White bread

2 40 min
White bread

Enjoy our easy recipe for delicious homemade white bread. It is a beautiful airy bread that will delight your morning, afternoon, and evening – and of course, also in between whenever you get a craving. With a lovely crust, sprinkles of poppy seeds and a touch of sweetness, each bite is deeply satisfying. All you need is a few basic ingredients, and you will be rewarded with soft and tasty bread.

Ingredients

Dough

Butter
25 g
Skimmed milk
200 ml
Quark 0.3%
100 g
Coarse salt
2 tsp
Sugar
2 tsp
Yeast
25 g
Wheat flour
500 g

Brushing

Milk
2 tbsp
Poppy seeds
1 tbsp

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  • Melt butter in a pan and add milk, quark, sugar, and salt. Heat until it feels warm – test with the tip of your finger.
  • Pour the mixture into a bowl and crumble the yeast into it. Stir until the yeast is dissolved.
  • Add flour little by little – save some of the flour. Sprinkle some flour onto a clean kitchen table and knead the dough well.
  • Return the dough to the bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for approx. 40 min.
  • Turn the dough out onto a kitchen table sprinkled with flour, knead it well and shape it into a long loaf. Place it in a greased bread tin (approx. 1½ litres).
  • Let the dough rise, covered, for approx. 35 minutes. Brush with milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake the bread on the bottom rack of the oven for about 45 minutes at 200°C.
  • Remove the bread from the tin and place it on a cooling rack. Brush the bread with water while it is still warm. Place a tea towel on top and let the bread cool.
Enjoy!

Tips

White bread should have a fluffy and soft texture. If you over-knead the dough, it will result in a chewy crumb. When the dough is smooth and springs back after you press it with your fingers, it is ready to rest. However, if the indentation stays, you need to do more kneading. Use your hands to get a feel of the texture so you can get the right consistency.

Tips

Do not add too much flour all at once. The dough may seem a bit sticky at first, but it becomes nice and smooth once you start kneading it. If it becomes difficult to stretch the dough, you have kneaded it too much, which will result in a hard and chewy texture.

Questions about white bread

Turning a handful of simple ingredients into scrumptious bread is quite easy and simple with our recipe for white bread. Below, you can learn more about it by reading our answers to some of the most asked questions about this wonderful loaf.

What is white bread?

White bread refers to a type of bread made from white wheat flour that has a fine texture. Compared to other bread, this one has a particularly soft crumb with a mildly sweet flavour. The ingredients for this bread vary, but we have added quark to our recipe to give the bread some extra moisture and add a slight tartness to the sweet taste.

How to make a loaf of white bread?

Make a scrumptious loaf of white bread by mixing melted butter with milk, quark, salt, and sugar. Heat the mixture and stir yeast into it. Add the flour little by little, knead the dough well, and let it rise, covered, in a warm place. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in a bread tin before letting it sit and rise again. Brush the loaf with milk, sprinkle with poppy seeds, and bake at 200°C for roughly 45 minutes. Once the bread is done baking, brush it with water and let it cool under a tea towel.

How long is white bread good for?

Freshly baked white bread will typically stay good for about 3-4 days at room temperature. Make sure you store it properly to preserve the taste and texture of the bread. Do not keep it in a moist or warm place, as this can spoil the bread and turn it mouldy. If you notice a strange taste or smell, it is best to throw away the loaf and bake a fresh one instead.

Can you freeze white bread?

Freezing white bread is a great way to extend its shelf life and still maintain its freshness. If you want to freeze your bread, it is important that you prep it first. Let the loaf cool off completely, double wrap it tightly in cling film and foil, and then place it in the freezer. If you slice the bread and wrap each slice individually before freezing, you can always remove the number of slices you need without defrosting the whole bread.

How to keep white bread fresh?

White bread has a short shelf life, so if you do not plan on freezing it, it is essential that you store it right. You may want to invest in a bread box if you do not already have one. A bread box creates the perfect conditions for the loaf. Though it is airtight, there is still enough air circulating to maintain a soft bread interior and a crusty crust. Another option is to place the bread in a freezer bag and let it sit at room temperature, but this will, however, lead to a somewhat soft crust.

Soft and delicious white bread

Enjoy soft and delicious white bread with basic pantry staples. Do not let the simple look throw you off. This loaf bakes up tall and proud with just a touch of sweetness. Quark delivers nice moisture to the bread along with a little bit of tang, adding a lovely contrast to the subtly sweet flavour. The bread is topped with sprinkles of poppy seeds for a final flourish. Indulge in a slice spread with butter and jam!

Did this recipe turn you into a bread fanatic? Then you should try our recipes for sourdough bread made with a sourdough starter, flavourful Danish rye bread with 3 types of seeds, or whole wheat bread with cracked wheat.

A classic loaf with poppy seeds on top

An easy homemade white bread with poppy seeds on top makes for a flavourful and decadent bread. Adding poppy seeds gives the loaf a nutty flavour with subtle notes of fruitiness while also adding a bit of crunch to the soft texture.

You can use different types of poppy seeds for white bread depending on your flavour preference. Blue poppy seeds have a faintly spicy aroma, while grey poppy seeds are milder in taste. Go with white poppy seeds to maximise the nutty flavour. The white seeds are the nuttiest and quite popular in bread and cakes because of their nutty, sweet taste and bittersweet smoky aroma. Take your pick and give the bread its crowning touch.

Enjoy a white bread loaf for lunch or breakfast

Our fast and fabulous white bread loaf is perfect for lunch and breakfast. Some might even be tempted to serve it for dinner. We say go ahead; it is too good to pass up. Whether you like jam, cheese, Nutella, or plain and simple butter on top, it is the perfect base to hold your favourite spreads. You can even toast the bread to get warm and crisp slices that will make the butter melt. Serve it up with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Give the classic a spin

This classic fluffy white bread is pillowy soft, but you can give it a bit more bite by adding a variety of seeds to your dough, for example, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds. Follow our easy white bread recipe and add a handful of seeds to the heated milk mixture before adding yeast. For added moisture, you can also add honey to the mix. It is such a great flavour to add to your bread and balances the flavour of the quark. A perfect medley of sweet and tangy makes this white multi-seeded bread incredibly delicious. As a finishing touch, sprinkle some seeds on top of the loaf before baking it in the oven.

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