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!
We love this bread! Instead of two huge loaves, we make two large and one smaller, but very adequate. Sometimes I put in a cup or more of whole wheat flour, for variety, with no negative effects. I grew weary of never finding a loaf of bread we truly liked at the market. I found this on Facebook several months ago and have not bought a loaf of store bread since.
Can you freeze the dough? I know you say it keeps well once baked in the freezer but I want to make a bunch of dough and freeze it so I can just thaw it, proof it and pop it in the oven next time.
Hi Amanda, Yes you can!
I would like to do this too. Do I let it rise at all before freezing? I’m unsure of how to do it and don’t want to mess it up.
Thanks.
Found this recipe on a Google search, needed to bake bread as we are snowed in, and it came out even better than expected! Will be making this instead of buying store bread in the future. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Very helpful refreshing my bread making skills. Can’t wait to rest it. Use half white flour and half whole wheat
Best bread ever! Can you score the top of the bread or will that affect the height of the bread?
Hi Rose, I’m so glad you enjoy it! I’ve actually never scored the loaves. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Hi Rose I have scored the top- it does not hinder the height!!!
Love Love Love this bread- making some right now.
It has changed our lives!!!!
My first attempt I used half recipe and it turned out beautifully. Have not tasted it yet but my wife was quite impressed by what she saw come out of the oven.
Makes 3-4 loaves of big, soft, bread. Great recipe and perfect for sammies! Just as good as the bread at the store and it comes without plastic!
This bread is so delish!!!! It’s my third attempts making it. I had trouble with it falling flat on the second rise. A little plastic wrap with spray oil solved that problem and bam I have two wonderful loaves. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Can anyone answer this: I’ve made the recipe, cut in half for one loaf, three times now but I never get as tall of a loaf as pictured in the recipe. What am I doing wrong? Over-kneading? Under-kneading? It rises during both proof and seems to double. After the second proof it reaches just over top of the loaf pan, similar to those pictures, but once it’s in the oven it doesn’t rise anymore (or not nearly as much as the beautiful loaves pictured).
I’ve tried adjusting the amount of flour I use, because “tacky” isn’t very descriptive to me as I’m a beginner at bread baking. My loaves always turn out a bit more dense than what I think this recipe is supposed to be, based off other reviews it should be fluffy bread. I imagine it is supposed to be similar to store-bought sandwich loaves with slightly more body.
I want beautiful, tall, fluffy bread. :(
You may have added too much flour. I just made the recipe and cut it in half (since I’m alone and didn’t want to eat two loaves of bread :) ) It smells delicious, just got it out of the oven. Haven’t tasted it yet, but am very pleased with how high it rose. I mixed by hand, as I didn’t have a mixer, for about 3 minutes. It was still pretty wet, but I pulled it out of the bowl and kneaded it by hand for a few minutes, gradually adding flour, just a little. The last bread I made was very tough and hard to knead because I used some oats in it. It was really hard and ended up being very dense. So this time I stuck with the white flour, kept it sort of wet (not nearly as dry as the video) and it looks great. So I think one secret is to be very careful not to overdo the amount of flour you use. You can knead it on a board that has been oiled too, instead of adding too much flour that way. I saw that trick on the Great British Baking show. Can’t wait to taste the bread.
Hello! Can you leave out the sugar? Will it affect the final product?
Came out like Irish Brennan’s Loaf. Omg amazing.
Please someone give me the half of this recipe.
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
6 tbs and 1 1/3 cup warm water
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tbs salt
1 1/2 tbs cubed butter
4 1/2- 5 cups flour
1 1/2 tbs melted butter
Love this recipe! Such beautiful loaves every time! I’m wanting to try and make them into rolls to see if there’s the same success! What method would you recommend? Was thinking of just cutting it into strips and rolling it like you would for the loafs and cooking them in muffin tins? Do you have a better method?
Hi Danielle, For rolls, I would roll the dough up like you would for the loaf, then divide into rolls and form into balls. This is a good video of the method I use for shaping rolls: . As for baking, you could use muffins tins, a 9×13-inch baking pan, sheet pan, pie plates, etc. Any of those will work!
Absolutely perfect! Easy and simple two make but tastes way better than any store bought bread!
I just recently moved to TX from CO so have had to completely re-learn how to bake now that I’m not a mile above sea level :)
I’ve been searching for a simple white bread recipe that rises high and is soft and fluffy. I printed and laminated your recipe because it is the only one I’m using from now on!
What is the best way to store this bread so it stays fresh?
Hi Maureen, I usually keep one loaf wrapped in plastic wrap and then in a ziploc bag. The other I slice and freeze (wrap in plastic wrap, wrap in aluminim foil, then put in a ziploc freezer bag). Hope that helps!
I have made bread using this recipe many times and it has never disappointed. It is soft but not fragile and it is suitable for even my pickiest eater’s peanut butter sandwiches. It also makes delicious toast! I have used the dough to make cinnamon buns as well- really rather remarkably perfect and versatile dough. Thank you for sharing with me!
looks great, thank you for sharing
Can you give me the measurements to cut recipe in half please
I’ve always made Ina Garten’s honey white bread, but lately it’s been leaving an odd taste in my mouth. So I did a random search and this came up. Not only is it cheaper because it doesn’t require honey, but I think it tastes better. I made one loaf and then made 8 buns out of the other half of the dough. It rises triumphantly. This is my new go-to white bread recipe.
I haven’t made bread in years. Decided to jump back in to it and found this recipe. Not only is it easy peasy it is delicious. Makes fantastic loaves, rolls, and buns. Getting ready to make another batch today!!
This bread is really good! I made this and it came out perfect.
This is the second baking recipe I have tried. I have made it twice now. It is PERFECT! We probably won’t buy sandwich bread any more and just make this once or twice a week instead.
I wonder, since I know I will be making it on schedule and thus don’t care about the rise time, could this be adapted to work with a yeast starter?
Hi Colin, I’ve never tried a yeast starter with this recipe, but if you do, I’d love to hear how it works out!
Yay. I just started making bread. This is the best recipe I found so far. Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good enough bread but beware if using calculator to reduce number of loaves, it will change the first amount of warm water but leaves larger amount of 2 2/3 cups warm water as is. You must remember to cut this in half. Thankfully I reduced recipe myself before looking at calculator. You could end up with very wet bread!
Could you tell me where you found calculator, web address?
If you click print then the calculate servings is there
Fantastic! I’ve tried other bread recipes but this one takes the cake. I was a little worried because it hadn’t really risen a lot and figured it was the yeast but holy cow! It as high and gorgeous when I pulled it out of the oven! It also had a really nice density to it. Excellent recipe and thank you for sharing it!
Just tried. Very delicious. Didn’t see that I could cut the recipe in half till after I was done, so taking a loaf to my parents. I call this monster bread. If poofed up so much. Love the video in the corner as well.
Thanks
Lori & the Beagle Squad
Not often does it look like the picture, but it came out great. Any excuse I can use for baking in my new cast iron bread pan I will take. I thank my son for that. Great recipe and easy to follow. I did halve it because I only want one loaf.
Thanks,
Chuck
Could I used rye flour in this recipe?
Hi Phoebe, I haven’t tried it, but I would start at replacing 25% of the flour with rye and see how it goes!
GUYS!! This is the best white bread everrr!! I split the recipe and it worked perfectly. It puffs up like the most beautiful balloon you have ever seen in the oven! Thank you so much Michelle for sharing!
Bread baked up perfectly, recipe well thought out and easy to follow
this recipe left me absurdly discombombulated, it is unessicaryliy bad and too detailed in unessesary sections.
be a poet next time
Why must you be so rude? If you didn’t like it or possibly too complicated…why not just let it go. Out of all the reviews, you are the only one so negative! Next time think & remind yourself that if you can’t say anything nice…just don’t say anything at all! Have a wonderful day & happy baking! 😊