Sour Cream Bread - The Easy Bread Recipe You Didn't Know About

This is the kind of bread you'll actually want to bake again. It's soft, pillowy, and just tangy enough from the sour cream to make it interesting without veering into weird. Good for sandwiches, killer as toast, and perfect fresh out of the oven with a swipe of butter.

There's a little herb and spice going on here too, just enough to make it taste like something you'd get at a bakery that knows what they're doing. But you're doing it at home, and it's not even hard.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (about 100°F)

• 2¼ tsp yeast

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ cup sour cream

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups bread flour

• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs

• ¼ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp onion powder

• 1 egg white (for brushing the top)

Instructions

1. Get the yeast going
Stir the yeast into the warm water and give it a few minutes to bloom. You’re looking for foam on top. If it stays flat, toss it and try again with fresh yeast.

Once it’s looking active, add the sugar, salt, sour cream, and olive oil. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon.

2. Start the dough
Add 2 cups of flour, the Italian herbs, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix until you’ve got a sticky mess, then add the last cup of flour a bit at a time until the dough starts to pull together. You might need a bit more if it’s still loose. This dough is thirrsty.

3. Knead
Turn it onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Keep adding flour as needed until smooth and not sticky (it'll be more than you expect). The dough should end up smooth, soft, and stretchy.

4. First rise
Toss the dough into a greased bowl, cover it with a clean towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour. The oven with just the light on works great.

5. Shape and proof
Punch it down, then knead it again for 5 minutes. Shape it into a loaf and drop it into a greased 9x5 pan. Cover with a towel and let it rise for 45 minutes. (Probably not in the oven since we'll be preheating the oven lol) 

6. Bake it
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Brush the top of the loaf with egg white. Bake on the center rack for 45 minutes. If it starts to brown too fast, lay a piece of foil over the top toward the end.

7. Cool slightly before slicing
Let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Slice it warm if you want, or let it cool completely for cleaner cuts.

Notes

• Store on the counter for a couple days or freeze slices for easy toast later.

• This dough works great for rolls too. Just portion it out and bake slightly less.