A no-effort white loaf using a Kenwood Chef

Ingredients

IngredientHow much
boiling water 200ml
cold water 100ml
baker's yeast 2 teaspoons
sugar 2 teaspoons
strong bread flour 500g
salt 1 teaspoon
egg whites 1
soft butter 1 teaspoon

Make the yeast

  1. Mix the boiling water and the cold water
  2. Pour half into a jug and add the yeast and the sugar
  3. Wait 10 mins for it to become frothy

Mix all the ingredients

  1. Attach the spiral hook to the mixer
  2. Add all the ingredients to the bowl (don't forget the other half of the water)
  3. Mix for 5 mins at speed 3

Leave to prove

  1. Remove the bowl from the mixer
  2. Cover with a tea towel
  3. Leave in a warm place for one hour or until it has approximately doubled in size

Knock back

  1. Mix for 1 min at speed 1

Shape into a loaf

  1. On a floured board, shape the dough into a loaf
  2. Place on a baking tray, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove
  3. It should approximately double in size again

Bake

  1. Turn a fan oven on at 190C
  2. When it has reached temperature, put the loaf in on its baking tray
  3. Slash a shallow cut with a knife in the top of the loaf
  4. Add a small bowl of cold water under the loaf
  5. Bake for 15 mins then turn the oven down to 170C
  6. Bake for another 15 mins or until ready
  7. When it's ready it will sound hollow when knocked on the bottom
Preparation time
140 min
Cooking time
30 mins

Narrative

This is how I make an easy and quick white loaf using my kitchen mixer. It’s trouble-free and reliable and a great time-saver.

I mentioned my Kenwood Chef by name because I know it works. Your mixer may be just as good so long as it has a dough hook.

There are longish gaps in this recipe while we wait for things to happen, like the yeast activating or the dough rising. You will find yourself with a spare egg yolk if you use the egg white I suggest in the ingredients. I now whip up a bowl of fresh mayonnaise with the egg yolk while I’m waiting for the next step in this recipe. I would never have learned how to make my own fresh mayonnaise had I not started baking bread with this recipe. By far the hardest work with this bread recipe is whisking the mayonnaise while you wait.

Here are the detailed steps. I’ve made each one easy and unambiguous, I hope.