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!
I made this bread today and really like the flavour, but my bread was dense. Any hints.
I made it yesterday and it was dense as well. I think it comes down to too much kneading. Try not to knock out as much air.
Did your yeast process? When my loaves came out dense the yeast did not process well. Try a thin layer of sugar over your yeast and let it sit another 2 or 3 min. Should be very frothy.
It tastes exactly like white bread. I am a terrible cook and even I was able to make this, it even looked like the picture haha
Mine didn’t look like the pictures. What kind of flour did you use?
Thank you for this recipe!
Best bread I have baked
I baked this bread yesterday. It was the best bread I have ever made. The whole family loved it. I have more rising right now. I hope it freezes well. By the way, I never review recipes but this one was so good, I had to let you know. Thank you so much for this.
I forgot to give stars
Brilliant recipe! I wanted a white loaf that was both soft and fluffy but not too airy, deliciously tasty with a touch of sweetness but not so much that it resembled a cake and the crust to be golden brown. My biggest challenge was waiting for the bread to cool down so I could eat it! At an internal temperature of 48 degrees Celsius I finally cut in and it was amazing!
Awesome recipe, just made for sandwiches tomorrow morning. Have been experimenting, I generally make rolls, this recipe worked perfectly … Thank you… 🤗
Would this work with a gluten free all purpose flour?
I haven’t tried it, but others have and have said they were successful.
I’ve made this bread about 10 times now, its the first and only white bread recipe I’ve used and its awesome. Today i went to run a quick errand while it was doing its first rise, and of course it wasn’t a quick errand after all so i ended up letting it rise nearly two hours. I feared it wouldn’t turn out but it was just as good as ever and i got 3 loaves! The bottom crust was slightly chewier but we liked that. Also, I don’t have a mixer so i knead by hand and its not that difficult, totally worth the effort. I LOVE this bread❤️
Easy to make and very good.
What is the difference between bread flour and self rising flour in this recipe?
Delicious recipe. Didn’t change a thing. I’ll be making this again soon. Going to experiment with different toppings. Yummy. Going to eat my warm bread now!!
This is the best bread recipe!! My family loves it. This is my new go recipe. Going to try some of your other recipes too.
Just made this bread and can’t believe how its turned out. I’ve never been able to perfect my bread baking but feel I’ve cracked it now. It looks and tastes lovely. I’m so pleased and will definitely be trying some more of your recipes. Thank you.
If you happened to make this recipe as per instructions (like I did), and used a total of 9 cups of flour (like I did), and ended up with a dough so stiff it almost burnt up the motor on my Kitchen Aid mixer (like I did), have faith….its fixable. The liquid to flour ratio is off,,,thats why its so stiff. I fixed mine by adding another cup of warm water, and 1/2 c. vegetable oil during the dough hook kneading time. Its a hassle, but it worked. Realistically, only about 6-7 cups of flour are needed based on the amount of liquid used. Happy baking!
Although this was the easiest, most dependable loaf of bread I have ever made, it had no taste. No sweetness, none of that heady bread flavor. It roses unbelievably. Would adding more sugar and butter destroyed the recipient?? I need more flavor!!
Has been my go-to bread recipe for over a year now! It’s easy, fluffy, moist, and perfect for sandwiches and toast! I like to add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or moistened bran for a bit heartiness.
Great recipe, but please can I add milk, egg in my bread. Thanks
Easy to make, light, fluffy and perfect crust! Even my fussy four year old loves it!
I love the simplicity of the video thanks but can I add milk and eggs to my bread. My children loves eggs . Please can u tutor me on how to make pound 🍰. Thanks
Cool explanation but my question is can I add eggs to my recipe
Wow! I have searched and searched for a white bread recipe and they all disappointed me, until this recipe! My bread came out perfectly, light fluffy and perfect for sandwiches. Thanks a mill xx
My constant and favorite recipe for basic white bread.
I just used this recipe to teach my nieces to make bread. It was simple enough for them to follow and it turned out great! Thanks
Do you think that a non dairy butter would work?
It should!
I made only one loaf and it was so easy, enjoyed it very much!
Can I use olive oil to have no dairy?
Amazing! I’ve tried many recipes and the bread always turns out meh. But this was so easy and really delicious! The first loaf was gone within a few hours just from buttering the warm slices. And the best part is the second loaf on the following day was just as moist and tasty. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Can I make the full recipe and keep half the dough in the refrigerator to bake later?
Hi Sarah, I don’t recommend that. I would bake both and freeze one instead.
I have made this recipe many times now. It is a wonderful basic bread that rises beautifully. It is sturdy yet soft. Adding an extra teaspoon of salt helps boost the flavor if you are finding it bland. When I feel like eating “healthier” I do 6 cups of bread flour and 4 cups of whole wheat flour with either the specified sugar, honey, or molasses. It makes 3 loaves for us. To make this recipe in my Kitchenaid mixer I have to split it in half and do it twice for our large family.
What gram count do you personally use for a cup of flour?
120gms, 125gms or something else? I bake a lot of bread and always weigh my ingredients as I know my expensive measure cups will give me different amounts depending on how I’ve filled them.
Thanks. Looking forward to trying this bread.
Hi Lorraine, I use 142 grams, which is what America’s Test Kitchen uses.
Hi…please give directions with active dry yeast as that’s the one available in my place
TIA
I make this into three loaves, large bread pans, otherwise the loaves are just too big, slices too big. I slice them up and freeze them. My favorite bread recipe!