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.
There 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 (p.s. these are my very favorite loaf pans!). 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.
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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
Watch How to Make My Favorite White Bread Recipe!
My Favorite White Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4½ teaspoons instant yeast, two 0.25-ounce packets
- ¾ cup + 2⅔ cups warm water, divided
- ¼ cup (52 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 9 to 10 cups (1200 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, stir to dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup (180ml) of the warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2⅔ cups (640ml) 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 9x12-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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Really a great bread recipe. Thank you for sharing! Has a nice soft, chewy interior, chewy and somewhat crusty exterior. Soft enough for sandwiches and makes nice toast after 2 days when it’s not as fresh anymore.
I tried this recipe. A first time bread maker. I followed the instructions to the letter (except the part about rolling, tucking, pinching and sealing the dough). The bread came out perfect. What a delicious treat. What can be better
than a warm slice of bread and butter ? Thank you for your recipe. I will make this over and over.
You’re welcome, Michael. I’m so thrilled to hear it was a success for you!
ver nice easy to make, i will definitely try at our bakery.
Hi Michelle…Good day to.you….
Q 1.If I were to half the recipe amount what size pan should I use dear ? Please do advise
Q2: Is it using dry yeast will be making the preparation of the bread for appropriate ?
TQ so much have a nice day ahead
TQ so much for the recipe
Mgb
Hi Mithra, If you halve the recipe, use the same size pan, however just use one. Active dry yeast vs instant yeast will cause the bread to take longer to rise.
Our family loves this recipe. Trying to get away from the store bought bread with all the added chemicals. I have found that I need to add an additional three to four more cups of flour while kneading. Making about 13 or 14 cups of flour total.
Great and easy bread! I’m sorry if it’s already been asked, but do you know how many calories are in this recipe?
Hi Jenny, I do not, but I know there are a lot of sites like MyFitnessPal that will allow you to calculate nutrition info.
Can add any ingredients to this recipe, such as cheese, bacon, etc., before I roll it up?
Hi Peter, Yes absolutely!
It is the best bread recipe I have ever made. This is the only bread my family wants me to make.
not the greatest, I made it and all i can taste is the huge amount of flour in this recipe. Going back to Amish White Bread. Much better taste.
Comment and Question:
Comment: We love this bread!!!! My husband, myself, and our two monsters adore this recipe. It’s great. Always turns out perfect.
Question: Have you ever modified this for a pizza dough? I feel like it would make great pizza but I don’t want to experiment and waste any. Thanks for your help!
Hi Jimica, I’m so thrilled that you and your family love this bread! I’ve never tried it for pizza dough, but if you try it let me know how it turns out!
I made these and were super easy. I halved the ingredients as I only needed one. I did rise, however, it got out of the bread loaf pan and to the sides and not up;) It is not as fluffy as I wanted it to be but overall it’s nice. I have pics, I want to send them to you and would you please tell me what do you think went wrong?
Sure, feel free to email the pictures to me at michelle@browneyedbaker.com and I’ll take a look!
Hi, it was lovely and fluffy but we found it rather sweet, which would work well if you were making a sweet bread. I am going to try again with only a small amount of sugar to let the yeast feed on. Thanks for the recipe
Hi, have made this recipe a little while ago but found it too sweet for my liking and so did my kids so it didn’t get eaten. Can you just put in a table spoon of sugar instead?
Yes you can definitely adjust the sugar to suit your tastes.
So I made one loaf white, and the other I made a cinnamon roll mixture and blended it in, perfection😍this recipe is amazing.
The wait bread recipe is not highlights in commercial ways.. I need unique flavor that can make different.
9 cups of flour? How big of a stand mixer do you use?
Hi Patty, I have a 6-quart KitchenAid, but I’ve also made this by hand many times!
I just had to comment on the amount of flour & a kitchen aid mixer…ITS FINE!!!
because i have a commercial 8qt kitchenaid vs the standard 4-6qts that are found in most homes, I made a double batch so all things would be semi equal. It was easy peasy & my mixer didnt even get warm!! Not sure how so many people had issues with this unless their mixers were ready to go anyway(i have lost 3 to various bread recipes & one to cookies, not the fault of the recipe, it was just their time…if you bake alot of bread i hightly recommend the 7 or 8qt commercial mixers!! Took me 7 years & 5 mixers to finally take the leap, but glad I did)
It is amazing bread!! The only change i made was adding amalayse in the form of diastatic (barley) malt powder while proofing my yeast, it helps since I bake sandwich bread in a 4# pullman & that large of a loaf can take a toll on your rise!
Also, for those wanting to use whole wheat, why not just unifine flour? Nutritionally it is equal(or superior-depends on what you are using)& it will bake more like a white flour.
Great bread, the kids asked if i could use this recipe from now on…absolutely!!
Thanks Michelle for the amazingly easy, perfect white sandwich bread!!
I made the bread. First time everything went well untill i was preping to place it in the oven i messed with it and they deflated bad i wasnt expecting that it was a buzz kill lol other then that it was good thanks
GOTTA TRY THIS RECIPE!
I’M SO TIRED OF SHORT FAT LOAVES…
Could you use milk instead of water for more flavor? Thanks!
Hi Beth, Yes you could do that!
Heya. Love the look of this recipe however i’m slightly confused on what flour to use. I’m in the uk and all purpose flour equivalent would be plain flour. I’m new to baking bread and reading up, all recipes call for strong flour which is specifically created for breadmaking. According to an explanation of the differences all purpose flour can be used in canada for breadmaking (higher gluten content) but not in the States or the UK. Are you using canadian all purpose or does this recipe really just require standard flour? If you could let me know that would be brilliant. Cheers! Sarah
Hi Sarah, Yes, it is what you would consider “plain” flour. Enjoy the bread!
It’s the first time that I made regular ol’ fashion bread, and only the second time that I have even made any type of bread. It was an easy recipe to follow. The only thing that I did wrong was cut the two halves unevenly, so I ended up with a loaf that was too big for a bread pan. I ended up making it into a ring in a square pan. It turned out great. I will be making this again!!!
I forgot to ask this question in my review, can I substitute some of the all purpose flour with some type of wheat flour???? My daughter prefers her children eat breads other than regular white.
Hi Shirlee, You can start with substituting 1/4 of the all-purpose for wheat and go from there. Enjoy!
I am so excited that I was able to make this recipe and it raised. I am an avid baker/ cook from scratch and can make anything EXCEPT homemade bread!! Up until now…. so I thank you for this amazing, easy, and tasty recipe!!
Can anyone tell me how do i get soft andthe most closely structured sandwich bread recipes
Phenomenal sandwich bread! I’m a professional baker, and I’ve tested many white bread recipes over the years. I’ve landed on several I consider my “go-to” recipes, but still I love to try new things. In this case, I’m so glad I did! Your recipe is definitely my new go-to for soft, fluffy white bread… Perfect for fresh tomato sandwiches with a generous slathering of Dukes mayo!
Another perfected recipe. I have made this several times and comes out perfectly, keeps fresh for days and makes amazing French toast. I have also made the Italian bread now about 20 times and receives rave reviews from family and dinner guests. Who can pass up warm bread and butter, not me. Thanks for the recipes!
You’re welcome, Cathleen! I’m so thrilled that you’re enjoying the bread recipes!
Can I do this in a bread making machine?
Hi Megan, I don’t have a bread machine and haven’t tried, but I know others have successfully! Enjoy!
Hmmmm, my dough was nice and silky, but simply refused to rise…
I checked the recipe against my bread making machine recipes which , whilst work, feel like cheating ;-)
The recipes there use one sachet (7gr) of dried yeast for 350gr of flour… this recipe uses 4x that amount of flour but only 2x the yeast – I think I’m on to something here…….
Is there a gluten free version?
Hi Diane, Unfortunately I don’t have a gluten-free version.
Can u knead this by hand and if so how long should u knead it?
Hi Barb, Yes, I’ve done this many times! I’ve never timed it, but 5 to 10 minutes. I would just go by feel – once it’s no longer sticky but soft and supple it’s ready!