James Beard's Buttermilk White Bread
Soft sandwich bread made with buttermilk
Servings 16
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 2 packets active dry yeast (I used 2 packets Red Star 4 ½ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (I used heaping and would probably use more)
- ½ cup water (100 to 110 degrees)
- 4 cups bread flour (King Arthur) (560 grams)
- 1 tablespoon salt (I recommend 2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 to 1 ½ cups buttermilk (1 ⅓ cup is about right)
Instructions
- You'll need a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Set it aside and grease it while the bread is rising.
- Combine the ½ cup warm water, sugar and yeast and let sit until foamy (5 to 10 minutes).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 4 cups of bread flour, salt and butter, then add 1 cup of the buttermilk. Stir with the paddle attachment or with a spoon.
- Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Mixture will probably be pretty dry at this point, so add another ⅓ cup of the buttermilk. Attach dough hook and begin kneading. If dough seems heavy and dry and splits, continue to gradually add remaining buttermilk by small spoonfuls. Keep kneading for 5 to 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Turn onto a very lightly floured pastry mat and knead by hand for another 2 minutes or so. This dough should be very slick, firm, kind of bouncy but not sticky at all.
- Put the dough in a lightly buttered or oiled bowl, roll in the butter or oil, then cover and let rise in a warm place (closed microwave is always a good bet) until more than doubled in bulk. This will probably be about and hour to an hour and a half.
- Form into a rough rectangle, then form into a loaf by folding in the ends and then folding in the sides.
- Put the dough in the greased pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for another hour or just until it is about 1 inch (in the middle) over the edge of the pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely.