White Bread
breadpastry

White Bread

A reliable everyday wheat bread: soft inside, crisp crust, and baked with a short steam phase for better oven spring.

Ingredients

  • 450 g wheat flour (all-purpose)
  • 9 g dry yeast
  • 15 g sugar
  • 375 g lukewarm water
  • 12 g table salt (or 9 g kosher salt)
  • 20 g vegetable oil (15 g in the dough + ~5 g for greasing)

Tools

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Baking sheet + oven rack
  • Small oven-safe dish
  • Sharp knife (for scoring)
  • Plastic bag (as a cover/dome)
  • Whisk or fork
  • Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Make the dough starter

  • In a large bowl, whisk together 25 g flour, 9 g yeast, and 15 g sugar.
  • Pour in the warm water and whisk until smooth.
  • Rest 15 minutes. You should see foam on the surface (yeast is active).

2. Mix and knead

  • Add the remaining flour and mix with a fork until the dough starts to “grab” together.
  • Add salt and 15 g vegetable oil.
  • Knead by hand for about 5 minutes. It will stick to your fingers—just keep going and scrape it off as needed.
  • Shape a rough, slightly spreading ball and lightly coat it with a little oil from the remaining ~5 g.
  • Cover the bowl with a plastic bag like a cap.

3. Bulk rise + folds

  • For 2 hours, every 30 minutes (4 rounds total):
    Remove the bag, wet your fingers, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up gently with a wavy motion, then fold it over the center. Repeat all the way around the dough, then cover again.

4. Shape

  • Lightly flour the table and turn the dough out.
  • Dust the top with a pinch of flour so it’s less sticky.
  • Gently press it down with your fists to flatten slightly.
  • Roll it into a roll, then tuck the ends under the “bottom”.

5. Proof

  • Place the shaped dough on parchment paper.
  • Cover with a loose plastic-bag dome so it doesn’t dry out.
  • Proof for 30 minutes.

6. Bake with steam

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C: oven rack on the lowest level, baking sheet on the middle level.
  • Boil water and pour 50–70 ml into the small oven-safe dish.
  • Score the loaf with a sharp knife, a few quick cuts about 1–2 mm deep.
  • Work fast: place the dish with hot water onto the lower rack, and place the parchment + loaf onto the baking sheet.
  • Bake 20 minutes at 220°C.
  • Reduce to 200°C and bake another 20 minutes (steam should be gone by then).
  • Turn off the oven, remove the loaf to a wooden board, and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Tips

  • Wet fingers beat extra flour during stretch & folds (less sticking, better structure).
  • If your kitchen is cool, give the dough a little extra time; look for visible puffing, not the clock.
  • For a crispier crust, cool the bread uncovered on a rack after the first 10 minutes on the board.