My Favorite White Bread Recipe
This is a classic white bread recipe, and so easy! The loaves bake up incredibly tall, soft and fluffy… the perfect white bread!
Are you a bread fanatic? Isn’t there something fantastic about a great piece of bread? Whether you’re making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grilled cheese, a big sandwich piled high with fixings, or simply slathering a piece with butter… I’ve always found it to be great comfort food.
While I’ve made quite a bit of homemade bread in the past, we’ve really cut back on carbs significantly, and have pretty much nixed sandwiches from our diet, so I haven’t been buying or making any for the last six months or so. However, Joseph would eat grilled cheese and some other things with bread (depending on the day – we’ve hit the picky toddler stage!), but once we found out about his allergies, anything store-bought was pretty much out of the question (why does bread need soybean oil?!). Luckily, he was cleared of his wheat allergy, but we’re avoiding soy, so homemade it was! I had a previous favorite white bread recipe, but had this recipe bookmarked for AGES, so I decided to finally try it. I’m so glad that I did because…
Best. Bread. Ever.
How to Make My Favorite White Bread Recipe
MY OTHER RECIPESThere are so many reasons you need to hurry up and make this bread immediately:
- It comes together incredibly quickly for a yeast recipe requiring two rises. In about 2 hours you’ll be smelling fresh bread wafting from your oven.
- These are the largest loaves of a simple white bread I’ve ever seen! I’ve made too many disappointing loaves of bread that have turned out short and squat, especially those made in a 9-inch pan. However, these are incredibly tall, full loaves – beauties!
- I was surprised at how incredibly light, fluffy and soft this bread was given that there isn’t any milk in the recipe, just water (thanks butter!). It’s honestly the perfect texture.
I was honestly blown away when I made it, my husband was as equally thrilled, and much to my delight, Joseph was a huge fan too! This makes phenomenal peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, awesome grilled cheese, and I have eaten way more than I should just slathered with butter.
I should have known how good this would be since it came from someone’s grandma… those are always the BEST recipes!
I’ve made this three times now, and I love that it makes two loaves… I immediately slice and freeze one and leave the other one out for us to eat throughout the week.
The frozen slices reheat exceptionally well – just 20 seconds in the microwave is all they need.
You only need one great white bread recipe and this is it!
Grab that yeast and get baking!
Three years ago: Kentucky Derby Pie Cupcakes
Four years ago: Chile con Queso
My Favorite White Bread Recipe
I’ve made a lot of bread recipes and this one has become my absolute favorite! I make a batch every couple of weeks!
Ingredients:
- 4½ teaspoons instant yeast (two 0.25-ounce packets)
- ¾ cup + 2⅔ cups warm water, divided
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 (43 grams) tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 9 (1.3 kg) to 10 (1.4 kg) cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
Directions:
- In the bowl of a mixer, stir to dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup of the warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2⅔ cups water, sugar, salt, room temperature butter, and 5 cups of the flour and stir to combine.
- Using a dough hook, mix on low speed and gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is soft and tacky, but not sticky (you may not need to use all of the flour). Continue to knead until a soft ball of dough forms and clears the sides of the bowl, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn it over so it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently press it all over to remove any air pockets. Divide the dough in two and, working with one piece at a time, gently pat it into a 9×12-inch rectangle. Roll up the rectangle, starting on the short end, into a very tight cylinder. Pinch to seal the seams and the ends, tuck the ends of the roll until the bread, and place into greased 9-inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves loosely and place in a draft-free area until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Position an oven rack on the lowest setting and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Brush the loaves with some of the melted butter. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 195 degrees F).
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush with more of the melted butter. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely before slicing. The bread can be stored in an airtight bread bag or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes:
Note #1: This recipe can be halved to make only one loaf.
Note #2: You can substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast. Ensure that it is indeed activated in step #1 before continuing, and note that the rise times will be slightly longer.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe from The Curvy Carrot)
All images and text ©
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/387661480404599736/
Here is a link to Lion House Rolls on Pinterest I made these a while back and they are huge and delicious. Give them a try, they would be amazing at one of your Sunday dinners.
Hi Barbara, Thanks for sharing, I haven’t made rolls in ages, would love to try them!
I will be trying this recipe this week! Looks great.
What bread pans are you using?
Hi Amy, I use the Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Loaf Pans! (I use the 1.5 lb pan for this recipe)
Nine-ten cups of flour quite a bit for a standard mixer, isn’t it?
And most of the bread recipes I use call for 3-1/2 cups per loaf, so 9-10 for two would be too many?
Hi Joe, I have a 6-quart KitchenAid and it did just fine with the flour, but if you have a smaller mixer and are concerned about how it will handle the dough, you may want to knead by hand. Keep in mind that you may not use all of that flour, as well, as I noted in the recipe.
Yes I also think the 9 cups flour seems alot…most recipes I see says at the most 6 cups
I don’t think I can fit baking bread into my day today (like I did the stovetop mac & cheese), but this will be tried in the next several days for sure! I love the process of baking bread and the smell of it baking. Kneading yeast dough and getting your hands “in” the dough adds to the anticipation of the finished baked loaves 🙂 (which is why a failed loaf is so much the disappointment for me). We’ve drastically cut back on carbs too, so I haven’t baked bread in some time. For this recipe, though, I will sacrifice :)) Here’s are questions: would the 4 1/2 teaspoons of yeast be 2 packets? with 9 c of flour maybe it’s 3 packets? and what do you think about rapid rise vs regular active dry yeast for this recipe? which do you use and recommend? Thanks, Michelle!
It’s a hockey night! Go PENS! 🙂
Hi Michelle! Yes, 4 ½ teaspoons is two packets (I just updated the recipe to reflect this). I like rapid rise because it makes for quick rise time. After reading a ton about active dry vs instant on the KAF website, it seems that for most recipes not using a bread machine the two are interchangeable, just that it takes active dry yeast a longer time to get started, so the rise times are a bit longer. If you want to use active dry, just make sure it’s activated in step #1 before continuing, and know that the rising may take a little longer than the times listed above. Enjoy! And GO PENS! (What a crazy game on Saturday night!)
I can’t believe there’s no milk in this bread! And all things considered, very little butter given it makes 2 huge loaves! Wow, this is the best looking white bread I have ever seen! Truly gorgeous, Michelle!
I very rarely eat bread anymore and when I do it has to be homemade. This looks flawless! After trying it, I don’t think anyone could go back to store bought.
Can this be made with Whole Wheat Flour instead of AP Flour?
Hi Patricia, No, I would not recommend using whole wheat flour in place of AP flour. At the most you would want to substitute only 25%, but I have a great whole wheat sandwich bread recipe that I highly recommend!
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe/
Looks awesome! I´m quite afraid (yeast dought is not my friend), but I have to try it :-).
Hi Michelle, This is a great recipe for the yeast-averse. I feel like it’s pretty much fail-proof. One of the times I made it, both rises went wayyyyyy past doubled due to toddler naps and bedtimes and I was afraid the dough was going to collapse on itself and be a disaster. Nope! It still baked up perfectly!
That looks so soft! I mostly stick to sourdough, but I want to try a sandwich bread one of these days ?
Hi.
Any chance that this can be made at high altitude? I live at 8,000 feet and have only perfected one bread recipe.
Thanks so much.
Hi Tammi, I don’t live at high altitude, but here are some tips from King Arthur Flour (they are my go-to resource with everything bread!) – http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html (the section on yeast baking is the whole way at the bottom)
Have used other White American Sandwich recipes before with great success. Can’t wait to try this one. Have you tried this with a preferment? Some experts say it is a waste of time with soft white breads and was wondering what your opinion was.
Hi John, I have not tried this with a preferment, and I honestly don’t think it’s necessary for a recipe like this.
YUM! This looks amazing! You can’t go wrong with a fluffy white bread—especially one that’s easy to make! I know my family would love this. Esp for grilled cheese sandwiches! Thanks for sharing.
Will I ruin it if I use margarine instead of real butter?
Hi Elines, I don’t think so, but I’ll add the disclaimer that I haven’t tried it.
Just FYI for those who have a 5 qt Artisan mixer, 9 cups of flour was DEFINITELY too much for my mixer. I ended up having to knead the last cup of flour by hand. My loaves just came out of the oven and (sadly) aren’t as pretty as yours, but hopefully they taste great! My go-to bread is actually the one from the recipe book that came with my mixer, it’s yet to fail me!
Hi Camille, Thanks so much for sharing your feedback using a 5 quart mixer! I hope you love the bread!
I am going to make this TODAY. Question though…I broke the dough hook on my kitchen aid eons ago. Since then I’ve taken to using my bread machine to mix and knead the dough and then I take it out and let it rise per recipe instructions. Do you think this would work ok? My bread machine calls for wet ingredients first then dry and then mixes them. I’m not very experienced with bread so want to make sure this process won’t change the outcome of this beautiful recipe of yours? Also, is it possible to make this into more of a baguette by shaping the dough out onto a cookie sheet? Thank you!
Hi Juli, I’ve never used a bread machine, so I can’t give you a 100% guarantee, but I think it should work. This recipe uses instant (i.e. bread machine) yeast, so there shouldn’t be a problem. As for shaping it into a baguette, I honestly don’t know if that would work, as this is definitely formulated to rise high and be a very soft, light bread. I’m not sure it would hold its shape in a free-form loaf.
Do you think I’d be okay using a 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 pan?
Hi Lisa, I would not recommend it… it’s a lot of dough and this makes huge loaves, even in the bigger loaf pans. I’m always hesitant to use the larger loaf pan because I’ve been scarred by short, squat loaves, but was pleasantly surprised with this recipe!
For a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf, just divide this dough into 3 pieces instead of 2, and proceed to shape and bake as normal 🙂
I have 2 loaves in the oven now -they look beautiful and smell divine! The kids will be home from school soon, and I bet they’ll be devoured!
Fresh milled wheat is best. My kids could not have the preservative calcium propionate which is in bread products. Using commercial white flour (and wheat) is like eating elmers glue to your colon. So many vitamins in wheat leach out after 72 hours of being milled. Mill your own flour, if you’re going to make you’re own bread. Then you can add beans and lentils for added protein!! Make Ezekiel Bread! Best grilled cheese ever!!
I never thought of slicing the bread before you freeze it. What a great idea. That way you only use what you need!
This white bread is seriously perfect! Love the photos.
Michelle do you think this recipe will work for making cinnamon raisin bread?
Hi Tracey, Sure, I don’t see why not! Just spread the filling on after you shape it into a rectangle, then roll it up and proceed as directed.
I’d love to start making my own bread. I enjoy it so much more than the store bought stuff!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I made this today, and it was great! By far the prettiest loaf of white bread to ever come out of my oven! Just wanted to thank you.
Wow. Fantastic. I have been buying white bread from local store all my life. After reading the article, feels like I should give this a try and if successful, stop buying from outside. BTW, very lovely snaps. Thanks.
I just made this bread, it is amazing looking, very big loaves. I normally just make the beginners white bread on the Fleischmans website and they were never very big loaves. Cannot wait to taste it Thank you for a great recipe!
Saw this recipe and just had to make it. It was incredibly easy and the results were amazing. Hugh loaves of fluffy, soft bread. Excellent just slathered with butter and would go excellent with a hearty stew or soup. I plan to add cinnamon and raisins to my next loaf in hopes of turning it into an awesome raisin bread. Yum!
I’ve made a number of bread recipes over the last little while, even Amish bread that was okay but took forever to complete. THIS is now my favourite bread recipe. I’ve made it yesterday and today! Quick rise times and big beautiful loaves! I have the 5 quart professional (lift) kitchen aid and have no trouble with the volume in the mixer (I use 8.5 cups). Thank you for sharing, my flour supply will be taking a beating!
I made this bread for a family dinner last week. It turned out perfectly, and was so good served with a choice of honey butter or homemade jam!!!! Thank you for sharing, I am looking forward to baking many more loaves. Oh and I used a little over 9 cups of flour to get my dough to a non-sticky texture – I do live in WA so maybe humidity?
This recipe turned out perfect! I halved it and the loaf rose tall and fluffy, fully baked at 30 mins! Thank you for a marvellous recipe. I will use it again and again!
Eating a sandwich on this bread while my baby naps and i binge watch tv – this bread is delicious and I’m loving life – perfect recipe – the bread isn’t too dense for sandwiches and it’s so tasty!
This may sound silly, but when rolling the dough into a cylinder I have a fear that it will come out looking like a cinnamon roll! This bread looks wonderful and I want to try it first thing tomorrow…but was curious why you roll it like that?
Hi Lexi, Not at all, as you can see! Just roll it up nice and tight… it’s the method I see most often for shaping loaves of bread dough!
Hi, im very much intrested in baking bread but my 2 attempts were failed. Plz help me with lesser measurements for beginners. shall I used hand blender to mix the dough.im using dry yeast. Can you guide activating it also
Hi Nandhu, You can halve the recipe to only make one loaf (just cut the ingredient amounts in half). I would not use a hand mixer for this… instead, I would stir with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand. If you use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, dissolve it in the warm water and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until dissolved and a little bubbly. In addition, your rise times will be longer than those given above for the instant yeast.
Hi can u help me with ingredients lesser in quantity for beginners.I tried making bread twice but failed in my attempt.can v use dry yeast? Can v use hand blender???
Just tasted my first bite of this bread. It’s perfect! Lightly crisp crust and soft and tender on the inside. I halved the recipe. I needed an extra quarter-ish cup of flour more than the recipe called for, but I think that had to do with the weather (it rained last night, so there was probably a lot of moisture in the air). It may also be my measuring method varies from yours, I suppose. Either way, it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
I have made dozens of bread recipes and yes some were from this site. I just want to say I find this bread to be Amazing!!! It indeed does raise very high, the texture is soft, it is easy to cut without falling apart and last but not least the taste is so so good. I have spoiled myself by baking bread, I can no longer make toast using store bought bread..to me it tastes disgusting.
This is my new go to recipe that I will use as a constant. I even made a sandwich with it and didn’t have to rinse it down with a fluid. The texture is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing!!
I made this bread, and I really liked it, especially the soft texture, and how high it was! We ate one loaf fresh, and the other is in the freezer, and it makes very yummy toast! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I find us having more bread now that we have a little one. I am still seeking out the best homemade white bread. Will have to try this one ASAP. Thanks for sharing!
I made bread for the first time and I am proud it turn out great. My son loved it. The buttry hard top taste great with the soft inside. Definitely going to make more.
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
Made this bread and it is amazing, good, rises high. I used best for bread flour and added 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, made 3 bread, well they overflowed pans. Next time will make 4 breads. They tasted awsome but a mess to clean overflow. Made then second time with all purpose flour and were amazing and rose high in 3 pans with AP flour worked great.
I made this today as my first trial with bread making and it could not have been easier or come out better! It was light and fluffy and delicious! I am never buying store bread again! My only question is have you ever tried adding wheat gluten to the recipe? I’ve heard good things about wheat gluten but like I said I’m new at this and I don’t want to ruin this awesome recipe! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Wheat flour (aka all-purpose flour) contains a lot of gluten, so in my opinion there’s no need to add more. And truthfully speaking, I do not think there is such a product as pure gluten in stores to buy and actually add to anything. More people tend to avoid gluten owing to various food allergies than increase its quantity. 🙂
Hi Kyli, I’ve never used wheat gluten, so I’m not sure what it would do to the recipe. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Absolutely not needed in this bread, and actually not needed in any bread. Wheat gluten is mostly just for the convenience of commercial bakers to shorten their kneading/proofing times and adds nothing to a good homemade bread.
I used unbleached bread flour (13% protein) when I made these loaves and their crumb & texture were terrific.
This bread tuned out great. Thank you very much. I’ve added 3 tablespoons of 12% cream to make it “milkier” and whiter. That’s the best sandwich bread ever 🙂
Hi Michelle,
Really looking fwd to baking this awesome bread !!
Could I cut the recipe in half though ?
Hi Maya, Yes, I mentioned that in Note #1 in the recipe.
Love, love, LOVE this recipe!! I have been trying for ages to find the perfect white bread recipe that wouldn’t give me short, dense loaves and your recipe did not disappoint! It’s by far the best I have made and I can tell you now that my search for the elusive white bread recipe is now over…sigh of relief 🙂 I used active yeast and found that I didn’t need to let it rise any longer than you noted and my loaves were HUGE! I found it easier to cut them upside down – go figure!
Thanks again for sharing so many wonderful recipes!
I made a half recipe. It was delicious. How did you get your bread so white? Is it the brand of flour or something else? Also how do you get those beautiful thin slices in the picture please? Are you using a bread slicer? Thanks for your help.
Hi Kat, I’m so happy you liked the bread! As for white, I didn’t do anything? I use King Arthur Flour unbleached all-purpose flour. I don’t have a bread slicer, I just used my 10-inch Wusthof bread knife. I’m notoriously awful as slicing bread, so it was a miracle that they look halfway decent!
Made two of these loaves yesterday and yes, they are about the best white sandwich bread anyone could want. I made two changes worth sharing: subbed 4T honey for the sugar (it improves the keeping quality of the bread), and after greasing the loaf pans I coated them heavily with untoasted raw sesame seeds. Then mopped the uncooked loaves with egg wash and coated the tops heavily with more seeds. If you have sesame lovers like mine in your house, these will make the best toast you can imagine. The baking and proofing times were spot-on for my loaves. Thanks Michelle, this recipe’s a real keeper.
Hi. You said you never use the bread maker before but do you think that it could handle it all in one (kneading, proofing and baking) if I halved the recipe to fit?
Hi Sara, I’m not sure what the size restriction is for bread machines. I would assume that it could handle at least one loaf, though!
This bread looks amazing! Do you think it would be okay to split it into small rolls?
Hi Katy, Yes, I think that this recipe would work just fine for rolls. It’s a super forgiving recipe!
Came acrossed this recipe n wanted you to know its awesome best recipe I have ever found for bread n I have been baking all my life I am 54 yrs old n it’s wonderful for dinner rolls too thank you for posting this n GOD Bless you
The most amazing white bread recipe ever!!! Quick question, if I use one of the loaves for rolls what would be the baking time and temperature? Thanks again.
Tonight is the second time in a week I have made this. We use one loaf a day. It is very good. My family likes and prefers this over store bought any day.
Love it.It is the best bread ever !!!Thank you!Thank you!!!Thank you!!!
This is my no-fail go-to recipe for white bread. I’ve tried others but have been disappointed, unlike with this one. I never need the full amount of flour, eight cups usually does it, and I have a five quart kitchen aid mixer. I do mine in the two balls per pan version instead of the single rolled tube. Love this classic, thank you!
I got a new Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas, so naturally I had to make bread (for the first time)! I made this recipe but since I only had an 8 x 4 loaf pan, I halved the recipe, then split the dough in two and baked separately since I only had one pan. The bread itself is DELICIOUS but it didn’t come out quite like I had planned. The loaves were not as big, tall and fluffy as I had anticipated, but then again my dough amounts weren’t very big since I halved the recipe then divided it by two to bake. The bread was a little on the short side, not rising above the edge of the pan. The texture was a bit dense. Once I took it out of the pan, I thought “This is a little heavy and feels a little dense…” And it was (but still so yummy). The outside of the bread was golden brown but a little more crispy than I thought it would be, but I love a good crusty bread with a soft inside so this didn’t bother me. I’m not sure if I used too much flour…? Since I halved the recipe, I measured up to 4.5 cups of flour and used all but around 3 T. The bread itself is so yummy but all in all, not what I had anticipated. Any feedback on how I can get those tall, beautiful, fluffy, sandwich loaves like you did? I’m planning on making this again (with full sized pans!) so I look forward to any feedback!
Hi Kirstie, If you halved the recipe, I probably would have baked just one loaf instead of two, even though you had an 8×4 loaf and not the 9×5. I’m guessing this is why your loaves were so squat and dense.
One of the reasons for using “instant yeast” is that you can skip the step of proofing the yeast in water…you just need to add the instant yeast in with the flour. If you are not sure if your yeast is “alive”, then you could certainly proof it. Also, if you are looking for that nice tall loaf of bread, adding a couple tablespoons of instant dried milk, and/or a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar will help. The vinegar or lemon juice, because they are acidic breaks down the sugar, making it more readily available as food for the yeast. You will not taste the vinegar.
General rule of thumb for using the smaller bread pan, 4 l/2 x 8 is recipe that calls for 3 cups of flour. If your recipe calls for more than 3 cups, use the larger size pan.
Many bakers don’t like using the spray type oil for greasing pans, because they contain so many chemicals. If you bake a lot of bread, you might want to try making your own. This is called “pan grease” To make your own, mix equal amounts of flour, oil and shortening. I put this in my Kitchen Aid, and using the paddle attachment, just beat for several minutes until smooth and well incorporated. It is not necessary to refrigerate this, as all of the ingredients do not require refrigeration.
Hope this information helps.
I received a gift of a Kitchenaid Pro stand mixer, and have been trying several recipes. I used this one, and thought there was an error in the amount of water, but followed directions exactly. I never got the dough to smooth and after adding several more cups of flour, managed to get the very very sticky dough into the bowl to rise. Getting it out of the bowl and onto the board required more flour on the board than I have ever used, and more flour on top of the super sticky dough. Finally got it shaped into loaves and into the oven. As the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I am very much concerned about final rise in the oven, texture and flavor of the loaves. Surely I read something wrong or there’s an error in the liquid measure?
Hi Mary, Oh no! It does sound like there was a mis-measurement, because this dough is in no way sticky. In most instances, I never use the full amount of flour.
I have to say this is a stand-out recipe. I halved it, made it completely by hand (no stand mixer), and the loaf came out exactly as pictured. It is dense enough to hold up to spreads but tender and light enough to eat completely plain. Given the fact that I’m an inexperienced bread maker, I’d say this is as close to fool-proof as you can get. This will be my new go-to, as I agree that many of the big brands from the store are full of all kinds of “ingredients” I don’t want. I’d love a whole wheat version, if you’re up to it. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Amazing ! I printed this 6 months ago. Finally made it today! Super happy with the recipe and the directions. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Love that I didn’t have thave special bread flour. The butter brushed on it gave the crust amazing flavor, I don’t think anyone could turn their nose up at it. Happy New Year!
Today is the 3of January 2017 I use your recipe and my bread turn out very soft and light I have been looking for a bread recipe for some time thank you very much
I did a little change in my measurement i add 7cups of flour instead of 9to 10cups and it turn out beautiful sorry about that I love to bake so I will looking for other recipes thank you again
I forget to mention that I am living in Canada
I forget to wish you and your family Happy. New Year 2017. With. God blessing
This is my go to bread recipe now as it comes out great like every time I make it. However I’ve found that I can’t put it on the lowest rack because it burns the bottom of the loaf too quickly. I guess my oven is just different to yours, but adjusting for that it comes out great!
I just made this and it is incredible! As soon as I sliced into the still warm loaf, I was in heaven. Light, fluffy, just the right chewiness and not cakey at all (because of the omission of eggs, I suppose). It’s perfect! I’m thinking it would make a great sweet dough for cinnamon rolls or cinnamon swirl bread with the addition of a little more sugar. Have you experimented with either? I’ve been searching for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe for years- I prefer mine without eggs- and am hoping this could be the one!
Hi Melissa, Go awesome to hear you love the bread! I just made another batch yesterday 🙂 I haven’t tried cinnamon rolls or cinnamon swirl bread, though both sound amazing! If you give it a try, let me know!
I love this bread recipe! I have made it several times now and it always turns out great! My hubby and I love to add roughly chopped up roasted garlic to the rectangle right before we roll it up! Awesome to go along with soup for dinner!
I have been trying different recipes for months (about 6/7) ever since I stopped buying bread and only making it. This is absolutely BY FAR the best recipe for a light fluffy perfect sandwich white bread. Thank you so much!!!! About to make another batch and I never leave comments, but I had to let you know and give you big props!!!!
I have been making this bread for about a month or so, about 2 ddozen loaves (and counting ). It is without a doubt the best white bread I have EVER tasted. Really simple, fun to make. Thanks soooo much for this!
Hi Michelle, I have two questions.
#1. Will you post the ingredient measurements to make one loaf?
(for one loaf, will I use one packet of yeast)
#2. I have bread flour, can I use that in the place of AP flour?
Hi Audrey, To answer your questions:
#1 – Simply divide the rest of the ingredients in half to make one loaf of bread using one packet of yeast.
#2 – While you could use bread flour, the resulting loaf will be heavier and dense. I think all-purpose is better for this type of sandwich bread.
That looks really amazing. Can’t wait to try it ?
Hi! I bought my friends Kitchenaid mixer a few months ago and I’m finally getting a chance to make some bread with it and I thought I would start here. I am totally not afraid of yeast! First of all the amount of dough was way too much for my mixer, maybe your mixer size should be noted in the recipe? My dough hook kept getting wrapped to the top. I ended up kneading it by hand for the last bit. Second, the bottom rack at 400 burned the bottom of the loaves a bit before they were completely done. Not sure if that’s just my oven or what. The bread taste really great though and it made SO MUCH; with a few tweaks I think it’ll be a go to! Oh and also I totally forgot we only have 1 loaf pan now so I ended up using a square cake pan with some rolls of foil in half haha, not super pretty but it helped!
Hi! I know this is an older post, but I just wanted to comment that I did sub about 25% of the AP flour for whole wheat (nothing like realizing you are short an ingredient halfway through!). I was expecting the texture to not be as good, but let me tell you, it was amazing! I can’t wait to try it with all AP flour. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
I just made this bread and it is very good however the crust is very hard…came out golden brown though. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Jen, Hmmm it shouldn’t be very hard. Mine is firm when it first comes out of the oven, but once I brush it with butter and it cools, it softens up considerably.
Hi Ms. Michelle,Looking for White bread reciepe…
I saw this yesterday and i bake it today the Ingredients,timing are just good…its So Good my Employer and Kids are Love it????Thank you so much and Keep it Up God Bless..Jy Nette?
I have baked many loaves of bread in search for the perfect white bread. This recipe by far is the best I’ve ever made. It’s easy, pretty quick as baking bread goes and the texture and density of each loaf is light, fluffy and moist. This recipe WILL be going to the front of my recipe book. Thank you SO much! P.S. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate.
This is definitely the best white bread recipe. I have personally only been baking for a couple years now and came across this recipe a couple months ago. I haven’t used a different recipe since. So tall, fluffy, and buttery. Every time it comes out great.
I made this recipe for the first time today! Came out delicious! My husband loves it! ???? I saw that everyone says that nine cups of flour is too much but I actually used them all! The breads came out fluffy and yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe! ????
Thank you, thank you! This is just the ticket for my bread loving toddler. Simple and delicious. A new go to for sure!
Can you make this bread without a stand mixer?
Hi Lisa, Yes, you can, I’ve done so many times!
Is there a video on how to roll your white bread dough? Roll from small end?I’m confused, please help me. Thank you.
Hi Lisa, Unfortunately I don’t have a video on how to make this bread. When you roll it out it will be a rectangle… you want to roll from the end that is shorter so you don’t end up with a ridiculously long roll of dough. I hope that makes sense!
Made this today. Halved the recipe as I didn’t have that much flour. Just finished baking and now it’s cooling down. It looks and smells amazing! Looking forward to tasting the finished product. Only the second time making bread. Will come back and review once tasted.
OMG…. this is the best white bread recipe I have ever made!!!! Kudos to finding it!!! It was so awesome I have tried your wheat bread and one of your brownie recipes… Home run again!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!! You are the bomb!!!
I am in the process of making this and my hopes for a successful outcome are slim. I followed the recipe exactly and what I have is a big sticky mess. I added more flour against my better judgement and cannot seem to get to a dough that forms a ball and is ready for rising. I’ve given up and put it into an oiled bowl..guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
How long dose the bread last once u have done some bread
Hi Jackie, As mentioned at the end of the recipe above, you can keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month.
I am on my second Bosch mixer, so I have been baking for a long time. My favorite is to make bread. I grew up with my mother filling an oblong porcelain dish pan (used only for bread making) with several cups of white flour, making a well in the center and adding all the ingredients to be stirred and eventually incorporated into the flour, through vigorous kneading, turning, flipping and forming. Out of the coal stove oven came beautiful loafs of bread, ready for butter. If mom had sweet cream available, a slice of warm bread with cream and sugar was a treat to die for… or so we thought.
I saw this recipe and I loved the fact it calls for butter instead of oil. I made it yesterday and it was wonderful. The texture is very nice, and brushing the loaf with butter before baking seemed to give it a more uniformed beautifully browned crust. And of coarse, brushing with more butter after removing from the oven allows the crust to soften as it cools.
The 400′ oven seems a bit warm, so be aware not to over bake as the crust might get too done. All in all, I have to give it a 5 star rating. The texture, flavor, color and taste deserves it. And by the way, it made wonderful toast this morning.
Hi Joanne, I’m so happy you enjoyed this bread; thank you for the review and sharing the lovely memories if your mom’s bread.
I actually signed up on here to leave a review. I NEVER leave reviews for recipes I’ve tried. But I made this bread and this was the first time I got bread RIGHT! The dough was stiff yet workable, it raised well and I actually got 4 loaves instead of just the 2! It tasted delicious and this is the recipe I’d pass down to my generation of family! It’s THAT amazing!
Aw, this is so awesome to hear, thank you for sharing! I just made another batch this week… I always keep at least one loaf sliced in the freezer!
Could I make 1 loaf by cutting the ingredients in half?
Hi Amanda, Yes, definitely, that will work just fine.
Hi ,Michelle can I have the recipe in half? Because I don’t know how to divide the ingredients. Thanks
This bread was SO good. My husband and I were just in Amsterdam and brought some delicious Dutch cheese home with us. I knew one of the cheeses would make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, but store-bought bread just wasn’t going to cut it. I’m so glad a quick Google search led me to this recipe! The bread was fantastic, and I’ll definitely be making it again for everyday use.
FYI for those like me who only have an 8.5 inch bread pan – I looked this up and an 8.5 inch pan has 15% less capacity than a 9 inch pan. So, I weighed my dough before rolling it out and removed 15% of the dough, rolling the leftover portion into a couple of rolls to bake along with the bread. The loaf itself turned out perfectly, and the rolls were a great treat straight out of the oven with butter slathered all over them 🙂
Thanks again!
Can i use canola oil instead od butter?
I wouldn’t recommend it; I would stick with butter.
My daughter would like to make this in wheat bread. Suggestions?
Hi Walter, I’ve not tried to convert this to a wheat bread recipe. You could start with substituting just a little of the all-purpose flour, but I also have a very good whole wheat sandwich bread you might like: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe/
This is my go to white bread recipe…..always. It also is great as cinnamon bread.
Wonderful bread! How do you not eat the whole loaf yourself? I followed the recipe and it turned out perfect. Thank you for adding notes about storing/freezing. I use Red Star yeast and love it.
Can you DOUBLE this recipe ingredient for ingredient? Thanks
Hi Kathy, Yes, you can. Enjoy! 🙂
would the high sugar make the white sandwiches bread a bit sweet? Can I put less sugar to make it more salty and have the same result?
Hi Davina, This is not a sweet bread recipe, as you might think of something like brioche. You can reduce the sugar if you’d like, but I wouldn’t eliminate it entirely. It’s actually not a lot of sugar spread over two very large loaves.
I am new to the baking world. But I do bake. I want to make sure i am using the right materials. Is that 1.5 at 10x 5 x 3 loaf pan from William Sonoma that you are using? Do you use any particular brand of bread flour?
If I use the same pan, how tall the dough has to rise before i put it in the oven.
Thanks
Hi Davina, Yes, I use the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch loaf pans that are 10 x 5 x 3 for this recipe. I use King Arthur bread flour, but you should not use bread flour for this recipe – it calls for all-purpose flour. I typically let the dough rise about an inch above the lip of the pan before baking.
Can this dough also be used to make pizza dough? Also, this tuned out great!!! The whole family loves it!!
Hi Nicole, I’m sure you could but I’ve never tried it. So happy to hear you all love it!
Do you I could substitute the warm water for warm yogurt whey?
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure, as I’ve never baked with it. If you try it, report back!
I have just finished making it….
5/5 is not enough to say. It’s crispy, soft just perfect.
I have made some ‘errors’ like: adding less than 2 sachets of yeasts, putting whole 1,5 kg of white stong flour….
but depite that it went perfect.
I was also using my hands only to combine all ingredients.
Thanks for your review, Kasia! I’m so glad you loved it!
Absolutely delicious and perfect. I did it entirely by hand and ended up with 3 loaves, the 3rd baked in a small iron skillet. I kneaded about 5 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread!
Hi Michelle! I’ve made this bread twice now and the flavour is just amazing, thank you so much! I live in India, where it’s usually hot and humid so I’ve had to make some adjustments to the water-flour quantities. My bread doesn’t appear quite as soft as yours though, I’m not sure whether it’s something to do with the weather, because I tried not to add too much flour. Also, the sides seem to ‘split’ as the bread proofs and then bakes, but not sure why this is happening either. Overall, my bread has turned out more ‘rustic’ though I honestly love it! Any light you could shed would be so great, thank you in advance!
Hi Gayatri! I’m so thrilled to hear you’ve enjoyed the bread. The differences you’re describing likely have to do with the adjustments you’ve needed to make. My sides also look a bit “stretched” after baking, so I think that’s normal?
not sure where this recipe came from but its worse than awful. save yourself the time and the mess and keep looking. very disappointing. water to flour ratio WAY off. i had to read twice to make aure i did not make the mistake. this is at least a double batch. if you love your stand mixer as much as i do find another recipe.
Hi Ray, I’m sorry to hear that you had issues with this recipe, however, I make it every two weeks, like clockwork, follow it exactly and have never had any problems. This is actually the first negative review the recipe has received (out of nearly 20); it’s actually a very forgiving recipe and can’t see how the ratio would give you problems? Can you explain what exactly happened?
I have to tell you I was truly amazed. I did use bread flour ( that might have been a mistake) because I could have made 4 loaves from this instead of two they did rise REALLY HIGH. I only had two pans. My husband does not like a hard crust and this bread was so GOOD. I have been looking for a recipe for a while and I finally found it. Thank you for the recipe I definitely will be making this again. The flavor was terrific.
Hi Laura, I’m so thrilled to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the bread! It’s a staple in our house!
And no you will not be able to fit this recipe into a standard Kitchen aid Mixer. I improvised. Half the recipe you will not be disappointed. Halving the recipe should make you two loaves. I was very impressed by the flavor.
Currently waiting for the bread to rise. I am low on white flour so I made do with 6 cups of sprouted spelt and 3 cups of king arthur all purpose white. It’s rising splendidly, so fingers crossed!
Are you sure the white bread recipe calls for nine cups of flour? My mixer almost ran hot!
Hi Kay, Yes, that’s the correct measurement. It does make a large amount of dough, as the loaves are very big!
Made this recipe yesterday. It is an absolute winner. It is a lot to put in the standing mixer, but I added the flour slowly and kept the speed low. It came together nicely even with a few “whoah mama!” moments. The bread rose beautifully and following the instructions to a t for shaping yielded a lovely couple of loaves. We enjoyed some grilled cheese for dinner tonight. I will be keeping this around. Next time I might just halve the recipe.
Hi Kylee, So thrilled that you loved the bread! Doesn’t it make fantastic grilled cheese? And yes, you can totally halve this recipe if you ever need to, works like a charm!
This was my first attempt at making bread. It came out very badly. I am not sure what I did, but the bread did not rise and was very dense, heavy and gummy on the inside. When cutting it open, the layers of rolling came apart. Any suggestions?
Hi Sylvia, Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear the bread didn’t quite turn out for you. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? Did you use very hot water? It sounds like the crux of the problem is that it did not rise, as the texture and inability to stay together would be a direct result.
I am making this bread at this time. I used my kitchen aide and it mixed just fine in it. I will let you know how it turns out. I followed the recipe exact . Does sound like a lot of flour, I only had to use 9 cups so we will see. Thanks for sharing the recipe .
By far the best and most “no-fail” recipe for white bread I have found! Thank you. Gone are the days of my deflated loaves…. Additionally, pre-slicing and then freezing work like a charm for my Fam. Thank you again. My only question is whether any of the butter goes into the dough or if it is all specifically for basting the loaves…. for now, I have been putting two tablespoons into the mix and it seems to work great.
question- I get to approximately 6-7 cups flour and at that point the dough is no longer sticky and is coming away from the sides of the bowl- it also is quite dense. I’m afraid to add more flour as I think it would get too dense to the point of not being able to rise. Anyway- I have a pretty solid mixer and at 6-7 cups of flour the machine begins to struggle- ok, struggle isn’t the right word- but it definitely is having to work pretty hard. So far 6-7 cups still seems to work well….
Hi John, Definitely go by the state of your bread in terms on how much flour to add. There’s a definite difference for me in the winter vs the summer – I need to use more flour in the summer because the air is more humid, even though we have air conditioning.
Hi John, Thanks so much for the review! As for the butter, you’ll see in the recipe that 3 tablespoons are to be cubed and at room temperature and the instructions to add it are in step #1. The remaining butter is to be melted and is for brushing before and after baking.
I am a bread fiend!! I love making bread and I haven’t made loaf bread in years. I’ve been concentrating on sharing my other recipes with my readers. We make bread for our kids and grandkids. This would be a great bread for sandwiches. I know what I’ll be doing today — making bread!! Will let you know how it turns out.
Oh my goodness…this was absolutely awesome! I am not a very good bread baker, and I dislike most white bread recipes with milk..they never seemed to turn out right. This recipe was easy to follow and the bread..well…you’ll just have to make it for yourself. You’ll see. 😉 Definitely a winner! Thank you!
Do u have a easy potato bread recipe!
Thank you Susan
Hi Susan, I haven’t made potato bread yet, but I will add it to my list!
I made this bread today, EXCELLENT! I have Multiple Sclerosis, and make bread alot so I know what’s in it. Lately, I can’t seem to get any of the recipes I have used in the past to work out. So when I came across this recipe, I thought I’d try it. I only made half the recipe and it turned out just like you described. The recipe was easy, the loaf rose high and was soft and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Tammy, You’re so welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed the bread!
Not everyone has a mixer with the kneading attachment – how would you change this to knead my hand?
Hi Robin, I knead this by hand often! You don’t need to change a thing, just do the initial mixing in a bowl with a wooden spoon and then switch to kneading by hand.
Have u ever tried this with wheat flour ?
Hi Jul, I have not.
Such an amazing recipe. And so easy to work with. Thank you
You’re welcome Cristina, so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to leave a review!
This recipe is delicious. The inside of the bread is so soft and it tastes great!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the bread! Thanks for the review!
I made this without a mixer lol and it turned out great loved it and tastes great.
Imade this bread last night for breakfast today and it is athe most delicious bread ! It is easy to make and all ingredients you have at home!
It is soft, not dry and great, it taste like bread you eat at fancy restaurants!
Thank you for posting this recipe
All I can say is this bread is fabulous I have made no knead bread in the past but I will never do that again. I am a recent stroke patient and I am legally blind and the bread I made today turned out perfectly. My point is if I can do it anyone can do it. Brown eyed baker you rock !!
I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed this bread, Dave! I wish you a full recovery from your stroke.
During hurricane Harvey there was no bread to be had so I saw your recipe and decided to give it a try it was awesome so thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Allen. All the best to you, and I hope you haven’t experienced any catastrophic flooding.
This is a fool proof bread recipe!! I look like a champ making your bread, light, fragrant, yummy!
I’m so glad you love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop back and leave a review!
This bread looks amazing! I have two new 12 x 4 1/2 long loaf pans that I would like to use — how would you suggest I alter this recipe to make 2 longer loafs? Thanks!
Hi Candace, I would roll it out to maybe 13×15, and then reduce the baking the time a little – maybe start checking around 20-25 minutes total to make sure it doesn’t over bake. Enjoy!
I’m very good. I’ve been watching the last words to do it. I love these things. Bread is the item I choose every day. Sorry this is my job.
I have been making my own bread for close to 60 years using a similar recipe. I
Have never owned a stand mixer and use the old kneading method. Works just fine.
I’ve been baking bread all my life, but have lately had a lot of failures. This recipe was excellent! I followed it exactly EXCEPT I replace about 3.5 cups of white flour with whole wheat. It turned out lovely, still rose well and is a nice soft consistency – not heavy at all. Thanks for helping me get my bread-baking groove back!
This recipe is amazingly user friendly! I mixed by hand and everything came together easily. I have the recipe first time round to make 1 loaf and it was so popular I made the full amount of dough second time round and made 1 loaf and some slider buns and everything was gone in a day. Definitely a winner!
*halved!
Bread came our excellent. Great flavor. Thank you for sharing!!
Can you substitute some wheat flour for some of the white flour?
Hi Phil, I haven’t done it, but I would start with a small percentage (25%) and then go from there based on your results.
OMG!!!! This bread was heavenly. Thank you for sharing the recipe
I made the bread.last noght.boy was it yummy.we had with .olive garden soup.zuppa.yum.yum.