to the bowl/mixer.   

2) In the bowl/ mixer place 3 cups flour, sugar, salt (and if using, instant yeast). Mix thoroughly. Add the water /butter ( and, if using, traditional yeast now foamy). mix well. begin adding remaining 3 cups flour  in small increments, knead until dough forms a soft, cohesive ball.

4) remove dough and place in a lightly oiled bowl with a cloth over top. place in the oven with the light on ( don't turn the oven on!) the light add just a tiny amount of heat that helps with the rising process)  let rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours. 

 5) Remove dough to counter and punch down. split into 2 loaves and place in lightly oiled loaf pans. let rise 30 minutes. remove from oven again and pre-heat  to 375 degrees. bake 27 minutes or until done. cool completely.

What i like about this bread is it's versatility. i have replaced the water with green tea ( let the tea cool until it is the right temp) and I have used honey instead of sugar. there are so many things you can do to this recipe to really make it your own. have fun with it! 

Here is a picture of 2 of the bread bowls I made for my chicken pot bread-bowl recipe, just cut the tops out nicely and hollow out the insides, keep the bread for dipping :)

                

This recipe makes 2 loaves or 4 bread bowls. If you are adding an egg wash to your loaves remember to add just before you put it in the oven, and don't be afraid to spice it up! add some oregano, garlic, maybe even a spritz of orange juice to your egg egg mix! make it special! Have fun! Create!

Bon Appetite! Enjoy!