White bread loaf
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Easy - June 2015
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Makes 1 large loaf (12-15 slices) -
Hands-on time 45 min, oven time 30-35 min, plus rising and proving
Master the dough for this white bread loaf recipe and you can then go on to experiment with lots of different flavours and techniques.
Check out more savoury bread recipes.
- Calories
- 123kcals
- Fat
- 1.7g (0.7g saturated)
- Protein
- 4.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 23.3g (1.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.2g
- Salt
- 0.7g
Per slice (for 15)
delicious. tips
Make the dough to the end of step 2 up to 12 hours before baking, then put in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise slowly in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before knocking it back as in step 4.
Freeze the finished loaf on the day it’s baked, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Defrost to slice.
If you want to make a few batches of bread dough, you can freeze it in freezer bags at the end of step 2. Defrost completely, let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, then knock back. Let it prove, then bake as in the recipe. It may take longer to rise as cold dough rises very slowly.
Using fresh yeast instead of dried makes a real difference to the way bread dough rises and cooks. Most bakeries (including in-store supermarket bakeries) will sell you some, or you can buy it online from Ocado.
Putting a tray of water in the bottom of the oven while the dough cooks produces steam, which helps the bread dough rise and form a crisp crust.