This is my tried and true bread recipe. It is simple and easy. I love that you can make the dough a day ahead and bake early the next morning or you can bake the bread the same day after 2 hours of proof time. I’ve made a lot of bread, this one is my absolutely favorite recipe to use. Also, if you have not tried baking bread in a cast iron pan…I highly recommend it. It is my favorite bread making tool and I use this one. My second favorite baking tool is of course my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I really love her. She makes life less hard <3
Ingredients
- 3 Cups all Purpose flour
- 3 Cups Bread Flour
- 3 Teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons White Sugar
- 3 packages active dry yeast
- 1/4 Cups butter – softened
- 2 Cups HOT water, (Not boiling, I let my tap water go as hot as it will go and use that)
Directions
- In your stand mixer with dough attachment, place 3 Cups bread flour and 3 Cups all purpose flour in Mixing Bowl. Stir to mix. Next add butter, sugar, salt, and yeast into bowl. Mix together for about 30 seconds. Now add your hot water a little bit at a time. Knead with stand mixer for about 7 minutes. Your dough should cling to your dough hook and should have cleaned the sides of your bowl. When you press your fingers into the dough, the dough should spring back just a bit.
- Cover your bowl in cling wrap and place it in a draft free area for 20 minutes.
- Now is the time to get your bread pans buttered.
- Place dough on floured surface. Divide into two.
- Roll each ball out into a rectangle and then roll up and tuck in the long sides.
- Place into your buttered bread pan.
- Brush the top with oil or butter and cover loosely with cling wrap. These will double in size. You can set these back into the draft free are for 2 – 3 hours or in your refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
- When you are ready to bake, uncover your dough. If your dough has been refrigerated, let your uncovered dough stand for 10-20 minutes and come to room temperature.
- Bake at 400 Degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove from your pans immediately and let cool on iron racks. This allows them to cool all the way around the loaf. Do not cut into your bread before it has cooled for at least an hour. The inside of your bread is still cooking as it comes down in temperature.
