Basic White Bread

More often than not, my breads contain some wheat or whole grain flour. However, I decided to try my new-to-me kneader with a large batch of white bread, some of which was converted into Pesto Spirals.

The kneader worked well, and the bread turned out well. This bread is great for a grilled cheese, but then again, what bread isn't? The recipe comes from Breaking Bread with Father Dominic.

Basic White Bread
2 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour

Combine water and yeast, and let stand 5 minutes until yeast is dissolved. Add sugar, salt and vegetable oil, and stir to mix. Add 5 cups of bread flour, and beat together. Gradually add remaining bread flour as needed, kneading until a smooth dough forms. Cover dough, and let stand until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide dough into two equal pieces, and form each piece into an oblong loaf. Place loaves in greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Cover, and let rise about 45 minutes until nearly doubled.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake bread about 35 minutes until tops are golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.