Julia Child’s White Bread

I love making sourdough and our new oven is working great!! But I wanted to give a different kind of bread a try. In the past I’ve tried baking with yeast and for some reason was not successful, so I never tried again. I decided to give it a try!

Of course, Julia Child’s recipe should be the first one, right?

This recipe makes 2 loafs. I split it in half to make one loaf since it was my first try and I didn’t know if it was going to work or be any good.

INGREDIENTS

2 ¹⁄₂cups water (105-115F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
7 cups bread flour or 7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₄ – ¹⁄₂cup unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl and mix with yeast and sugar til foamy.
Let sit for 5 minutes until creamy.
Put the yeast mixture, rest of the water and 3 1/2 cups of the flour into the mixer with the dough hook.
Mix slowly until blended then add the rest of the flour.
Increase speed and scrape down the sides til the dough comes together.
(If it doesn’t add a tbsp of flour at a time til it does.) Add salt and mix at medium speed for 10 minutes (or do half in mixer and half kneading) til dough is smooth and elastic.
Back in mixer add butter 1 tbsp at a time (dough may come apart, but mixing will pull it back together).
Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball then place in a large buttered or oiled bowl.
Turn dough so it is completely coated in the fat, then cover in plastic for 45 minutes to an hour, til it has doubled in size at room temperature.
Butter 2 loaf pans.
Deflate the dough, cut in half and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll out into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
With the short end facing you, fold the dough into thirds like a sheet of paper to go into an envelope, creating a roll.
Pinch the seam closed, and pinch the ends enough so it will fit in the loaf pan.
Drop in the loaf pan seam side down, and repeat.
Cover the loaves with buttered plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place (80°F) for 45 minutes, until they double in size.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the center of the oven.
Bake for 35-45 minutes til they are honey brown.
Immediately turn out of pans onto a rack to cool.
Once almost completely cool, they can be cut.
Store in a brown paper bag for a day or two.
Once cut, turn cut side down onto a cutting board and cover with a kitchen towel.

What I liked about this recipe was that it was quick and easy and simple. I love making sourdough from scratch but it’s a two day process. You make the dough, shape it, etc and then let it rise overnight. Plus the day of the bake is shaping, more rising, baking and cooling….So if you want some bread you have to plan ahead. The benefit of using yeast and this type of recipe is that you can do it in a morning and have bread for lunch.

I got a nice rise on it.

I baked it for 35 minutes and then checked it and ended up doing it for the full 45 minutes.

It was my first attempt and it went well, but didn’t look pretty. I’d try a little harder to make it pretty. 🙂 I liked the bread and would definitely make it again.