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!
You don’t put the measurements
Can I make this by hand, as I do not have a strong mixer?
yes you can
I make this recipe very frequently and i don’t have a mixer so i use my hands all the time
Could the butter be substituted for olive oil to make this a vegan bread???
Yes, or a vegan butter alternative.
I have tried many different recipes (I lost my mothers before she passed away) and none of them rise this high!!!! I am making it now as we speak and I am on the second rise before I cook them and I cant wait for the childhood to flow back to me once I smell it baking in the oven
I zoned out and accidentally used 3 1/2 tsp yeast (actually it might have even been 2) and it turned out just great, no particular difference that I noticed :)
Great recipe, I used to use the purity cook book recipe for like 8 years but I never have milk on hand. 8 years of planning too far ahead haha. This is perfect, I love to make it for my guy ❤️
We started making this bread during the pandemic. My mom has always baked bread and I could never quite get it right. Now I feel like I can’t get it wrong with this recipe! We love it. Too much! A whole loaf eaten right out of the oven with butter! (We make 5 mini loaves with this recipe)
I have a pic but don’t have Instagram so I can’t send it to you. If you have another way, please let me know.
I love this recipe. It’s my go to for white bread and defiant favorite. I’ve shared the loaves with family, friends and neighbors who have asked for more.
So, thank you! I’m glad you have this site and share your recipes.
Side note: I mix it all by spoon and then with my hands and it still turns out well. I’m sure a mixer would be nice but I rather like the traditional method.
(I confess that rolling up the dough has provided a few interestingly lopsided loaves but they’ve still tasted great. After watching your video a few times, I think I’ve learned and will hopefully improve the more often I make the bread.)
Thank you! It is my first time to maoe this and your instructions were clear and straight to the point!
Can i use a handmixer for this?
If your hand mixer has a dough hook attachment, yes. Otherwise, I would just make it by hand (I’ve done it many times).
I have never made bread before. I got all the ingredients to make this recipe cause my kids LOVE bread, and overall it will be cheaper to make bread instead of buying it. But I don’t have a hand mixer or a stand mixer, how do I make it by hand? What should I use?
By hand, just combine all the liquids and dry stuff in a bowl, mix it with spatula or wooden spoon until mostly incorporated. I then dump it onto a lightly floured board and just fold over a few times and scrape down the bowl into the pile until it is all one mass.
Will you comment on adjustments when baking bread at high altitudes above 4000 feet. Thank you.
I am above 4000 feet and use the same recipe. I hand knead my dough and use the leftover to sprinkle on the counter. Never had an issue and have made this several times!
Easy, foolproof, and a great crumb and texture! This always turns out well. In the summer my kitchen is pretty warm, so my dough absolutely explodes—my rise time is as little as 20 minutes for the first rise and 20 for the second, and it’s really hard not to overproof it. (And the flavor isn’t as well-rounded.) So this time I dialed back the yeast by about half, and it’s tracking with the times cited in the original recipe. Just in case anyone else has a very warm kitchen and/or you don’t have much yeast and you’re trying to make it last, you can successfully dial the yeast back to slow down the rise!
Can I substitute vegan butter in this recipe
I’ve made it a bunch of times and I only use plant based butter and it’s so delicious! Works exactly the same
Yes, that would work!
My .” Go to” white bread recipe. Easy and delicious.
Hi I made this bread it turn out good but I’m getting Confuse about the water can you please tell me exactly how much water to use where it says 3/4 of a cup + 2 2/3 of a cup and then divided that’s where I am getting confuse can you please tell me exactly how much water to use in ml together please thank you
It explains it in step one! You use the 3/4 cups water in one step, then the 2 & 3/4 cup in another step:
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.
Wonderful recipe! Very fluffy, flavorful bread.
One note – the printable recipe does not match the one on the website.
Can you use bread flour with this recipe?
Yes, you can!
I love it! Its really soft and fluffy, in short a fabulous texture of the bread. Its my first time to try it to bake this bread this pandemic and it was successful. Thank you for sharing this recipe. God bless! If you have a recipe book about all the recipes you have, I’m hoping you will give a free recipe book and your autograph too. Thank you!
Love this recipe it is absolutely the best I’ve made and I have made a lot of yeast breads over the years. Even my husband says this it the best that I’ve made. So this recipe will be my favorite loaf bread. I’ve even made rolls with this recipe and they are wonderful also. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I’ve made this bread at least four times during the COVID stay-at-home orders. My family absolutely loves it! They never want to go back to store-bought bread. Thank you for a recipe that is easy to follow and very yummy!
this is my second time ever making bread. 1st was your itialian bread recipe, both recipes were easy to follow and informative. the white bread only reason not 4 stars and probably my fault i do not like my crust that brown. I think maybe no butter wash before cooking may have helped, again, not a baker so may be way. both breads were delicious even my wife ate them lol.
I love it. It’s by far my favorite bread recipe and I’ve made a lot of bread post-COVID. The only thing I do differently is the sequence of putting the dough together. It makes fantastic sandwiches and toast. I get 3 glass loaf pans of bread with each recipe, I make it every few days.
Bread can be a finicky thing to make when you’re not an expert at it AND when you don’t have a stand mixer, which I don’t. This recipe is fool proof!!! I mixed everything in a bowl with a spatula then kneaded by hand with little effort. What I ended up with were two perfect loaves of fluffy greatness and me feeling like a bread baking expert. Been through four different bread recipes in the last month and I’ve stopped at this one as I need to look no further. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Very easy to make
Fantastic recipe, will be my go too for a white bread recipe. It turned out fantastic! I only used the 9 cups of flour.
Easy recipe. A no fail step by step recipe. No picture family ate it quickly.
My bread came out very heavy and dense, it has nice flavour but very heavy not light and fluffy. Where did i go wrong.
Mine has done the same, Twice! Can anyone help? :-(
Does your oven get hotter than the setting? Also, does it have a lower or upper heating element if electric? Our oven runs slightly hotter than the setting on the knob and also had a lower heating element. I found that by placing the rack that I’m baking on in the middle of the oven and then placing a heavy baking sheet on the lower rack at the lowest point helps shield some of the heat for a better bake with soft results. Still golden brown or a bit darker but always soft crust and tender crumb.
Sounds like you didn’t let it rise enough or your yeast is dying. Try fresh yeast and increase tbe rise time. Turn oven down by 15 degrees.
AMAZING BREAD RECIPE!! So useful because it makes two loaves, and also really easy to make. This was my first time making bread, and it came out amazing! My family of 4 DEVOURED it in a week! I’m about to make some more, I’m so excited. Also, this recipe is very forgiving with the flour, I kind of lost track of how many cups I was putting in, but the bread still came out great!
Can you increase the sugar in this recipe?
Perfect white bread recipe! I haven’t bought any bread at the store since I started making this over a month ago! My family absolutely loves it. I’m grateful it’s a double batch because one gets devoured immediately while the other gets sliced and frozen. So yummy!