Best Soft White Bread Ever

Submitted by North Carolina Brea

"This a homeade white bread that has the soft crust that you see on commercial (supermarket) bread. The secret is in the baking method. You need a pizza stone and one of those Aluminium Roasting pans that you buy at Thanksgiving to roast your turkey in. You can get one at any Supermarket. Buy the deepest one you can find and then push on the bottom to make it even deeper. Try not to distort the lip so that it will lay flat when it is inverted on the stone."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Yields: 1 Loaf
• Serves: 12-18

ingredients

• 16 ounces bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1 1⁄2 ounces corn oil
• 9 1⁄2 ounces milk

directions

1. I use a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook but I am sure you could make the dough in a bread machine. Just follow your machines instructions.
2. Place all of the dry ingedients in the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on low to blend the ingredients.
3. Warm the liquids until to about 100 deg. F. and add to the mixer.
4. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Then allow the mixer to run on the second lowest setting to knead the dough. This will take about 10 minutes. Dependng on the humidity, you may have to add another tablespoon of water (or two).
5. Remove the dough hook and form the dough into a ball, Slightly oil the dough ball and place it back into the bowl to rise. Depending on the temperature this may take 1 to 3 hours. I like to put it in a cool area to have this step to the longest time possible. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume.
6. Punch down the dough and shape in into the shape of your choice. I prefer a football shape with blunt ends. Place on parchment paper and put on a peel or a flat cookie sheet to facilitate putting it in the oven. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow it to rise a second time. This will take 1 to 1.5 hours.
7. Preheat the oven and the pizza stone to 400 Deg F.
8. After the dough has almost doubled in size remove the towel and plastic wrap. With a sharp knife cut a slash along the top of the loaf.
9. Mist the loaf with a spray bottle of water and slide it off of the peel (or cookie sheet) onto the pizza stone and cover with the inverted Aluminium pan.
10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and remove the Aluminium pan, Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is the color you like, and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it.
11. Allow to cool before you try to cut this bread.