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!
Made this and it turned out perfect. Great quick white bread recipe. Will be doing this one weekly for the kids!!!
Just made this, was amazing. Had to halve it to knead in my mixer though.
I have made this recipe 3 times now. The first time the loaves were massive and were eaten within 3 days. Family loved them. This time I cut the dough into 1/3 and made two good size loaves and used the other portion for cinnamon buns. Works great! I’m now using it to make jalapeno cheese buns. So far so good. This is now my go to recipe. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the recipe. Your photographs are so gorgeous that I was tempted to make this bread today. Sadly, however, it was a major disaster! The bread did not rise at all. It turned out to be an inedible brick. I have a question for you – I used Fast Action Dried Yeast that does not need to be bloomed before use but I still followed your recipe exactly. Do you think that this process deactivated the yeast somehow? I baked bread just a few days ago using the same packet, so it is unlikely that the yeast isn’t active anymore. I would love to try my hand at your recipe again. Could you please help me with it? Thanks!
Oh no! I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you. I do not think it could have deactivated the yeast. Did the dough actually rise at all?
I honestly never post comments on recipes but absolutely had to for this recipe. I wouldn’t say I am anywhere near a seasoned baker but I have made bread many times. With very, VERY different results. This recipe is absolutely phenomenal and today is my 4th time making it. Never had a failed loaf. Aside from reducing the sugar just a fraction and proofing my yeast (only because I never trust it haha), I’ve had amazing results. The loaves are always huge so I make buns too. Restaurant quality! I’ve been searching for a long time for this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing :)
I’ve been searching for the best fluffy, most, most perfect bread recipe. I finally found it. Instead of using instant yeast, I used cake yeast. This bread by weight is heavy, but so tender and moist inside. Three days later it’s just as fabulous and not drying out. Thank you for posting this recipe. I’ll never use another.
Would bread flour be ok to use instead of all purpose? My bread is coming out tasting good but a bit too dense. I hand knead my bread because I don’t have a mixer (although I’ve been begging for a 6 quart KitchenAid for years 😊).
Hi Michelle,
This recipe came up when I was searching high altitude bread recipes. I recently moved to a new town at 7000 ft. Has this recipe been adjusted for the altitude already, I didn’t see any mention of it, but it does look yummy.
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now, my family and I Love it and it’s super quick! Thank you for the tips😊 ~Chris~
Hi there!
I’ve made this recipe twice and the bread was beautiful both times- a huge relief as I had never worked with yeast and it was my first time hand kneading (no dough hook). I am wondering though if you think it would work to make it into a cinnamon loaf? Maybe if I put cinnamon, brown sugar and butter on flattened dough before rolling for the loaf?
Thanks!
Definitely tasty bread when it came out, but 9-10 cups of flour was an outrageously high estimate. I used 6 cups, and it still broke my dough mixer. 3 1/2 stars for how good it turned out, but lost stars for bad proportions and for me not being the only one whose machine broke.
This was my first bread bake ever, and it was amazing! Turned out perfect, thank you so much!
Great loaf of bread!! I’m happy you stumbled upon it to share with us.
do you think this would work in a bread machine? Would probably have to cut the recipe in half, at least in my machine
Amazing recipe! I didn’t have any all purpose flour so I used plain wheat flour and it worked out great! What is the difference between plain wheat flour and just plain flour, and how does all purpose flour differ from other flours. Finally, would I be able to substitute it with whole grain flour to make a slightly healthier bread?
I tried this recipe yesterday turned out great. Making some more right now. Thanx for your recipe i love it.
This is the best recipe for bread. Perfect every time
I made this bread yesterday and it turned out great. I made ham sandwiches for dinner and toasted the bread it has a great flavor. Thanks for the recipe. Merry Christmas !
The butter number seems to have merged together, I made this a few weeks ago and it was correct them and the bread was awesome. Can anyone supply the correct amount?
I have always been afraid of baking bread, but I have now made this recipe several times and my family loves it!
Thank you!!
quick question I made this bread 4 times and it seems like every other time it comes out great I don’t have a mixer so I’m wondering if you or anyone else could help me out on to why sometimes it rises and sometimes it doesn’t there’s been times I’ve waited 2 hours and nothing
I’m so excited..thank you so much for the recipe..i tried it and my bread came out ok..woow. thank you. I have been sending my friends the picture of my bread and they all want the recipe..i have referred them to your page.
Can I substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour?
It was so easy to make and looks great cant wait to tey it
thank you for this mouth-watering recipe.
Great bread, love the size and texture, Thanks for sharing!
I have made this twice now and it has turned out great both times.
I have tried other sandwich bread recipes before and this is the best. I usually have to wait a day before I can get a nice slice from it. This slices wonderfully the very same day it is baked.
My family loves it.
This recipe was absolutely amazing!! I was a bit scared at first because of all of the rest times for the dough, and I got a bit panicked when my dough was still a bit sticky.
I had tried a couple of other recipes for breads because I just wanted a good PB&J sandwich for lunch! I think I’ve finally found it! It is light and airy, not too dense, and just right for my PB&J cravings.
Thank you so much! I will definitely be making this again!
Man-0-Man this recipe is outstanding…. thanks
Only problem is the heat and cooking time….. in my oven the 400 was just too much….LOL
I made this recipe today, I was out of butter so I substituted margarine and it turned out great! Definitely my new go to recipe.