White Bread Recipe

From my Amish Mennonite days in the bakery

I have been making this bread for the past 20 years. It is always soft and always delicious.

Over 20 years ago, I started working at the bakery in the cult I was raised in. 0/10 recommend the cult life, but at least I got some good basic recipes and kitchen skills for the trauma.

It takes simple pantry ingredients that you can find at most stores to make it accessible and cheap.

Let’s hop right into it!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour ( you can use bread flour instead)

1 cup of whole milk at 105-115F

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons oil (canola or olive)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons buttermilk powder (you can omit this but it adds a better flavor)

3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Warm the milk to 105-115F (lukewarm) and stir in the yeast to dissolve. Set aside for 5-8 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, measure in the flour, salt, sugar, and buttermilk powder.

Add the oil to the milk mixture.

Now, pour the liquids into the mixer with the dry ingredients and start on low.

You can do this by hand and knead it on the counter if you do not have a mixer.

Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes.

Grease a bowl and place the dough in it, then flip it over so the top is coated. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Once risen, push down and shape into a loaf. You can roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 10” wide and 20” long rectangle and roll it up, sealing both ends and placing it in a loaf pan with the seam on the bottom. Prick the top with a fork to release any air bubbles.

Cover again and let it double in size.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Once risen, uncover and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the center reaches 190F.

You can melt butter on top when removing it from the oven by rubbing a stick of butter over it. This will keep it soft.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Let it cool completely before slicing. It can make it dry out faster if you cut it too soon.

Enjoy with my fresh cultured butter! the perfect combo.