White Bread

If you like to read fiction, there's a good chance you would have come across people baking bread at home. And you'd have read about "the smell of fresh bread baking" and the "aroma of yeast permeating the kitchen" =p It always sounded delightful to me, and I've forever been wanting to try my hand at different breads.

This is a very basic recipe, and I halve it to make one loaf at a time. The crust come out very crunchy sometimes, and I'm still experimenting as to how to make it softer. I also increase the amount of sugar considerably. half cup water may be replaced by half cup milk.



4 1/2 tsp./1/2 oz./14g active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6-7 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir until dissolved. Add remaining warm water, butter, sugar and salt. Stir until mixed.

2. Add 6-7 cups of flour and mix until blended. Add enough of the remaining flour until dough forms a smooth ball that is slightly sticky to the touch.

3. Place dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

4. Punch dough down, divide in half, and shape into loaves. Place loaves into two 9 x 5-inch greased loaf pans and let rise until double in size, about an hour.

5. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes.