White Yeast Bread

Baking bread is therapeutic for me.  The smell of freshly baked bread is one of the most comforting and nostalgic scents in the world. It’s a scent that signals home, warmth, and simple pleasures. For some, the idea of baking their own bread from scratch feels intimidating. But here’s a secret: making a beautiful, fluffy loaf of white yeast bread is much easier than you think. You don’t need fancy equipment or a culinary degree—just a few simple ingredients and a little patience.

• Flour: All-purpose or bread flour works perfectly for a standard white loaf. Bread flour will give you a slightly chewier texture, while all-purpose is wonderfully soft. For best results, measure your flour with a kitchen scale.
• Yeast: This is the living organism that makes your bread rise. You’ll typically use active dry yeast, which needs to be activated, or instant yeast, which can be mixed directly with the dry ingredients.
• Liquid: Most recipes use warm water or milk, which activates the yeast. The key is to use warm liquid, not hot, which would kill the yeast. Think of it like a baby’s bath—comfortably warm to the touch.
• Salt: Don’t skip the salt! It controls the yeast’s activity and enhances the flavor of the bread. Without it, your loaf will taste flat. 

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White Yeast Bread

Ingredients

• 1 .25 ounce packages active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups bread flour

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Instructions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.
• Stir in butter, salt and one cup of the flour.
• Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf.
• Place the loaf into a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
• Remove from the oven and brush butter on top of the loaf. Once cooled, slice, serve and enjoy!