How to Make Bread in a Bosch Mixer

White Sandwich Bread

• 6 cups warm water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 rounded Tablespoons instant yeast*
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups powdered milk
• 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 15-16 cups bread flour

Place warm water (110-115 degrees F) with the honey in the bowl of the Bosch mixer.  Add two rounded Tablespoons instant yeast.  Use wire whisk attachment and mix for 20 seconds to dissolve the honey and the yeast.  Allow the yeast to activate for five minutes.  Meanwhile, measure the other ingredients.  Add the salt, powdered milk and softened butter and mix until combined.  At this point, start adding flour two cups at a time.  After you have added 6 cups of flour mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, to help incorporate air into the dough and to being the development of the gluten.

After 2 minutes, remove the whisk attachment and replace with the kneading attachment.  Continue adding flour, paying close attention to the feel of the dough after you have added 14 cups.  Before the kneading step, you will watch for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  In addition, it will have enough  flour  so that you can press the dough into a small triangle with your fingers and it holds its shape.  I usually add 15 1/2 cups of flour, but this all depends on the humidity that day.  Knead the dough for at least 7 minutes on low speed.  Keep the bowl covered so the dough does not dry out.

After kneading, coat a large container with cooking spray and allow the dough to rise, about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into four equal portions.  Coat four 9 x 5 inch bread pans with cooking spray.  Form the loaves and put them into the bread pans to proof, or to rise again for 60-90 minutes.  The dough will be puffy, not necessarily doubled in size.  It should be about one inch above the rim of the pans, if use a 9 x 5 inch size.  Bake at 350 F or until the bread is a nice golden brown and the internal temperature of 195-200 degrees F.  Allow the bread to cool before slicing.  I wrap the extra loaves tightly in two layers of saran wrap and freeze to use later in the week.

For a full photo tutorial keep reading…

Step 1 : How to make bread in a Bosch Mixer – Mix the Dough

Measure six cups warm water (110-115 degrees F) with the yeast.  NOTE:  if you use too hot of water, 120 degrees F or hotter, you can kill the yeast.  I have done this before.  If the water is too cool, you will be unable to activate the yeast.  For peace of mind, measure the temperature of your water with an instant read thermometer.  A lot of love goes into homemade bread, so a little bit of quality control goes a long way.

I always measure the one third cup honey with the water because it makes for an easy clean up.  The water can be mixed with the honey in the measuring cup so I don’t have a sticky container to deal with later.

Add 2 rounded Tablespoons instant yeast.  The original recipe called for 3 Tablespoons yeast, but I have had good results with just 2 rounded Tablespoons instant yeast.  If you are not able to locate instant yeast, you can use 4 Tablespoons active dry yeast.

Mix for thirty seconds with the whisk attachment to dissolve the honey and the yeast.

Allow the yeast/honey/water mixture to set while you measure the other ingredients.  After about five minutes it will be nice and frothy.  That is a good sign, it means the yeast is alive and well, eating the sugar and releasing little air bubbles.

Add 2 cups powdered milk.

Add the 2 Tablespoons plus one teaspoon salt.  Do not forget to add the salt!!!! I have done this before, it will ruin the bread.  Sometimes I measure it out at the beginning just so I don’t forget this vital ingredient.

Add one stick softened butter.  I always forget to put my butter out overnight and have to warm it in the microwave.  Mix well using the whisk attachment.

Start adding the flour, two cups at a time to the liquid mixture using the whisk attachment.

 

After you have added 6 cups of flour mix on medium speed for two minutes to incorporate air into the dough.  After two minutes switch to the kneading attachment.

Continue to add flour and mix with the kneading attachment.

The dough is starting to come together, but there is still a ways to go.

The dough is starting to come away from the sides, but there is still not enough flour in the dough.  Be sure to measure all the flour before starting so you don’t loose count as to how many cups you have added.

Now the dough is a bit heavier and really sticking together.

After 15 cups I check to see if the dough has enough flour.  It should be pulling away from the side of the bowl and be rather solid.  This is the triangle test that I learned from a “How to Make Bread” video.  Dust the dough with flour and squeeze into a triangular shape with four fingers.  If the triangle maintains its shape for a moment, there is enough flour.  If it immediately collapses the dough needs more flour.  Usually in my climate 15 1/2 cups of flour is plenty.

Step 2 : How to make Bread in a Bosch Mixer – Knead the Dough

Simply knead the dough with the cover for a minimum of seven minutes on low speed.  Keep the lid on so the dough doesn’t dry out.

After kneading the dough should be relatively smooth and elastic.

Step 3 – How to Make Bread in the Bosch Mixer – Let the Dough Rise

Coat a large container with cooking spray and place the dough in a warm spot to rise.  Cover with a tight lid, damp cloth or both.  I LOVE these Rubbermaid food prep containers from either Sam’s Club or Costco because I can see how the dough is rising.

 

An hour and a half later the dough has doubled in size.  This makes me happy.  I placed the dough in the furnace room where it is nice in warm.  At times I have warmed my oven for about 30 seconds until it is around 80 degrees to help the dough rise.

Step 4 – How to Make Bread in a Bosch Mixer – Form the Loaves

 

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into four equal portions using either a dough scraper or a large knife.

Flatten dough into a rectangle – or in this case, a blog – with the shorter side being about 9 inches, the length of the bread pan.  If the dough is very stiff allow it to rest for 20 minutes before rolling it out.

Gently roll the dough, pinching down as you go.  There is really no right way to do this, but the rolling really improves the texture of the final loaf.

 

Continue to roll the dough.

 

Fold and pinch the ends.  This looks pretty sloppy – its hard to take photos while forming loaves of bread.

Coat the pans with cooking spray then place the loaves seem side down into the bread pan.

Step 5 – How to Make Bread in a Bosch Mixer – Proof the Dough – Allow the Dough to rise a second time

 

Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise a second time.  It will not double, but will puff up just over the top of the bread pan.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

The dough has risen a second a time, above the rim and is ready to in the oven.  They are not all the same size but we go through so much of this bread that it doesn’t matter.

Step 5 – How to Make Bread in a Bosch Mixer – Bake the loaves

 

Bake the loaves in a oven preheated to 350 degrees F.  I am able to fit four loaves in this standing oven.  If you have a smaller wall oven you may need to bake the loaves two at a time.  If this is the case place the two loaves in the refrigerator while the other to loaves bake.  Rotate the loaves once during the baking process.

The bread is done when it is a golden brown and an instant read thermometer reads between 195 and 200 degrees F.  It is important to test the temperature.  I have had some loaves that are full of raw dough in the center.  It only takes seconds to ensure your loaf is fully cooked.

 

The loaves look perfect!

Cool bread on a wire rack.

At this point wrap tightly in saran wrap or store in a bread bag.

 

DO NOT slice the bread immediately.  It will ruin the loaf.  It should be slightly cooled before slicing.  Well, it was still really good.  We ate a loaf in minutes.  But look at how small dough balls form when the bread is sliced warm.

 

For a perfect slice wait until the dough is cool.  For a perfect slice of bread use an electric knife.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur  – Classic White Sandwich Bread.