Basics – Everyday White Bread
How much would you pay for good, and I mean really good, artisanal bread? $4 a loaf? $5? $6?
How about a dollar?
When you are on a tight food budget, everyday staples like a loaf of bread can eat into your budget substantially. I have a friend who is married to a man who insists on eating fresh bread everyday. She buys freshly baked sliced white bread, uses up maybe half a loaf and then is forced to throw the rest away. He won’t touch it if it’s more than same-day fresh. Not even if she freezes the bread. He won’t come at it.
Everyone has different bread pleasures, from children who refuse to eat crusts, (and only ever soft white bread at that) to people who will travel across three suburbs to get really good sourdough. My bread pleasure is straightforward – a good crust, keeping abilities over a couple of days and soft dense bread (rather than the coarser pane di casa type of bread). If it can be made at home, in a breadmaker, for the same cost as a budget, no-name, chewy white-sliced loaf, so much the better.
I’ve found the recipe. More importantly, I have found the secret ingredient for amazing, beautifully baked bread, with a crusty crust and beautifully soft, dense bread throughout. Bread Improver.
Bread Improver is the gluten that is taken out of flour during the milling process. You know how bread recipes always ask for breadmakers flour, or ‘strong’ flour? This is what you add to regular everyday generic branded flour to make it so. For just a teeny five cents more per loaf, you can go from zero to hero in your bread making abilities.
This recipe has been adapted from one that makes 3 small loaves and involved hand kneading. You can knead the bread by hand, or put the whole lot into the breadmaker and cook it overnight, or you can do as I did and use your breadmaker to mix and knead the dough, before you shape it by hand and bake in your oven. And all for less than the cost of the cheapest and nastiest sliced white loaf you can buy.
Makes one large 700g loaf (about 16 thick slices)
INGREDIENTS
500g plain white flour; 1 level tsp (5g) bread improver*; 1 tsp salt; 7g sachet of dried yeast; 275ml water at room temperature; a little canola spray; ¼ cup of salted water
METHOD
If you are using a breadmaker: Put ingredients into breadmaker pan in the following order – water, flour, salt, yeast, bread improver, then set to ‘Bake’ setting for large loaf to cook the bread in the breadmaker, or set on ‘Dough’ and follow makers instructions to knead, then prove bread.
If you are making by hand, place flour, bread improver, salt and yeast in a bowl then add warm water and mix until well combined. Empty out onto a flour-coated surface and knead for 10 -15 minutes until bread is soft and stretchy. Place in clean bowl, cover with clingwrap and leave to prove for 1 hour until risen or doubled in size.
After the dough has proved, turn dough on to floured benchtop, and knock-back dough by kneading for 2-3 minutes. Roll dough using your hands to a leaf or oval shape and make three or four slashes across the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Using a pastry brush, brush top of loaf with salted water, then sprinkle with some more flour.
Place on a baking tray which has been oiled with a lick of canola spray, or lined with baking paper. Sprinkle some more flour on the tray or baking paper, then place the loaf on top. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size.
Pre-heat oven to 240°C.
Place oven tray in centre of oven and bake bread for 8 minutes. It may well rise some more during this time. Open the oven door, then bake for a further 2 minutes with the door open.
Reduce oven heat to 190°C, close the oven door and bake a further 25-30 minutes. Bread is cooked when you can rap your knuckles on the crust and it gives a hollow sound.
COST
$1.10 for about 16 thick slices.
*Bread Improver is found in the same aisle that you find flour, yeast and breadmakers flour. I found it in Coles right next to dried yeast for $2.79 for 250 g. That’s enough for 50 loaves. I made the bread pictured above, using plain flour from Aldi, at 98c kg.
I used to use bread improver. It certainly made a light loaf. I stopped because one of the components—additive 920—is usually derived from chicken feathers and that didn’t sit well with my vegetarian wife. I now buy 5kg bags of baker’s flour from the supermarket. It’d be nice if I could buy multigrain flour rather than bread mixes, which again have the additives I don’t want.
I don’t have a bread maker, but my food processor has a kneading attachment – do you think this would do the same thing if I sue it on a low speed? I would LOVE to make my own bread!
A dough hook for your food processor is perfect. Knead it on SLOW for about 8-10 minutes, then put it in a clean bowl and cover it with clingwrap. If you can’t find somewhere warm, fill a sink with hot water and place the bowl in that (make sure the water doesn’t spill into the bowl) for an hour. Please let us know how it goes.
You said you could use a sink of warm water to rise the dough, what can you use to rise it once its shaped and on the tray???
Cheers
Tam
(best site I have come across!!!)
Tam, yesterday it was a chilly 12 degrees outside and yet I successfully made this bread.
All I ever do is put it on the tray and sit the tray next to my oven as it’s heating up. Sometimes the bread rises a little over the next 30 minutes or so – sometimes it doesn’t. What it DOES do, every single time is rise once it is in the oven. A flat piece of dough explodes into a football sized loaf of bread in the first eight minutes of cooking.
I use a dough hook. I do have a bread maker but I find the mixer quicker and easier, especially for a pizza dough. You may need to use less water when kneading with a mixer or by hand compared with a bread maker.
If it’s a sunny day, I prove the dough in the car.
LPC you lady, are a champion! I’ve been on so many baking sites that ask for the elusive bakers flour and couldn’t find it anywhere! I thought I’d be tied to the laucke bread mixes for ever I have tried to make bread with proper ingredients in our little breadmaker and it always fails miserably…
THANK YOU!!
Hi Sandra – just want to check that it is only 225 ml of water as that makes the mix very very dry and not combine well.
OOOPs. I failed high school maths can you tell? That should be 275ml water. I have changed the recipe quantities. Thanks for pointing it out.
Success!!! I actually ended up using 300 ml water. The bread is very light and fluffy with a delicious crunchy crust. Yumm! Any variations or adaptations to rolls etc would be great. Thanks Sandra.
PS it was all made by hand – plus is it might help the bat wings!!
A hidden bonus!
I’m having trouble finding flour enhancer – have been to Franklins and to Woolworths today – any other suggestions??
Sorry I meant to say bread improver
I purchased bread improver at Coles on the same shelf as dried yeast and rice flour and right next to flours and bread mixes. The brand I have is called The Healthy Baker and is a 250g pack. Good luck!
Got mine at Coles too where all the home bread making stuff is. Its in a small cellophane mostly see through type bag rather than a box or jar.
Got it at Coles thanks!
My first loaf of white bread is now out of the oven!! I’m so excited!!!
Yeah, it’s good, very useful, thanks
I just made my first loaf of bread and it turned out just perfect! I was so excited about it – looked just like a bought one! And the crust is so crunchy, the inside so soft. My two boys actually want bread for dessert! Haha! They are 6 & 4 so I’m impressed.
I would love a variation to do a multigrain type loaf….
And by the way, I used my processer with dough hooks, and let it rise up in a sink of hot water like you suggested (because today was so miserable…), then knocked it back by hand. It has worked a treat.
Thanks for such an easy to follow recipe and method
I’m thrilled it turned out so well for you. I haven’t had one failure since I found this recipe, I make a loaf every second day.
I wanted to add, I have just turned out my first mulitgrain loaf! I ventured to the health food store, got a huge variety of softened seeds etc (so no need to soak them or anything first) for a minimal cost of $4. Pepitas, sunflower seeds, linseeds, sesame seeds, and some kind of muesli looking mix, probably enough to make a dozen loaves I would guess, so quite reasonable. I used your recipe and just added the seeds in. It has turned out delicious
It was my birthday yesterday and after seeing this on your blog recently : I put in a request for a breadmaker. I made my first loaf completely on the breadmaker however I look forward to using this method today by completing the rest in the oven…The house smells awesome! thanks.
Is it possible to use this recipe with wholemeal flour to get a wholemeal loaf? I assume a little more water would be required but not sure about any other changes?
I have been told that vitamin c (sodium or calcium ascorbate) will substitute for bread improver, but I go without and use bakers flour.
Bakers flour can be bought in bulk from hospitality suppliers, it costs me $12 for 13 kilo and if you go there with cash they are often happy to sell to the public.
Wouldn’t you have to calculate in the difference between the cost of cooking the bread in a bread maker, compared to what the oven takes in electricity?
Belinda,
I failed High School Maths. Asking me to calculate the costs of electricity usage of various appliances is beyond my ability. I write the recipe, and in this case, I have given options for using a breadmaker OR using an oven. The calculations are done on the cost of ingredients only.
Love your site and as a newly retired and very poor pensioner find your suggestions very useful. However I have arthritis in my hands and are unable to knead dough, so I use the 5 minute Artisan bread method which makes 4 loaves. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and used as required. I use an oven not a bread maker. It is equally as economical and so very healthy. Give it a try.
Debbie, What is the Artisan bread method. as I also have Arthritis?
Hi Norma. There are hundreds of them on the internet. There’s a recipe at theitaliandishblog.com site with pictures!. Just go to ‘recipes’ and then ‘bread’ and you will see the recipe for the aritsan no knead bread. Regards Jo
have only just starting reading, every you have listed and the bread idea I can not wait to try it. sounds great!
Thanks for all your wonderful ideas
This is going to be my next project, but I have arthritis in my hands and can’t knead the dough. I think hubby might have to lend a hand at least his hands are still strong (although the rest of him is a bit iffy!). The bread sounds so yummy I’ll just have to give it a go, but it will be a team effort.
Two days – two loaves! First one added all the liquid and it was too sloppy and had to add more flour. Today I added 250ml of water and it was just right. Great recipe, nothing can stop us now!
the easiest way i have heard of to prove dough once it has beeb shaped is to place it inside the family car in the sun – as long as the day is not too hot
Well, the loaf is almost gone & it’s only been out of the oven 10 minutes!
Very good bread & looks like a commercially made one. I made my dough in the breadmaker but it probably could have done with a little more water to mix it as all the flour wasn’t fully incorporated into the dough. I shall use 300 ml water next time.
I made some bread yesterday in the bread-maker…
I followed your recipe – although added 290ml of water
And the bread is FANTASTIC!
Sooooooooooooo much cheaper than the Lauke Bread Mixes.
Now I can make a cheap loaf of bread whenever I want one….
Thank you!
Last night i thought i would try Sandra’s recipe for her everyday white bread,and i was thrilled with the result,i normally use Lauke Bread flour,i went and purchased the H/B Plain White Flour,$2.49 for 2 kilo’s,used 500gram’s,i added 300mls of water,and also added 1 tsp of oil,and 1tsp of oat bran for fibre,it turned out a gorgeous crusty fluffy loaf,and half the price of my normal white loaf i make,so good-bye Lauke,and hello to saving lot’s of cash with my Bread,thank you Sandra,by the way i made this in my Bread maker!!!and the Flour was from Coles.
The bread turned out great. We were out bush working and left all the bread behind, so didnt have much choice but to make some. With no electricial appliances, I made it all my hand. Kneading dough is very therapeutic, and good exercise.
Thanks for the blonde proof recipe………lol.
Made my first batch – used 275ml of water with a dough hook and a trusty old Kenwood (handed down from mother-in-law) like Jo I had to add extra flour. Still was met with Yum’s from all, loaf only lasted 15 minutes. The second batch I used Andrews trick of proving in a car. Now have to make double batches at a time to keep family of 5 satisfied. Note reducing water to 250 ml when using the Kenwood. Like Carol I will no longer purchase the Lauke flour.
It would appear that flour aint just flour. Did hear recently on a famous chef’s show actually saying that all flours vary, basically from packet to packet and not just brand to brand so that could be the reason why there are such varients to the quantity of water . It seems the best way is find the consistency that works and stick to that whatever the quantity of water. Same could be said of all pastries too I would think.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it just wouldn’t rise very well for me. Tried it twice, and it tasted very nice, but was about half te height of a sandwich loaf.
I’ve seen other recipes that use milk and/or sugar to activate the yeast before adding to the flour, but I dont know if they would work better or not…
Hard to say without knowing for sure, but let’s get to some obvious things first.
The ingredients: Weigh everything, rather than measuring, it’s amazing how much variation you can get when you don’t weigh. Also, did you use bread improver? If not, this would be a significant cause of your unrisen bread as a lot of gluten is removed from plain flour and on it’s own plain flour doesn’t work too well.
Next, how old is the yeast you are using? If it’s close to it’s use-by date that could affect the overall texture of the bread. This recipe is proven and it doesn’t need sugar or milk to prove. Yeast needs heat however. Which brings me to my final point. If you are working in a cold kitchen – and in Australia this time of year, that’s most kitchens – place your bowl with the proving dough in it, covered with clingwrap and in a sink of warm water for an hour.
After I’ve made the bread I usually leave it on the baking tray next to the oven as the oven isheating up. I cover the bread in a tea towel, but don’t do anything else to it. It often puffs up some more in the first five minutes of cooking in the oven.
Thanks Nicole, I hope this helps. Let me know what happens next.
Oh, I was using bakers flour (which said it had extra gluten in it) and didn’t use the bread improver. Will give it another go tomorrow. Everything else is fresh – The yeast was only bought a couple of weeks ago to try on this recipe. Next will be home made pizza dough too.
We have central heating, so I put it under the heating vent in the dining room to keep it warm whilst rising. It did rise, but just not very high.
Hi, i just read through all the comments and need to ask something. I have tried this recipe twice and the first time it turned out perfect. The second time it failed and im not sure why. My question is how do you make a 1/4 cup of salt water??? I dont know how i did it the first time and i am wondering if its the reason it failed the second time? Also, does this also mean that you use a total of 325ml of water in the making of this recipe?
Hi Justin,
To make the dough, add 275ml water to the flour and the other listed ingredients, and knead as usual.
When you are ready to COOK the bread, pour 1/4 cup water into a cup and add about 1 tablespoon salt and stir well. This is your salt water. Brush the salted water over the top of the loaf, then sprinkle with some more flour before baking. The salt makes a crisp and tasty crust. It doesn’t get added to the actual mixture that you are cooking. I hope that helps clarify things, but feel free to ask any other questions you may have.
Sandra xx
Thanks so much Sandra… know i know where i have been going wrong! The first time i made a loaf i must have forgotten to add the salt water before baking!
Hi Sandra, I have been to get my bread improver and flour and am ready to get kneading and baking. I was wondering how different the cooking time would be if I wanted to make lunch rolls instead of a loaf? Is it a trial and error process? I guess it’s dependant upon the size of the rolls. Does the same principle apply of the firm crust and hollow sound when tapped?
I heard you on ABC radio this week and went straight to your blog. I am so glad I found it. I am a stay at home mum to two young boys (3 years and 9 months) and I desperately want to continue to stay home with them and not succumb to the 2-income + childcare scenario. Hence I am on a mission to become thrifty and healthy and I have, until now, struggled with reigning in the shopping budget. Between my new and abundant vegie patch and herb garden and your recipes, I’m confident for the first time ever I can come in under budget.
Thank you for sharing your inspirational journey.
Rolls do not need as long to cook, nor at quite so high a temperature kate.
Make them as with the usual recipe, and you can finish them off with the salted water to make a crunchy crust if you want. Bake at 200C for 15 mins, then turn down temp to 190C for another 5-10 mins. They will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, to show you they are cooked. Good luck!
Love the loaves. I use at least 1tspn olive oil as an extra makes it a little more moist. Kids aksed me to try something for them so now:
We have green bread, blue bread and yellow bread.
Now I have to try to find more than the basic colours in food colouring.
I just put 10 – 20 drops in my bread maker.
The kids are of to school with pink sandwich bread tomorrow.
And yes they find it amusing to watch other kids reactions.
yum! Cannot wait to try.
Great site Sandra. I’m looking forward to trying my first wholemeal loaf soon.
I noticed on the wholemeal loaf page you give the recipe for the salt water brushing mix as 1 teaspoon of salt to 1/4 cup of water.
However, on the white bread page, in answer to a question by Justin, you’ve given 1 TBSp salt to 1/4 cup of water. That latter one seems too salty??
cheers
No, it’s definitely 1 tablespoon of salt to a quarter cup of water. The salty water is simply brushed over the surface of the dough, NOT added to the recipe itself. It makes the crust nice and crispy. As it happens you’ve alerted me to a typo about the wholemeal bread crust, which uses salted water in the same proportions as for this white bread. I’ll correct that now. Many thanks Bernadette.
I have now made this bread 3 times (in 4 days) and I found I needed just a little more water (total 285ml) but this may be because I am using a mix of wholemeal and white flours (to make it a little healthier) – it tastes great and the family love it. I use my Kitchen Aid so it only takes 10 mins of my time and a few hours while it does its “thing”. Thanks for the recipe.
Love your other recipes – plan to give them a go.
Hi Joanne,
You would definitely need more water if you were using wholemeal flour. There is a recipe here for wholemeal bread, in the Breads and Pastries section as well.
I have made this twice now and the results are of fantastic looking bread. Its light in the middle, crusty on the outside (just love crusty bread) however the taste is quite bland. I made sure on the second attempt that I used the correct measurement of salt (I tend to be stingy, salt bad for you and all that). I thought of adding a bit of Olive oil, any suggestions to give it more taste?
I am keen to get this right as the family isn’t too impressed with the taste.
Hi Sandra
I have made this bread twice now. The first time it spread out on a flat tin in my oven but was still wonderful. As my oven is a dodgy ( a very old one) I decided to bake it in my old bread maker & it worked out better. I still have to knead it by hand ( the kneading bit on the machine doesn’t work anymore.) & just need to cook it for less then the time on the bread maker. My son Jake asked me for extra helpings. I loved the proportions of ingredients. A 700g bread loaf was all we needed. Often I have made a larger loaf & did not need too. I did use strong flour but was using up what I had in the pantry. Will try with Plain flour soon.
Hello and thanks for posting this recipe. I’d never made bread before but now I go nuts. I’ve done plain loafs, foccacia’s and calzones and I make Vegimite and Cheese scrolls for the kids and even did a peanut butter scroll too which wasn’t bad. Great for the lunch boxes. I’ve become a baking fiend and found I don’t buy as much “lunch box” rubbish as I used to…….most excellent ~ been spouting off about your website to whoever is keen to listen.
I made this bread several times now. But yesterday it turned out even better than ever. I have a fancy fan assisted oven, and I have lowered the temperature by 20 degrees. We sat eating it just like that, didn’t get the time to cool down.
Sandra, I can really cook now, thanks to you. After today I’m having a couple of weeks off. Cannot wait to try everything. Next thing on my baking list is the wholewheat bread.
Since I have discovered this website I am actually eating what I am cooking.
Help!
I’ve tried every bread recipe ever invented, and they don’t work for me.
All my breads come out like bricks. They rise beautifully (double in size), but after cooking (trying all kinds of tricks, lowering heat, leaving door open, varied temps), instead of light and bouncy, they’re more like something you’d find here: http://www.illawarrabowlsshop.com.au/index.php?cPath=74&name=Allmark
I’ve tried dry and fresh yeast, super expensive bakers flour…but same result. My muffins, scones, tarts, flans are great, but breads – cursed.
Kenny…. i am glad their is someone else out their who is getting the same results!
my bread was ready within 15 mins? rock hard… i thought perhaps the temp was for conventional not fan forced maybe???
I suggest you play around with the amount of water – I use between 310 to 330 ml of water. Flour will vary from batch to batch and I find the same with the yeast. I have yet to cook the bread to the recommend time. Its my oven, it hot and I always go on the smell. If I can smell the fresh bread in the kitchen, I know it is close to being cooked.
I make this bread nearly every day and never had a bad loaf. If I am short on time, will make it in the bread maker, I do prefer it free form.
Can I ask a silly question !!! Do you bake the bread in a loaf tin or Freeform in the oven when you are after a loaf shape ?
I bake it free form on a baking tray, but you can divide the dough in half and make two smaller loaves and cook them in loaf tins, for a slightly shorter cooking time – of 20-25 minutes rather than a total of 35 minutes as stated here. I assume by loaf shape, you mean the rectangular shape, in which case you would need a loaf tin.
Have just found your site and I thought I’d let you know about a recent bread making problem I have encountered with Aldi plain flour. Since opting out of the madness of full time work I, like may of you, have become very conscious of my weekly grocery spend.
I have been baking bread for the last 6 years and initially used only known brands of flour. But as my almost obsessive need to cut costs developed I decided to experiment with cheaper flours and found no difference in the end result…. that is until recently when every batch, using Aldi flour, is turning out with a sticky glue like texture. I switched back to Whitewings and the problem stopped. Would love to hear if anyone else has had similar problems.
Virginia, yes the same thing has happened to my bread making with aldi flour.
I solved the problem by changing my bread maker cooking cycle to french from basic, and reduced the amount of water to 250 mls in each loaf. I still have a peek into the bread maker during the initial mixing cycle and add more water by the teaspoon until the dough looks right. Having said all that, now the aldi flour is more like it used to be and many loaves are now back to 275 mls water. Mujst have been a change in the suppliers of the flour.:)
Thanks Marjorie, knew I wasn’t going mad and yes the Aldi flour seems to be back to it’s previous state.
I’m only new to bread making as I have just purchased a bread maker. My machine has a setting which is “French” which is supposed to give the bread a more crisper crust. Would anyone recommend using this setting or just the “basic” setting?
This is the BEST (yes I’m shouting!) bread recipe I have found. I’ve had a breadmaker for about five years and have never found the perfect recipe. I’m attempting to make the bread by hand tonight … wish me luck!
After spending $6 on a loaf of artisanal bread at my local farmer’s market on the weekend, I decided it was time to dust off my unused (and unloved) bread maker. I have had limited success with bread making in the past and was close to donating my bread maker to St Vinnies….. However, I used your recipe and am amazed at the results. The bread was divine! My two teenage sons returned home from school this afternoon to a warm home baked loaf. They demolished the ENTIRE loaf in 10 minutes! Guess I’ll be making my second loaf in one day. Thanks so much, love the recipe and your website.
Has anyone tried a bread recipe using “Spelt” Flour ? It has a very low amount of gluten in it, and more protein than regular processed flours. (My kids LOVE bread products, so I am trying to get a little more goodness into them!)
Also, any Gluten–free and/or Wheat-Free recipes (for intolerance) would be welcome !
Cheers, Rach !
I used this recipe to make bread on the weekend and I was amazed at how good the results were. Why was I so scared of cooking with yeast all these years? It was easy! My late grandfather who was a baker back in Italy would have been proud