Butter bread recipe

 

I call this 'Butter Bread', for obvious reasons.  Tender, rich, and yes... buttery.  Also dead simple to make, slices like a dream, and makes wonderful toast and sandwiches.  I use a kitchenaid to do the bulk of the work, but by hand is a winner too.

 1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees).
 3 cups bread flour. 2.5 cups for dough and .5 cup to adjust dough and flour the board.
 1 stick salted butter, melted and well warmed.
 2 teaspoons sugar.
 1 teaspoon salt (to taste).
 2 teaspoons dry yeast.

• In your mixing bowl, put two teaspoons of dry yeast, one cup of bread flour, and one cup of warm water.  Add two teaspoons of sugar.  Whisk till well combined, and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes in a warm spot.  If the yeast is good, a very active and bubbly sponge will be formed.
• While the wee yeastie beasties are having sexy time, melt a stick of butter in the microwave. Melt, not boil.  Preferably salted butter, as that's what the recipe allows for.
• When the sponge is bubbling well, add one teaspoon of salt, all the melted butter, and 1.5 more cups of bread flour to the bowl.  Using the bread hook, run on speed 2 till the dough pulls together.  We are looking for a silky and slightly sticky dough that just leaves the bowl clean, but maybe sticks and pulls just a little.  If it looks too sticky, add a spoonful of the reserved flour every minute as it kneads till it looks right.  It's far easier to add flour than it is to add water.
• Knead (Machine or hand) for three to four minutes.  Put the dough in an oiled bowl (I just use the same mixer bowl, spritzed with olive oil) and cover.  Place in a warm spot for thirty minutes to rise.
• After thirty minutes place dough on a lightly floured spot and flatten it out.  Fold it back in using letter folds in one direction, then the other, till the dough gets too tight to work easily.  Place it back in the oiled bowl and back to the warm spot for another twenty to thirty minutes.
• After the dough has relaxed and risen more, form it into the desired loaf shape, or place in a bread pan if it's to be sandwich/toast bread.  If using a bread pan, butter it well or line with parchment*.   Turn the oven on to 450, and allow the dough to do it's final rise while the oven preheats.
• When the oven is ready, and the dough has risen well, brush it gently with egg wash and slightly score the top if you wish.  Now is time to sprinkle on toasted sesame seed if that is to taste.
• Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes, and then start checking internal temp with a quick probe. 190-200 degrees is the goal. Lower means more tender, and higher means crustier.
• Allow the bread to cool completely on a rack before slicing.

*Parchment lined pan hack:  If you have two pans the same size that nest, place a parchment sheet over one greased pan, and use the second to press that parchment into place.  Weight the second pan with canned goods and let sit till it's needed.  The parchment will be shaped to the pan perfectly, with no cutting and fitting.