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!
This is way too much flour!
Agreed. American cup sizes are strange. I added the flour just a bit at a time until the dough looked right, I used way less flour than the recipe said.
This recipe yields more than 2 loaves! After the second rise, there’s so much puff. I understand it’s supposed to be tall loaves, but how do you make them tall and not overflow-y? Anyway, despite this, the bread turned out splendid. good recipe.
There’s nothing “strange” about American measurements. You need to adapt is all. Sheez.
Have you tried freezing this unbaked after its been shaped but has not gone through the second rise?
I froze my second loaf immediately after shaping it. I froze it right in the pan and slipped it inside of a 2 gallon freezer bag. When I was ready to bake the second loaf a few days later, I set it on the counter to defrost and finish rising. Once it was just above the top of the rim, I pre-heated the oven and baked for about 30 minutes. It was perfect. I don’t recall the exact time of the second rise, but it was just over an hour. My kitchen was warm because we were making dinner. Hope this helps!
First time making this recipe ( I’ve been making peasant bread for years) total success. Light and fluffy. Great taste. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Absolutely top recipe! Followed step by step with the help of magic KitchenAid mixer and the result was fabulous. I am writing past tense because the freshly baked loaf disappeared in no time!
It is time to bake some more!
thanks
I would like this recipe in a way that it can be done in my breadmachine not sure how to do it myself. That is changing it to work in my breadmaker
Thanks
Can I freeze half of the dough before baking for use later?
Easy and my family is obsessed. I was completely intimidated by making bread but this recipe is so simple and easy. I’ve made it every week for the past couple weeks and it has come out perfectly every time. Thank you Michelle for helping me conquer my fear!
Hi! How many times do I knead this dough, and for how long? Should I be gentle, or aggressive? Have always been told to mix just enough to combine ingredients, and gently, or baked goods will be tough. But I watch bread makers get aggressive when kneading bread dough. I just decided to take up baking a year ago as an amature, although I have been a professional cook many years. Baking is more precision in measurements, or so I’ve been told. So far I am a natural, but have not tried baking white bread yet.
I always knead for a full 10 min…lol yes I watch the clock. I use this recipe all the time and it makes awesome bread. Not overly aggressive but a fold and push sort of movement.
I have made numerous times. I make 2 smaller loaves and the rest in buns . Off to making it again.
What role does the sugar play in the bread? Is it possible to omit some, or all, of it and still maintain the quality of the final outcome?
Yeast feeds on sugar. When yeast has something to eat, it then burps and gives off gas, and that’s how bread rises.
Hi there. Actually yeast doesn’t actually need sugar to grow – it makes its own food supply by converting the starch on flour into sugar. Sugar just jump starts yeast at the beginning but dough will rise albeit slower with adding sugar – that is why you won’t find sugar in any sourdough recipes! Sugar gives flavour and helps keep moisture in bread – bread without sugar will be a little dryer as sugar is hygroscopic- it holds moisture. That said it isn’t too noticeable if it is omitted – bread with sugar tends to feel somewhat softer. It’s is really about the flavour! Hope that helps!
Love this recipe! The bread turned out perfect! This will be my weekly go to!Julie
worked out great, easy to do too. thanks!
Friom South Africa. Love this recipe. Cup size makes a huge difference. I halved the recipe and used four and half US cups (8 oz per cup) or 236ml for metric cups of cake flour(mixture of stone ground and normal)in my mixer and then as it looked a bit dry added a touch more water and it was perfect. I used a 10,5 x 4,5 inch loaf pan and it made a huge loaf. Tip. To avoid over proofing make sure to switch on your oven when dough goes into the pan as it rises very quickly.
First time making Bread and it was simple and turned out great❤❤
Michelle, thank you or sharing this wonderful recipe. I have made this recipe multiple times in two 8-inch loaf pans (because that’s what I have) baked for about 30-32 minutes. Have used the bread for grilled tuna sandwiches, thick-sliced French toast, and also cinnamon or jelly toast.
Do you have recommendations for using this recipe for a 4x4x13 inch Pullman Loaf Pan? I see other recipes with different ingredients, but I would prefer to use yours.
Simple. The recipe also works in a bread machine.
As a new bread maker , all the recipes I have tried have given a heavy yeasty result with a bread that is not nice after day 1. This recipe gave a light soft result that tasted great so will be adding to my recipe diary and cooking once a week. We only use 1 loaf a week so halving the recipe worked out great.
great recipe! come out nice and golden onto and super fluffy and soft in the middle. me and my husband just ate half a loaf for supper!! I gave 4 stars because once its frozen and thawed again it gets a bit tough but other wise it’s a great recipe :)
My favorite bread recipe, it is simple, easy to make, love the taste and texture. My friends and family really love this bread too.
Love this recipe!
Best white bread recipe ever. Easy to make and tastes incredible
Pretty good bread. I ran into a few issues, however.
1) The metric water amount is strange. The total water needed is around 808 ml, but what’s written seems to say the 3/4 cup is 808 ml. It should be 3/4 cup (177ml) + 2 2/3 cups (631 ml).
2) The option to print it in metric only changes the ingredient list, not the amounts listed in the instructions.
3) I had to add a _ton_ more than 1200g of flour to get a non-sticky mess and it never ‘cleaned the sides of the bowl’. The bread turned out ok nevertheless.
The resulting loaves were tall, tasty, and beautiful, just as advertised.
Not bad. Suited for a beginner baker. I’m always trying new recipes although I’m an advanced baker for years.
After eyeballing this recipe I saw that the amount of yeast was a little over what I’d use. The flour used in this recipe must have been bleached ap, as unbleached doesn’t bake that white as in photo. Mine didn’t.
The texture was nice but not tender or soft like store bought.. the industry adds many things to get it that fluffy.. The bread had a sourdough tang which is nice.
For longer lasting bread I usually use oil or for lean bread, no oil or fat, which shortens lifespan.
The recipe didn’t bring the wow factor for me, just ok….
S N O B
Imagine… a bread snob 🤣
Would love to know what recipe you’d recommend I’m looking for soft white sandwich bread not dense bread please.
Thanks xx
Well Maggie!
Since your an experienced baker that seems like you must know a little bit about bread, maybe you can help me. I’m looking for a home made bread recipe that tastes like the frozen bread dough you buy at the store. Like Dakota Hearth or Rhodes bread. I love the taste of that and I use to buy it instead of a regular loaf of bread which didn’t go as far as a regular loaf but tasted great. Sometimes i used it for cinnamon rolls which tasted good also. I would appreciate if if you could help me out with this type of recipe.
Thank You!
Tony
Followed the recipe but added Everything But the Bagel on top at the end with the Butter… It turned out FABULOUS!
I made it vegan by substituting refined coconut oil for butter (both in dough and for brushing). They turned out beautiful and looks just like the pictures in this post! I’ve never made a softer loaf of bread that slices so easily and tastes so yummy. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with the world!
Great bread recipe. Perfect every time. Kids love the bread too. Makes good bread rolls as well.
Tried it and this is the best recipe I found, so fluffy like frozen bread dough bread only better. Thanks.
Definitely used all the flour and maybe a little more.
5 stars
Literally the best, go-to bread recipe in my house. I make it once a week and sometimes rolls (with the same recipe) in addition.
This turned out great. Used bread flour and it was so easy to slice, great sandwich bread. Made great toast. https://photos.app.goo.gl/e8DXvf2znxzivpq76
I’ve made this recipe many times. I even separate it into little rolls and make the most glorious buns!! My family and friends love it. So simply and easy, just as the demonstration shows. I don’t even use a mixer, just my two hands. Beautiful bread, moist and stays fresh a lot longer than some of my other recipes. Lovely taste too. Husband loves it. Try it and see. You won’t be disappointed.