Kittencals Old Fashioned White Bread Recipes

KITTENCAL'S OLD FASHIONED WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Fit a heavy-duty stand mixer with kneader blade.
• In a small saucepan scald 1/2 cup milk with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons salt until very warm stirring with a spoon until no sugar or salt granules remain; set aside until luke-warm (for faster cooling place in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes on your top fridge shelf).
• Place 4 cups white flour and 3 tablespoons shortening (or lard) in the stainless steel mixing bowl along with the warm milk mixture; cover bowl with a towel to keep the milk warm.
• In a cup mix together 1-1/4 cups warm water with 2 teaspoons sugar, mix with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved; add in 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast, stir with a spoon for about 15 seconds.
• Place a towel over the cup and proof for about 8-10 minutes or until foamy.
• Place the water/yeast mixture in the bowl.
• Start mixing/kneading add in more flour as needed to create a soft smooth dough (about 8 minutes).
• Remove the dough to a very lightly floured surface; cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for about 5-8 minutes.
• Gather up the dough and shape into a ball, then place in a large well greased bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (I use my oven!).
• Punch down the dough and place on a surface.
• Using hands (not a rolling pin) flatten to a 10 x 14-inch rectangle (trust me this dough will shape beautifully, no need for a rolling pin!).
• Roll the dough up tightly then seal the long seam.
• Using a knife slice off the dough ends just enough to fit into your 8x4-inch pan, then pinch the dough ends together to seal (you can shape the two ends in a ball and freeze to make buns or discard the dough).
• Place in a dark metal 8 x 4-inch bread pan.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30-40 minutes or until doubled.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

GRANDMA VANDOREN'S WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly, and let sponge rise until doubled in size.
• Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
• Punch down the dough, let it rest a few minutes. Divide dough into three equal parts. Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning.

DAN'S OLD FASHIONED WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Pour milk in a heatproof bowl, and gently warm in a microwave oven set on Low until milk is about 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), about 15 seconds. Mix in the sugar and honey, and stir to dissolve. Mix in the yeast, and let stand until the yeast activates and forms a creamy layer on the milk, about 15 minutes.
• Place 4 cups of bread flour and the salt into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; pour in the yeast mixture, and mix on slow speed with a mixing paddle until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute; dough will be very wet. Add the butter, and mix in the remaining 2 cups of bread flour, or as needed, until the dough begins to gather itself into a ball. Change the fitting from the mixing paddle to a dough hook, and machine-knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until you see the surface of the dough begin to break during folding and kneading. Roll dough into a ball, and place into a lightly floured large bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and set into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Spray 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
• Punch down the dough, remove to the floured surface, and knead for 2 more minutes; cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Form the dough into logs, adding more flour if necessary, and place the loaves into the sprayed pans. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel, and place into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 more hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the bread loaves into the preheated oven, and turn the heat down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until the tops are golden brown and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped, about 25 minutes. Cool the pans on baking racks for about 5 minutes before turning the bread loaves out to finish cooling on racks. Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel as they cool.

KITTENCAL'S ITALIAN-STYLE BREAD

Steps:

• Prepare a heavy-duty stand mixer with the kneading attachment.
• Pour in 2-1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, 2 teaspoons sugar, olive oil and salt into the stainless steel mixing bowl.
• In a measuring cup proof the yeast with 1-1/4 cups warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar for about 8-10 minutes or until foamy.
• Pour the water/yeast mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture in it, then start kneading adding in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl, and dough is soft and smooth not sticky and wet (kneading should take about 6-8 minutes).
• Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45-50 minutes, or until doubled (watch the dough closely since you are using a smaller amount of flour, and using 3 teaspoons of yeast, the dough rises a little quicker!).
• Punch down; cover and let rest for about 10-12 minutes in the bowl (this is important, the dough must rest for 10-12 minutes after punching down and before shaping!).
• Transfer the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and evenly divide in half.
• Shape each half into a thin 10-12-inch long loaf (or you can shape in one thicker shorter loaf if desired).
• Place the shaped loaves onto a 15 x 10-inch baking sheet that has been lighly greased and then sprinkled with about 2 tablespoons cornmeal.
• Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for about 25-30 minutes.
• Spray the tops of the bread with cooking spray (I use Pam olive oil spray for this).
• Bake at 400°F for about 20-22 minutes for 2 small long loaves, or until golden brown (adjust baking time longer for 1 large loaf).
• Cool on a wire rack.