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’m very good. I’ve been watching the last words to do it. I love these things. Bread is the item I choose every day. Sorry this is my job.
This bread looks amazing! I have two new 12 x 4 1/2 long loaf pans that I would like to use — how would you suggest I alter this recipe to make 2 longer loafs? Thanks!
Hi Candace, I would roll it out to maybe 13×15, and then reduce the baking the time a little – maybe start checking around 20-25 minutes total to make sure it doesn’t over bake. Enjoy!
This is a fool proof bread recipe!! I look like a champ making your bread, light, fragrant, yummy!
I’m so glad you love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop back and leave a review!
During hurricane Harvey there was no bread to be had so I saw your recipe and decided to give it a try it was awesome so thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Allen. All the best to you, and I hope you haven’t experienced any catastrophic flooding.
All I can say is this bread is fabulous I have made no knead bread in the past but I will never do that again. I am a recent stroke patient and I am legally blind and the bread I made today turned out perfectly. My point is if I can do it anyone can do it. Brown eyed baker you rock !!
I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed this bread, Dave! I wish you a full recovery from your stroke.
Imade this bread last night for breakfast today and it is athe most delicious bread ! It is easy to make and all ingredients you have at home!
It is soft, not dry and great, it taste like bread you eat at fancy restaurants!
Thank you for posting this recipe
I made this without a mixer lol and it turned out great loved it and tastes great.
This recipe is delicious. The inside of the bread is so soft and it tastes great!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the bread! Thanks for the review!
Such an amazing recipe. And so easy to work with. Thank you
You’re welcome Cristina, so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to leave a review!
Have u ever tried this with wheat flour ?
Hi Jul, I have not.
Not everyone has a mixer with the kneading attachment – how would you change this to knead my hand?
Hi Robin, I knead this by hand often! You don’t need to change a thing, just do the initial mixing in a bowl with a wooden spoon and then switch to kneading by hand.
I made this bread today, EXCELLENT! I have Multiple Sclerosis, and make bread alot so I know what’s in it. Lately, I can’t seem to get any of the recipes I have used in the past to work out. So when I came across this recipe, I thought I’d try it. I only made half the recipe and it turned out just like you described. The recipe was easy, the loaf rose high and was soft and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Tammy, You’re so welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed the bread!
Do u have a easy potato bread recipe!
Thank you Susan
Hi Susan, I haven’t made potato bread yet, but I will add it to my list!
Oh my goodness…this was absolutely awesome! I am not a very good bread baker, and I dislike most white bread recipes with milk..they never seemed to turn out right. This recipe was easy to follow and the bread..well…you’ll just have to make it for yourself. You’ll see. ;) Definitely a winner! Thank you!
I am a bread fiend!! I love making bread and I haven’t made loaf bread in years. I’ve been concentrating on sharing my other recipes with my readers. We make bread for our kids and grandkids. This would be a great bread for sandwiches. I know what I’ll be doing today — making bread!! Will let you know how it turns out.
By far the best and most “no-fail” recipe for white bread I have found! Thank you. Gone are the days of my deflated loaves…. Additionally, pre-slicing and then freezing work like a charm for my Fam. Thank you again. My only question is whether any of the butter goes into the dough or if it is all specifically for basting the loaves…. for now, I have been putting two tablespoons into the mix and it seems to work great.
question- I get to approximately 6-7 cups flour and at that point the dough is no longer sticky and is coming away from the sides of the bowl- it also is quite dense. I’m afraid to add more flour as I think it would get too dense to the point of not being able to rise. Anyway- I have a pretty solid mixer and at 6-7 cups of flour the machine begins to struggle- ok, struggle isn’t the right word- but it definitely is having to work pretty hard. So far 6-7 cups still seems to work well….
Hi John, Definitely go by the state of your bread in terms on how much flour to add. There’s a definite difference for me in the winter vs the summer – I need to use more flour in the summer because the air is more humid, even though we have air conditioning.
Hi John, Thanks so much for the review! As for the butter, you’ll see in the recipe that 3 tablespoons are to be cubed and at room temperature and the instructions to add it are in step #1. The remaining butter is to be melted and is for brushing before and after baking.
I am making this bread at this time. I used my kitchen aide and it mixed just fine in it. I will let you know how it turns out. I followed the recipe exact . Does sound like a lot of flour, I only had to use 9 cups so we will see. Thanks for sharing the recipe .
This was my first attempt at making bread. It came out very badly. I am not sure what I did, but the bread did not rise and was very dense, heavy and gummy on the inside. When cutting it open, the layers of rolling came apart. Any suggestions?
Hi Sylvia, Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear the bread didn’t quite turn out for you. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? Did you use very hot water? It sounds like the crux of the problem is that it did not rise, as the texture and inability to stay together would be a direct result.
Made this recipe yesterday. It is an absolute winner. It is a lot to put in the standing mixer, but I added the flour slowly and kept the speed low. It came together nicely even with a few “whoah mama!” moments. The bread rose beautifully and following the instructions to a t for shaping yielded a lovely couple of loaves. We enjoyed some grilled cheese for dinner tonight. I will be keeping this around. Next time I might just halve the recipe.
Hi Kylee, So thrilled that you loved the bread! Doesn’t it make fantastic grilled cheese? And yes, you can totally halve this recipe if you ever need to, works like a charm!
Are you sure the white bread recipe calls for nine cups of flour? My mixer almost ran hot!
Hi Kay, Yes, that’s the correct measurement. It does make a large amount of dough, as the loaves are very big!
Currently waiting for the bread to rise. I am low on white flour so I made do with 6 cups of sprouted spelt and 3 cups of king arthur all purpose white. It’s rising splendidly, so fingers crossed!
And no you will not be able to fit this recipe into a standard Kitchen aid Mixer. I improvised. Half the recipe you will not be disappointed. Halving the recipe should make you two loaves. I was very impressed by the flavor.
I have to tell you I was truly amazed. I did use bread flour ( that might have been a mistake) because I could have made 4 loaves from this instead of two they did rise REALLY HIGH. I only had two pans. My husband does not like a hard crust and this bread was so GOOD. I have been looking for a recipe for a while and I finally found it. Thank you for the recipe I definitely will be making this again. The flavor was terrific.
Hi Laura, I’m so thrilled to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the bread! It’s a staple in our house!
not sure where this recipe came from but its worse than awful. save yourself the time and the mess and keep looking. very disappointing. water to flour ratio WAY off. i had to read twice to make aure i did not make the mistake. this is at least a double batch. if you love your stand mixer as much as i do find another recipe.
Hi Ray, I’m sorry to hear that you had issues with this recipe, however, I make it every two weeks, like clockwork, follow it exactly and have never had any problems. This is actually the first negative review the recipe has received (out of nearly 20); it’s actually a very forgiving recipe and can’t see how the ratio would give you problems? Can you explain what exactly happened?
Hi Michelle! I’ve made this bread twice now and the flavour is just amazing, thank you so much! I live in India, where it’s usually hot and humid so I’ve had to make some adjustments to the water-flour quantities. My bread doesn’t appear quite as soft as yours though, I’m not sure whether it’s something to do with the weather, because I tried not to add too much flour. Also, the sides seem to ‘split’ as the bread proofs and then bakes, but not sure why this is happening either. Overall, my bread has turned out more ‘rustic’ though I honestly love it! Any light you could shed would be so great, thank you in advance!
Hi Gayatri! I’m so thrilled to hear you’ve enjoyed the bread. The differences you’re describing likely have to do with the adjustments you’ve needed to make. My sides also look a bit “stretched” after baking, so I think that’s normal?
Absolutely delicious and perfect. I did it entirely by hand and ended up with 3 loaves, the 3rd baked in a small iron skillet. I kneaded about 5 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread!
I have just finished making it….
5/5 is not enough to say. It’s crispy, soft just perfect.
I have made some ‘errors’ like: adding less than 2 sachets of yeasts, putting whole 1,5 kg of white stong flour….
but depite that it went perfect.
I was also using my hands only to combine all ingredients.
Thanks for your review, Kasia! I’m so glad you loved it!
Do you I could substitute the warm water for warm yogurt whey?
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure, as I’ve never baked with it. If you try it, report back!
Can this dough also be used to make pizza dough? Also, this tuned out great!!! The whole family loves it!!
Hi Nicole, I’m sure you could but I’ve never tried it. So happy to hear you all love it!
I am new to the baking world. But I do bake. I want to make sure i am using the right materials. Is that 1.5 at 10x 5 x 3 loaf pan from William Sonoma that you are using? Do you use any particular brand of bread flour?
If I use the same pan, how tall the dough has to rise before i put it in the oven.
Thanks
Hi Davina, Yes, I use the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch loaf pans that are 10 x 5 x 3 for this recipe. I use King Arthur bread flour, but you should not use bread flour for this recipe – it calls for all-purpose flour. I typically let the dough rise about an inch above the lip of the pan before baking.