White bread recipe | how to make bread at home

White bread recipe | How to make bread at home with step by step photos and a recipe video. This is a simple and quick bread recipe. It is a tried and tested recipe from my kitchen and I can assure you it will give you the best homemade bread.

Baking bread at home is easy. The heavenly aroma of freshly baked bread is amazing.

Homemade bread tastes delicious. Serve bread with butter or homemade jam. You can check out the recipe for homemade mango jam and homemade pineapple jam.

The kneading process in bread making is a workout. But when you get the heavenly aroma of freshly baked bread, all that hard work is paid off.

Once you start making bread at home, you won't like store-bought bread anymore.

The bread-making process is simple

1. Combine all the ingredients (flour, yeast, butter, salt, and water) to make a dough.
2. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and stretchy.
3. The dough is then left to rise or prove.  Proofing is done twice. This is the primary proofing.
4. After primary proofing, the dough is knocked down to remove air bubbles.
5. It is then shaped in the form of a log and then left in the bread mold to rise for the secondary proofing.
6. After secondary proofing, the dough rises and doubles in size.
7. This is then baked and white bread is ready.

How to make white bread

Making the bread dough

1. In a mixing bowl add sugar & yeast in warm water. Leave it aside for 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, you will see bubbles on the surface.  Add all-purpose flour, salt, and butter. Combine everything together to form a soft & sticky dough. Add water as required. I used almost 1 ¼ cup of water to knead the dough.

3. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Do not add more flour while kneading the dough as it will make the bread dry.

4. Once the dough is smooth and stretchy transfer it to a bowl greased with oil. Pour some oil on the top. Cover with a cling wrap.

5. Let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until it is doubled in size. Till then grease the loaf pan with oil. After 45 minutes, punch down the dough to release big air bubbles. It also ensures even baking of bread.

6. Take the dough on the counter. Spread it in a rectangle shape by tapping with your hands. Or you can do it by a rolling pin too. Roll the dough in the form of a log and seal. Shape it into a loaf. You can watch the video to learn more about shaping the dough.

7. Place it into loaf pans. Cover it and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Baking the bread:

8. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake it for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown in color.
9. Remove it and apply butter on the top. Place it on the wire rack to cool. Once cooled unmold it.

10. Let it cool down completely then slice it and enjoy!

Cooking Tips

1. Measure all the ingredients correctly. This is the golden rule of baking. Whatever you are baking, the ingredients should be measured correctly.
2. To check whether the dry yeast is active or not, do the proofing test. Mix lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Keep it aside for 5 minutes. If the yeast is active you will see bubbles forming on the surface of the mixture. If not then the yeast is not active and you have to discard it.
3. Do not use water that is too hot. Hot water will kill the yeast. Yeast is an important ingredient that will help the bread dough to rise.
4. Once you combine all the ingredients like flour, yeast, butter, salt & water to make bread dough. Knead the bread dough for 10-15 minutes. At first, the dough will be sticky and you will find it difficult to handle but when you continue to knead, it will become non-sticky and elastic.
5. To know exactly when to stop kneading the dough just stretch the dough as long as you can. If the bread dough is stretching without breaking then it is done. Time to stop kneading.
6. Do not add more flour while kneading the dough as it will make the bread dry.
7. For primary proofing, cover the dough and leave it aside for 45 minutes till it is double in size. The time depends on where you are making the bread. If it is too hot then the dough will rise within 30 minutes.
8. Once the dough rises then punch it down. This will ensure an even texture of the bread. This is done to remove large air bubbles from the bread.
9. While shaping the dough make sure you seal the edges properly. If not done properly it will open up during baking.
10. Time for secondary proofing. Proof till it is double in size. It will make the bread airy and light. 30 minutes will be enough for secondary proofing.
11. Bake the bread in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or till the top crust is golden brown in color.
12. Tap the base of the baked bread. If baked correctly, it should sound hollow.
13. Let the bread cool down completely before slicing it.

Please leave your valuable suggestions, feedback or any query related to the recipe in the comment box. If you make this recipe in any other way, do share your tips and suggestions to make it better. Till then enjoy your day.........Happy Cooking 🙂