Hello, bakers! Today I’m thrilled to share something new with you—my very first minute-for-minute bake along video where I make a classic white bread loaf right alongside you. If you haven’t watched the video yet, I walk you through every step of the process in real-time, with nothing edited out. This gives you the authentic experience of what bread making actually feels like in a real home kitchen.

What Makes This Bake Along Different

Unlike my regular tutorials, this minute-for-minute format shows you every second of the process. The only times we pause are during waiting periods for rising and baking. This approach gives you a much better feel for the rhythm and flow of bread making.

I’m particularly excited about this format because it demystifies the bread-making process. You can see exactly how the dough should look at each stage and how long each step actually takes.

The Recipe: Simple White Bread

This recipe creates a soft, tender white bread perfect for sandwiches or toast. The ingredient list is deliberately simple—things you likely already have in your pantry.

Ingredients:

• 375g all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup filtered water, warmed to 115°F
• 7g instant yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
• 6g salt (about 1 teaspoon)
• 25g cane sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
• 28g unsalted butter, room temperature (2 tablespoons)

Equipment:

• Digital kitchen scale
• Instant-read thermometer
• Mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Airtight container for rising
• Loaf pan
• Cooling rack
• Tea towel
• Offset bread knife (essential to me, but optional)
• Bench scraper (optional but helpful)
• DOAP ™ (optional clean-up tool)

My Baking Equipment Essentials with product links
https://chefdavepalmer.com/essential-bread-making-equipment/

The Process

Step 1: Autolyse

I start with a technique called autolyse, which is essentially allowing flour and water to rest together before adding other ingredients. This simple step hydrates the flour fully and develops gluten, making the dough easier to work with later.

I mix the flour and warmed water (about 115°F) until no dry flour remains, creating a shaggy mass. This goes into an airtight container to rest for 45 minutes. Magic happens during this time—the flour absorbs the water, developing structure without any effort on our part.

Step 2: Adding Ingredients

After the autolyse period, the dough already looks more developed and elastic. Now it’s time to add the remaining ingredients.

First, I work in the instant yeast. This is one advantage of instant yeast—it doesn’t need to be proofed in water first, making it perfect for the autolyse method.

Next comes the salt, then sugar. I use regular cane sugar, but honey works as a substitute if you prefer. I don’t recommend artificial sweeteners for bread baking.

Step 3: Adding Butter

The trickiest part of making enriched dough by hand is incorporating the butter. The key is to add it gradually in thin slices rather than all at once. I work small pieces in with my fingers, squishing the butter into the dough until fully incorporated.

This process takes some time and might feel hopeless at first as the dough becomes slippery and sticky. But trust me—keep kneading and it will come together!

Step 4: Kneading

As I knead, I push the dough with the heel of my hand while gently squeezing. The most important advice here: resist the urge to add more flour! Adding flour at this stage would create dry spots in your final loaf.

After about 5-10 minutes of kneading, the dough becomes smoother and less sticky. It’s ready when it passes the “window pane test”—you can stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through without tearing. Though with enriched dough, you might not get a perfect window pane, and that’s okay.

Step 5: First Rise

The smooth dough goes back into the airtight container for its first rise at room temperature. I’m looking for it to double in size, which takes about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Step 6: Shaping

Once doubled, I turn the dough onto the counter and shape it using the envelope fold technique—stretching and folding the dough from different directions to create tension on the surface. After shaping, the dough goes into a loaf pan for its final rise.

Step 7: Second Rise

The shaped loaf needs to rise until it’s about an inch above the rim of the pan. This usually takes about 30 minutes. I check it using the “poke test”—gently press your finger about half an inch into the dough. If it slowly rebounds but leaves a slight impression, it’s ready to bake.

Step 8: Baking

The bread bakes at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes. Rather than just timing it, I check for doneness using an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf. The target temperature is 195°F.

Step 9: Cooling

As tempting as it is to slice into warm bread, patience is crucial here. I let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack for at least two hours before slicing. This allows the crumb structure to set and prevents a gummy texture.

The Result

The finished loaf has a beautiful golden crust and a soft, tender interior—perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just enjoying with a bit of butter. The crumb is even and not too open, exactly what you want in a good sandwich bread.

Final Thoughts

Bread making by hand is a wonderfully tactile experience. There’s something deeply satisfying about transforming simple ingredients into a beautiful loaf using just your hands and a bit of patience.

If you’re new to bread baking, this recipe is an excellent place to start. The techniques you’ll learn here—autolyse, proper kneading, recognizing when dough is properly risen—will serve you well in all your future bread adventures.

I hope you enjoyed this minute-for-minute bake along! Let me know in the comments how your loaf turned out or if you have any questions. Happy baking!