When I decided I wanted to be more intentional and cook more from scratch, one of the very first things I did was begin baking my own white bread. It wasn’t as hard as I thought and the results were incredible. This white bread recipe is as simple as it gets and creates such a soft and beautiful loaf, perfect for sandwiches, dipped in soup, or slathered in butter.
Why you will love this recipe
Not only does this recipe include only 6 ingredients, I’ve created it to use honey instead of sugar and butter instead of oil. I believe in choosing good, quality ingredients and the easiest way to do that is swapping for better alternatives. But if you need to, you can certainly replace the honey for sugar or use olive/avocado oil for butter, using equal measurements.
I have also shared this recipe for those that do not use a stand mixer. This recipe is as simple as it gets and only needs a bowl and a good dough hook or spatula (even just your hands if you prefer). There is no need for special equipment with this one!
A Few Tips
While you can certainly mix this bread in a stand mixer, I prefer the soft texture when kneaded by hand. I have also found that mixing by hand is also the easiest way to tell if you have added enough bread flour. Bread can seem tricky for the simple reason that the amount of flour you need changes by the seasons and even by the day. When kneading by hand you have feel when the dough stops sticking and begins to hold its shape. This is a good indication you have added enough flour. Too much flour and you will end up with a dry, crumbing loaf.
More Bread Recipes from the Farmstead
Everyday White Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 1/4 c water warm
- 1/4 c honey
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsps butter melted
- 5 1/2 – 6 1/2 c bread flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water. Wait 5 minutes until active and bubbly.
- Add honey, salt, butter, and 4 C of flour. Mix well. Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time until a soft dough forms.
- Knead dough on lightly floured counter for 5 minutes until smooth.
- Place dough back in bowl and covered with towel. Let rise until doubled in size (about one hour).
- After rise, punch down and divide in half. Roll out into a rectangle the length of your pan and roll up like a jelly roll, tucking under the ends.
- Repeat with second loaf and place in greased loaf pans with seams down. Cover and let rise another hour.
- Preheat over to 375°F. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a cooling rack and brush with butter (optional)
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It is so nice to meet you, I'm Courtney!
I've never been much of a writer but sharing our life online has become such a deep passion of mine. I believe if we can slow down as a community, we can find so much joy and purpose in our everyday lives. This is my way of inspiring others to live a life a few paces slower and more intentionally surrounded by the ones you truly love. At least that is my goal here!
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