White Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast, stirring until dissolved.
Gradually add flour and salt, mixing until a dough forms.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shape and bake
Punch down the dough, shape it into a loaf, and place it in a greased loaf pan.
Cover and let it rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure and chew.
- Yeast
- Produces carbon dioxide during fermentation, making the dough rise and become airy.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour so gluten can develop and dissolves the yeast to activate it.
- Salt
- Controls yeast activity and strengthens the gluten for better texture and flavor.
The step that matters
Knead until smooth. Kneading develops the gluten network that traps the gas from yeast. Under-kneaded dough rises poorly and bakes up dense and crumbly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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