The Simple White Bread

So far the best recipe I have found. Not complicated and does not take longer than any other type of bread. It stays very well in the fridge without the crumb getting dry. Perfect for toast as well. You can still swap milk for water for a bit of a texture change.

Ingredients

4½ teaspoons (14 g) instant yeast, two 0.25-ounce packets

¾ cup (808 ml) + 2⅔ cups warm water, divided

¼ cup (52 g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons (44 g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

9 to 10 cups (1200 g) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons (44 g) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a mixer, stir to dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup of the warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2⅔ cups water, sugar, salt, room temperature butter, and 5 cups of the flour and stir to combine.
  • Using a dough hook, mix on low speed and gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is soft and tacky, but not sticky (you may not need to use all of the flour). Continue to knead until a soft ball of dough forms and clears the sides of the bowl, about 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn it over so it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently press it all over to remove any air pockets. Divide the dough in two and, working with one piece at a time, gently pat it into a 9×12-inch rectangle. Roll up the rectangle, starting on the short end, into a very tight cylinder. Pinch to seal the seams and the ends, tuck the ends of the roll until the bread, and place into greased 9-inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves loosely and place in a draft-free area until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Position an oven rack on the lowest setting and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Brush the loaves with some of the melted butter. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 195 degrees F).
  • Remove from the oven and immediately brush with more of the melted butter. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely before slicing. The bread can be stored in an airtight bread bag or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
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The Bagels

22 oz AP Flour (11.7% gluten)

12 g. Salt

5g. Yeast

13.5oz Water

1 Tbls Agave Syrup

Long Method:

Combine all ingredients and place in mixer with dough hook. Start mixing on medium low, a speed where the flour will not fly out of the bowl when it is turned on. After the dough combines into a ball, continue mixing for 7 minutes.  It should not be dry to the touch, but a bit of stick to it.

Divide out to 8-12 pieces. Eight will give you normal shaped donuts and they will decrease in size if you increase the number of pieces. Roll into a ball and let rest for 5 min with a towel on top.

Roll out into a rope approximately 10-11 inches long if you are making 8 pieces. Dab the end of one piece lightly into a small bowl of water and over lap one end onto the other to make a circle. With your index and middle fingers in the center, and the seam on the bottom, roll to make the seams come together. Move your hand left and right as you do this. This is a touch type of maneuver and sometimes the rolled seam becomes too thin. You might want to make the middle of the dough “snake” thin and the ends thicker to help with this.

Take two sheet pans and line them with silicon sheets or parchment paper. Then scatter some cornmeal or, just as well, semolina on the sheets. Just a scattering on them, enough for the dough to glide on the little pieces when you place them on the pans.

Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 12-18 hours.

When you take them out, let them sit on the counter for an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 450. Cook for 7 minutes on one side then rotate the pans in the oven. Bake for about another 7 minutes more or until the tops and the bottoms start to become golden or bagel colored.

The main bread

This is the main bread that I make. Soft, white, and the perfect type for a burger or dinner roll.

8oz Water

11oz 2% Milk

2oz Butter, diced, room temperature

½ oz Salt

½ oz Yeast (2 packets)

28 oz Bread Flour (King Arthur) divided

               Into 12oz and 16oz

In a mixer, add the 12 oz of flour, butter, salt and yeast.

Mix for 2 minutes.

Combine the water and milk and heat to 115-125 degrees (or if the liquid feels very warm to the touch) then combine with the dry ingredients.

Mix for 7 minutes

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Put somewhere warm for about 1 hour or until doubled.

Take out and place on a lightly floured surface cut into 16-20 pieces (16 is a good burger size)

Roll the pieces out into a ball and set aside, covered. When they are all rolled out, the them rest for 10 minutes. Place on your baking sheet and give each one a firm press with the palm of your hand. Cover, preferably with a couche or a kitchen towel. Let sit for another hour

With 15 min left in the rise, put your oven at 400.

Place each tray on different racks for 10 min.  After 10 min, move the top tray to the bottom rack and the bottom tray to the top rack. Bake for 4-6 more minutes or until the tops and the bottoms are brown, not dark brown but not light brown either.