Ingredients
- Gold Medal Classic White Bread (click the link for directions on how to make the bread without a mixer)
- 6 to 7 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour*
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
- 2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°F)
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, if desired
Preparation
Step 1
In your mixing bowl, stir 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast until well mixed.
Turn mixer on low and slowly add warm water. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer until well mixed. Add flour one cup at a time (up to 7 cups of flour) until dough is no longer sticky and it is easy to handle. Dough should no longer stick to the sides of the bowl and it should not stick to the mixer attachment.
Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in warm place until dough has doubled in size.
Once it has risen, gently push into dough to deflate, gather it into a ball and divide the dough in half.
Stretch the dough a few times and shape into a ball. Place each ball in a lightly greased bread pan and brush with olive oil on top. Cover with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let rise in warm place.TIP: I typically start my oven and then place the dough near the vent on the stovetop. By the time the oven is heated up the dough has risen sufficiently.
Preheat oven to 425°F. When dough has risen and oven is hot, place both loaves in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until loaves are golden brown.
Remove from oven, brush tops with melted butter, and allow to cool slightly.
*Note: I store my loaves in large ziploc bags to keep them fresh but trust me, we eat them pretty quickly!