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 read that this recipe can be cut in half. Do you have the recipe for one loaf? Thank you .
Hi Kelly, I do not have a separate recipe written; simply divide all of the ingredient amounts in half and you’ll be good to go!
Omg delicious white bread!
Thank you, Elaine! And thanks so much for stopping back to share a review!
want to try this bread, looks so good. want to know if you have ever tried rye flour. i love rye bread. thanks barbara
Hi Barbara, I have tried making different versions of rye bread, but haven’t tried using rye flour in this particular bread. I think it could be good though! I might start with only swapping out 1/4 to 1/2 and see how it goes!
Curious how wide your 9″ loaf pans are? I followed your recipe in my 9″ glass loaf pans and they rose up and really spilled over the sides, making a very awkward-shaped loaf! Yours are beautiful.
I think I’m going to need to find a recipe with 6-7 cups of flour to fit in my pans :) Tastes great though!
I just found the link you mentioned to the pans you have. Did you know their dimensions are listed as 10″ (by 5″ by 3″)?! So I think that’s why they over-rose in my 9″ pans. Seriously a lot of dough and yumminess :)
Hi Diana, Sorry for any confusion! Those are relatively new pans and I have made this recipe in older, standard 9″ pans before. Just make sure you let the second rise go until the dough is just barely over the rim of the pans, that should help to keep them contained when they rise and bake in the oven!
This bread is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much! It rose so high and baked up so light and fluffy and moist. I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment anywhere before, but I just had to say something about this recipe. It was very enjoyable to knead by hand. I used honey instead of sugar because I didn’t have any white sugar. Wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it came out perfect! I let the yeast, honey and water get all bubbly before I added everything else, to be sure it was working properly. I ended up using 9.5 cups of flour. Since I have only one full sized bread pan I made one half the dough into a loaf in that pan, and the rest I alternated between two mini loaves and 8 buns. The one full sized loaf ended up enormous! And one of my mini loaves ended up the size of a regular loaf of bread, in height. Next time I think I’ll split it into three chunks because my full sized loaf turned out way too big. My husband, who has been wanting soft fluffy bread, LOVED this stuff! Big triumph there. This is going to be my #1 bread recipe! Thanks again!
Hi Rachelle, You are so welcome! Love hearing how you used up the dough, thank you for sharing! And thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it’s much appreciated!
I made this bread today, it was the best I’ve ever baked!!!
Thank You for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Diane, so glad you loved it! Thanks for stopping back and sharing a review!
WTH did I do wrong? Followed the directions. After 10 cups of flour dough was still sticky. Added another cup of flour kneading in myself cuz my kitchenaid was stuggling. Finally gave up and put in the greased bowl to rise. Why didn’t the dough come together?
Hi Penni, The amount of flour will absolutely vary based on a number of variables, including the temperature, humidity level, etc. There’s a big difference in the amount I use in the summer vs. the winter, even though we have central air and heat, as well as a humidity control. Always go by the feel of the dough and add enough to get the consistency correct, whether that means less or more.
I had to use a ton of extra flour too. I’m wondering if I accidentally used a little too much water? And two people measuring “one cup” of flour can end up with wildly different amounts of flour in their measuring cup, so one person’s 9 cups might be another’s 10.5. Hope you got some edible bread for your efforts!
Tried the recipe last night . just had to add a little extra flour. Consistency was good
Can you substitute flour for gluten free flour..one to one ratio?
Hi Linda, I have never tried to use a gluten-free flour in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure. If you’ve done so in other recipes, I would use your same approach and see how it works!
I found that 8 cups worked. Even the 8th cup was not all used :)
I do not have mixer with hook attachments
so just keep stirring???
Hi Marilyn, Just mix in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then you can knead by hand; I’ve done it many times!
Just wondering what flour do I use in the in the uk? Would it be plain flour or white bread flour thank you .
Hi Nikki, I would use plain flour.
Will this recipe work halved in a bread maker?
Hi Janet, You can definitely halve this; I’ve never used a bread maker, so I can’t say 100% for sure, but I think it should be okay.
I’m learning to deal with the mixing of water and flour everythime I bake bread.
I guess that when someone shares enthusiastically a recipe that has been done over and over and cones perfect and I try and cones up heavy in four I would most definitely blame myself for not being carefull when adding water or flour.
I used in this recipe original yeast and the recipe didn’t come great.
I’m afraid to try to do this recipe again because the water was to much for the 9 cups of flour and I put more flour but failed
bread just shouldn’t be this good lol. I don’t have a hand mixer so I did it by hand and I only made one loaf. also I used the active yeat instead of instant because that’s what I had on hand. followed the directions (for once in my life) and it turned out gorgeously delicious!! thanks for sharing, my kids are going to be very pleased when they wake 🙌🏼
This bread is absolutely the most delicious bread I’ve made. I’m new to bread making and it was quick easy. Nd just out of this world delicious. No yeasty taste. Incredible. Thank you for this recipe.
Have you tried to make this recipe into buns?
Hi Jayne, I haven’t, but others who have left reviews said that they have!
Besides making a huge batch of bread, it makes a wonderful loaf. Made 2 in Pullman loaf tins some cinnamon rolls and monkey bread. Didnt read the recipe before jumping in so didn’t realize it was 10cups of flours worth of bread. I’d probably half this and make 2 of my regular sized breads.
I made this recipe but cut it in half. I brushed the bread with butter before baking. I used a loaf pan. After 25 minutes, it was done. The crust was cracked and hard as a rock. The bread tasted good but the crust made it not so enjoyable. The bread didn’t rise near as much as the Fleischmann’s Simply Bread mix in the box.
I made this bread recipe and it turned out better than I ever could have imagined…Thank you!!!
Recipe exactly, and it produced some delicious bread! Nothing beats homemade bread, I just wish I had more time to make my own.
I tried this recipe twice. I want to give it the benefit of the doubt, especially because I love your other recipes. But… both times the dough doesn’t form into a ball, it’s a sticky mess, that doesn’t clear the sides of the mixer. It just spreads out and is a glob. What am I doing wrong? I didn’t put the entire amount of water this time.. help! 😫
Hi LC, You should definitely add enough flour so that it does clear the sides and forms a ball. I’ve never needed more flour, but all environments are different, and you may need to add more…
This recipe is great – but it did give my KitchenAid mixer a hard time. I had smoke pluming out everywhere! Lucky for me the poor old girl recovered, and we were able to enjoy our bread with a clear conscience. Will be making in half batches in the future!
OMG!!! This bread is amazing and so easy to make. I’ve sliced up two…one for the freezer and one to eat now. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Oh my! I have unsuccessfully tried many bread recipes in the past. Never getting the results I was looking for. This is perfect. Just finished making one loaf (only had one pan the right size) and it is delicious. Cut it while still slightly warm, added butter and homemade apple butter! YUMMY! Perfect for our cold, drizzly day! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I just printed it to add to my recipe book that will be handed down to my daughter one day!
HI, my bread is rising in the pans and I have a question about the oven rack. You say on the lowest setting….can you clarify what this means. I’m worried that the bottom of the bread would burn if the rack is so close to the bottom burner and higher heat. I would normally place the pans on the rack in the middle of the over???
Hi Joanne, Yes, the rack should be on the lowest setting in the oven. I bake mine like this each and every time (and I’ve been making this bread every 2-3 weeks for almost 2 years) and I’ve never had it burn.
This recipe is so perfect,no complaints whatsoever. Followed it,only tweaked it with some choc chips but still came out perfect
Your recipes never disappoint!!! I had smaller size loaf pans so I actually made 3 loaves and they are delish! I couldn’t wait for them to warm so I cut into one warm and next thing I know half a loaf is gone! Love the density of the bread and the flavor is spot on.
The sides and bottom were a little hard. What would cause that?
Hi Sarah, Hmmm did you use dark coated pans? If so, try reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
I absolutely love this recipe! My husband takes sandwiches for lunch every day and pouts if i is not this bread. Thank you, M