I was wanting to make a basic loaf of White Bread this week. I don't eat a lot of white bread, but sometimes you just want the simplicity of a white loaf. This Bread Machine White Bread recipe is one that I have adapted from a page called Adamant Kitchen. It looked so good I could not help but bookmark it on my Pinterest page with the idea in mind to bake it one day. Yesterday was the day!
When I was a child we never ate anything but white bread. (You know what kids are like!) Mon used to buy Sunny Bee Bread from the local Berwick Bakery. It was made with honey. We loved it.
My ex husband used to bake all of our bread when we were raising our family. He used to make the kitchen table dance across the kitchen floor when he was kneading it. He had the magic touch. It was beautiful bread. I think he baked upwards of 20 loaves every week. (Five children, three of which were boys!)
I was never any good at making bread. I did not have the magic touch. I made good bricks and doorstops. Hence a bread machine. I do like homemade bread and by using a bread machine I am able to make myself delicious loaves of bread.
This recipe is particularly nice. It produces a loaf with an almost French bread like crust and a beautiful tight and fluffy texture. I would even go so far as to declare that this is one of the finest white bread recipes that I have ever baked in my bread machine. Prepare to fall in love!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE WHITE BREAD
Pretty simple basic ingredients. I love this recipe. Simple ingredients with extraordinary results. I give measurements for both a 2 pound loaf and a 1 1/2 pound loaf.
For two pound loaf:
- 1 cup (240ml) lukewarm water
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 3 TBS (42g) butter
- 3 3/4 cup (450g) white bread flour
- 3 TBS (38g) white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast (or 2 tsp SAF instant yeast)
For 1 1/2 pound loaf:
- 3/4 cup (180ml) lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 TBS (28g) butter
- 2 3/4 cup (330g) white bread flour
- 2 1/4 TBS (28g) white sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp (bread machine yeast) or 1 1/2 tsp (SAF instant yeast)
I like to use bread flour. This is a flour that is specifically formulated for use in baking bread. It has a higher gluten content. You can also add vital wheat gluten to further enhance that quality, no more than 1 TBS per loaf.
I use whole milk. It give a nice rich flavor.
I use salted butter. If you are concerned about sodium you can always cut back on the salt in the recipe. I used the amount of salt stated and salted butter and my loaf was beautiful.
I use Bread Machine Yeast. This is a type of yeast that has been formulated specifically for bread machine use.
My bread machine is the Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker Model# SD-RD250. This is the bread machine I have been using for over 20 years. I highly recommend it. It is an excellent machine.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE
1. Measure by weight and not volume. Weight is a much more precise way to measure. You can't go wrong. I have a set of digital scales that I use. I just pop the bread pan onto them and measure away. My scales measure in grams, Kg, pounds and ounces, milliliters, etc. I started baking by weight when I lived in the UK and I would now never bake any other way.
2. Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour. Bread flour can also be labeled "Best for Bread" or "High Gluten flour."
3. You can use regular flour, but if you do I recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten to the recipe. This helps to boost the protein content of the bread.
4. Measure very carefully. If you don't add enough flour, no matter the type of flour you use, the bread will collapse and often ends up uncooked in the center. If you add too much flour, you will end up with a dense, hard heavy ball.
5. I add Vital Wheat Gluten (1 tablespoon) to all of my recipes for bread making in a bread machine. You can purchase it online. It helps to yield a much better loaf, helping the loaf to rise higher with a nicer texture than without. I buy mine on Amazon.
Vital wheat gluten is best stored in the refrigerator (for up to one year), but you can store it on the counter if you think you will use it up within two months (highly unlikely for the home baker.)
6. Yeast is a vital component in making yeasted breads! Duh. It can come in many forms. I recommend using yeast which is prepared specifically for use in the bread machine. I store my yeast in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Do not let it touch the salt when putting it into your machine. Salt can kill the yeast.
7. Salt is another important component in bread making. Do not however, let the salt touch the yeast. Salt is important in bread making, not only as a flavor enhancer, but also in controlling the level of yeast fermentation.
8. Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last. Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!
Most of the time when a recipe fails it is because the baker fails to follow the correct directions as per the machine they are using.
HOW TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE WHITE BREAD
Making bread in a bread machine is really easy. You can also just do it on the dough cycle and bake it in the conventional way. I tell you how! (This is what I did today.)
Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturers handbook. (In mine you put the dry first and then the wet, making sure that the salt is not near the yeast)
Set to basic white loaf and click start.
If doing it in the oven, set to the dough cycle. When it is done, take it out shape, place into a greased loaf tin, place into a plastic bag, seal shut and leave to rise (at least 1/2 hour)
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time. The loaf is done when you tip it out of the pan and it sounds hollow when you knock it with your fingers on the bottom.
Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
I hope my bad photography doesn't put you off from baking this fabulous loaf of white bread. It is a really wonderful loaf with a beautifully crisp crust and a soft and white squidgy texture.
Even 24 hours later, it is delicious, soft and moist. I wish I was better at slicing bread, but I am what I am. I have already enjoyed it buttered and spread with jam, buttered and spread with peanut butter, and it is only 24 hours since I baked it. haha. I am incorrigible I know!
If, like me, you are wanting to get as much use out of your bread machine as possible, you may also enjoy the following delicious recipes. I can highly recommend them!
BREAD MACHINE ONION BREAD - A delicious loaf that is a little bit different than the usual loaf. A packet of Onion Soup mix infuses it with a fabulous onion flavor. It has a lovely tight texture and is beautiful served as is, buttered, with soups, stews, etc. Or as a sandwich bread. It also makes pretty darned delicious grill cheese sandwiches!
CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD - This is one of my favorite bread machine breads. It is soft, moist and delicious with a fabulously cheesy, buttery, bakery quality. Fresh and warm, sliced and buttered, it is almost too tasty to resist. It also goes great with soups, stews, salads, chili, etc. Prepare to fall in love.
Yield: 1 (9 by 5-inch) loaf
Bread Machine White Bread
This is a delicious loaf of white bread and creating it really could not be easier. You can cook all the way in your bread machine, or do it on the dough cycle and bake traditionally in the oven. It's your choice.
Ingredients
For two pound loaf:
- 1 cup (240ml) lukewarm water
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 3 TBS (42g) butter
- 3 3/4 cup (450g) white bread flour
- 3 TBS (38g) white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast (or 2 tsp SAF instant yeast)
For 1 1/2 pound loaf:
- 3/4 cup (180ml) lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 TBS (28g) butter
- 2 3/4 cup (330g) white bread flour
- 2 1/4 TBS (28g) white sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp (bread machine yeast) or 1 1/2 tsp (SAF instant yeast)
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturers handbook. (In mine you put the dry first and then the wet, making sure that the salt is not near the yeast)
- Set to basic white loaf and click start.
- If doing it in the oven, set to the dough cycle. When it is done, take it out shape, place into a greased loaf tin, place into a plastic bag, seal shut and leave to rise (at least 1/2 hour)
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time. The loaf is done when you tip it out of the pan and it sounds hollow when you knock it with your fingers on the bottom.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
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