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!
Can this be made with bread flour? I can’t find all purpose flour anywhere.
I made it with bread flour once and it turned out great.
Ps im making another batch now :)
Hi Sue, The texture may be a bit different but it will still be delicious!
i really want to make this but only have Lurpak spreadable butter in the fridge, will this work as a substitute for the butter?
Hi Sarah, I’m not familiar with what that is, but I think it should be a fine substitute.
This is the second review I’m writing for this bread recipe. It is the only white bread recipe I make. Its the first white bread i ever made and i have no desire to try another. Its my fave. Everyone who tries it raves about it. It makes the best toast in the world. Stays fresh for days wrapped in saran. I don’t have a mixer so i do it by hand and I get 3 chubby puffy loaves per recipe. Also I add a tad less sugar. Everyone should make this bread! Delicious! I also make your ciabatta recipe and it is equally perfect. Thank you!!
I made this bread today snd I can’t stop eating it. It was easy to make and turned very well.
I used glass loaf pans so I reduced the baking temperature to 375 degrees and baked it for 30 minutes.
Well you were right. Fantastic bread. I have been making bread and dinner rolls since I was 17 And am now 65 and this I’ll be my favorite bread. I can’t thank you enough.
That’s certainly high praise! I’m so thrilled that you loved this bread, xo
It turned out delicious once again. I did break it up into 3 loads but it did perfectly.
It came together very easily. Waiting on the first rise rightnow. We ran out of bread but I bought flour and yeast in anticipation of that. I will add to my comment when we are done. So far so good
Waiting on 2nd rise then baking. Same thing here and if it is successful I can hold off going to the store another week. Thank you for sharing.
I agree that this is probably the best recipe for classic white bread. Has anyone tried adding any whole wheat flour to this recipe? Curious how much can be added before the results are significantly altered.
Love the recipe! It’s my third time baking bread and the result is so good! I knead the dough at night then put in fridge immediately (before it rises). Next morning put them in two loaf pans and let it rise again in a warmed oven. The loaves came out awesome! I only regret I have put less salt. I don’t have unsalted butter at home so I used salted butter instead and thought I should cut half salt amount.
Another concern for me it’s not easy to find yeast now and I only have supply for two more rounds if this recipe!!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Love the recipe! It’s my third time baking bread and the result is so good! I knead the dough at night then put in fridge immediately (before it rises). Next morning put them in two loaf pans and let it rise again in a warmed oven. The loaves came out awesome! I only regret I have put less salt. I don’t have unsalted butter at home so I used salted butter instead and thought I should cut half salt amount.
Another concern for me it’s not easy to find yeast now and I only have supply for two more rounds if this recipe!!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
（sorry I forgot to rate stars in my last post. This is for sure a 5-star!)
Hi I was just wondering how would I know when it’s cooked completely with out a thermometer? I don’t have one at my house.):
30 min on bottom shelf was perfect. Tapping for the hollow sound works
Hi Hannah, It should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Definitely a keeper!
This recipe looks amazing and the comments are great as well! Quick question, due to empty shelves everywhere caused by this pandemic I had to buy Saf-instant yeast and I’m only used to using active rapid-rise yeast, are the instructions and measurement the same? Thank you for your help in advance and for the awesome recipe ❤️
I just popped myself be in the oven using the same yeast you bought. Works great.
Yes, same exact instructions and measurements! Enjoy :)
I am awaiting the dough to rise thank you for your recipe…. in this time of need I was very greatfull for a simple recipe…
Best ever! Used what I had enamel bowl and hand Mix my hand. 2 medium bins. Removed from the oven about 10 min ago. First one finished.
Going to try to make this now, would love it if you’d share the metric weight in grams for flour
I used the conversion 225g=1cup flour and it turned out awesome!
The recipe said 1.13 kg so that would be 1130 g. Hope that helps!
Made this bread today and it did not disappoint! The loaves were so huge, I could have made 4! We followed directions and it turned out perfectly!
Hi Christine, If you click “metric” under the list of ingredients, it will populate the metric measurements for you.
I don’t have a mixer, so I hand kneaded this and it came out great! Really good recipe.
Made this today as we ran out of bread. Turned out great even though I used bread flour.
Thanks for writing about bread flour! It’s the only flour I have and I wondered if it would work.
This bread is delicious! I definitely see it becoming a new classic in my house. As my oven runs hot, I had to cover the load in foil about half way through, but it still turned out perfectly.
Just tried this today and it is amazing!!!! Soooooo good and soooo fluffy! I didnt use as much flour as the recipe called for, but other than that I followed it to a T and it turned out perfect!!
This recipe is perfection! It made two large, light and fluffy loaves. After trying many other recipes I have finally found the only one I will use from now on.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 and we are here in Mauritius where the government has placed the country in complete lockdown – this includes all grocery stores and restaurants (i.e. no food shopping and no food delivery). We were reasonably prepared, but were starting to run low on bread because we have a one-year old and a five-year old and PB&J is a thing. Thank goodness we had plenty of flour in stock and this recipe because now we are all set on bread for another two weeks, should we be kept home bound. Many thanks from across the miles for this wonderful recipe and for offering our family a little “slice” of joy during this chaotic time. (Oh, and I made yogurt yesterday, so I substituted the water for whey and it turned out great – with a little added protein benefit!)
Love the whey idea!!! Did it come out light and airy?
Take care Carly! So glad that you have supplies. I am going to try this recipe.
Beautiful loaf! I have a large 12″ bread tin and was looking for an appropriately sized recipe. I came across this and tried it out. I had to use slightly more flour and knead it longer as the humidity in my country is quite high. But the dough was perfect and came together really well. I rose beautifully and the butter applied before and after the bake gave the loaf a golden crust. Simply loved it!
Did you make 2 or one loaf!
Great!
Today was my second time baking using this recipe, but instead of halving it, I made a full one. My dough rises and then after the second proofing, it flattens. I don’t know what happened. Can anyone please help me?
It turned out lovely the first time I baked it. My daughter loves it very much.
The taste are all good, consistency is a bit dense. I hand knead my dough because I don’t own a mixer. Could I have over kneaded it or should I knead more?
Attempted this today. I’m not sure where I went wrong, but while it looks wonderful the outer crust has a crunch to it and the inside is just a tad bit doughy. It still tastes great though. I’m going to attempt this again tomorrow. 😊
Hi, I researched this a bit and found that if you cut into the loaf before it cools it may do this. Darn! Also, I am using a thermometer to tell me when it is done. Take care
This is absolutely the best bread recipe. I used the smaller ingredients that are listed in the comments for some one wanting to make it in a bread machine. It made one loaf that fit in a rectangul loaf pan. It was perfect for me and my husband. I will try some wheat flour in it next time. Thank you for a great recipe
Absolutely awesome!!! Followed the recipe and it turned out exactly how I hoped, prefect density, moisture, and flavour :) 2 thumbs up from the whole family!
OMG!!! BEST darn bread ever!! and easy I cut it in half and made one loaf and eating a piece now with melted butter on it yummmyyyy!! if I could load a pic I would!
Went really well. Put one half of the ingredients in the bread maker to see what would happen….
Other half in a standard bread pan.
It was still a bit much to be honest… we had to eat heaps of it so we could fit it in the biggest bread box :)
Excellent texture and wonderful taste! Fast rise and beautiful loaves!
Absolutely perfect!! I used half bread flour and half all purpose and it turned out perfectly. Thank you so much!!
Best recipe ever! Thank you! Much needed during this quarantine. I halfed it and still made two decent sized loaves. Gave one loaf to my step-mom and by the next day she was already asking me to make more! Love how easy it it and the fact that is doesn’t call for bread flour. Second batch turned out just as perfect as the first. Light and fluffy but also holds up and worked great for a sandwich. You are amazing. Who needs a bread-maker anyways.