Honey white bread

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp. bakery flour (approximately) *
• 1.25 cups of water (35 - 43 °C)
• 2.25 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 3 tbsp (45 g) butter (softened)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Add milk, honey, salt, and butter. Stir. Add 4 cups of flour. Mix well. Add the remaining flour until you have a dough that will stretch around the bowl when you lift a spoon.
   
   Note *
   
   Bread flour contains more gluten than all-purpose flour. This means bread made with it will rise more. You can make your own bread flour by adding 3.5 grams of gluten for every 150 grams of wheat flour used in the recipe..
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is elastic and smooth to the touch. Place it in a medium, greased bowl. Turn the dough until the top is also slightly greasy. Cover with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
3. Press the dough into the pan. Turn it out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes, or until air bubbles are gone. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Form each half into a loaf. Place the dough into 2 greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size the second time.
4. Bake the bread at 170°C for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
5. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.
   
   

   Bread Baking Tips

   
   When making bread, use bottled water, not tap water. Water softeners and chlorinated water can sometimes kill the yeast needed for dough to rise.
   
   Immediately after baking, brush the bread with butter to create a soft crust.
   
   Brush bread with milk before baking to get a dark, shiny crust.
   
   Brush bread with egg white before baking to get a shiny crust.
   
   Spraying the loaves with water while baking will result in a crispy crust.
   
   Adding honey to the dough helps baked bread stay fresh longer.
   
   You can use any milk in this recipe: whole, skim, low-fat, etc. It can also be replaced with a mixture of water and nonfat dry milk..