This white bread recipe is easy; you'll be baking loaves in no time! With just a few simple ingredients, you can have homemade bread anytime.
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
40 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 2loaves
Calories 1806kcal
Ingredients
4 1/2teaspoonsactive dry yeastor 2 x .25 ounce packages
3tablespoonswhite sugar
2 1/4cupswarm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
6 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
3tablespoonsCriscoor butter
1tablespoonsalt
Instructions
Standard Directions (no-bread machine)
In a large bowl, mix yeast and sugar into warm water until dissolved. Then, add 2 cups of flour, lard, and salt. Mix in the remaining flour slowly–1/2 cup at a time–and stirring well after each addition. Once the dough becomes too difficult to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic; this should take around 8 minutes total.
After lightly oiling a large bowl, take the dough and place it inside. Turn the dough around so that it becomes coated with oil as well. Then, put a damp cloth on top of the bowl and let everything rise in a warm spot for an hour or until it doubles in volume.
Line two 9x5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper or lightly grease them with cooking oil spray.
After you deflate the dough, flour a surface and turn the dough out. Cut it in half so that you have two equal pieces to form into loaves shape. Place them both in prepared pans, cover them with a damp cloth, and let rise until the volume has doubled; this will take approximately 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place the bread in the preheated oven and lower the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). After the oven has heated, put the bread inside and let it bake until the loaf is golden brown. You'll know it's ready when you tap on the bottom of the loaf, and it sounds hollow. This should take approximately 30 minutes.
Bread Machine Directions (my preferred method)
In the following order, add the ingredients to the bread machine: water, sugar, oil, salt, flour, and yeast.
Set to dough setting.
Line two 9x5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper or lightly grease them with cooking oil spray.
After the bread has gone through the dough setting on your bread machine, place the dough on a floured surface. Cut it in half so that you have two equal pieces to form into loaves shape. Place them both in prepared pans, cover them with a cloth, and let rise until the volume has doubled; this will take approximately 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place the bread in the preheated oven and lower the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). After the oven has heated, put the bread inside and let it bake until the loaf is golden brown. You'll know it's ready when you tap on the bottom of the loaf, and it sounds hollow. This should take approximately 30 minutes.