Everyday White Bread

I know I posted recently about how storebought bread has really been grossing me out.  I mean, it can just sit there, in my bread drawer, for weeks and weeks and look exactly the same as when I put it in there!  There is something SO very wrong about that.  I don't want to be filling my growing children with those kinds of chemicals.  I am really trying to get back to the basics around here.  I want my family to eat REAL, natural food.  The kind of food that has been around for hundred of years.  I don't want butter substitutes made in a labrotory or snacks filled with enough preservatives to keep them good for years and years.

This means, I need to make most everything from scratch.  It has been something I have slowly been transitioning to for the past several years.  No, I am not insane about it....as a matter of fact, just last week I let my daughter buy Oreos.  For me, it is about what I am putting into my children's little bodies most of the time.  This bread deal is big.  Bread is something they ingest A LOT of, and it should be good for them!  Yes, I know I would be a better mother if I fed them whole grain bread, and maybe we will get to that.  For now, it is one little step at a time, and this bread got the thumbs up from 3 picky children and 1 husband (unlike my previous attempt).

Everyday White Bread

2 c. tap water, warm

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. dry yeast

1/4 c. oil (I use Canola)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

6 c. bread or unbleached flour (I use bread flour)

Using a KitchenAid mixing bowl or large bowl, rinse bowl with some hot water to warm it. Add 2 cups warm tap water and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add yeast; let proof for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Turn on the mixer to setting 2, adding flour a cup at a time, up to five cups total. If needed, add more flour until the ball of dough isn’t sticking to the sides of the bowl. Then knead it a bit by hand until it is nice and smooth and not sticky, adding more flour if needed. (Follow the same instructions if doing this recipe by hand and knead for about 10 minutes.)

Spray a clean large bowl with Pam. Add the ball of dough, then give the dough another shot of Pam spray on top. Cover with a plastic bag or food wrap and let rise until doubled in size. This will take about an hour or more.

Punch down dough, and divide in half. Shape into loaves; place into loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam or oiled. Using a fork, stab the loaves so there won’t be big air gaps under the top of the loaf. Give the top of the loaves another shot of Pam. Let rise until the dough is about 1 inch above the pans, about 1/2 to 1 hour.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.