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Homemade White Bread

This Homemade White Bread takes is a great home recipe for beginners and novice bakers. It has a light and fluffy texture and tastes so good!

A HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPE

I used to be so intimidated to make bread. Anything that had yeast in it seemed like a lot of work and had too many ways I could mess it up! So, with a lot of practice over the years, I’ve learned to streamline recipes and lay it out in a way that everyone, even the most inexperienced cooks, can easily learn how to make fresh bread. This Homemade White Bread is my go-to recipe for a delicious and easy bread. If you are scared of using yeast, don’t be! I’ll show you below exactly on how to make this Homemade White Bread recipe so you won’t feel intimidated and you can have a nice fluffy loaf of bread whenever you want!

Homemade White Bread on wooden board cut showing the inside.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why do you use dry milk?

This is an ingredient that I started using a few years ago and I believe that it helps the bread retain the soft and fluffy texture that it has. Sometimes fresh bread can lose that texture after it cools and this helps.

Can I use bread flour?

Yes you can if you have it on hand! You can swap out the all-purpose flour with bread flour 1:1.

Do I have to use butter in the recipe?

No. You can actually replace it with vegetable shortening which a lot of old school cooks have done for generations because it is cheaper than real butter. I’ve used it many times myself it always turns out great regardless.

How do I know when my dough is ready?

You want to make sure that when you are mixing the dough that the sides of the bowl are clean. No flour or sticky residue stuck to the sides. Once everything is clean, you can then proceed to let the dough rise as it will be ready.

How warm should I have my water?

Ideally you want the water to be between 105-110 degrees F. You can measure this with an instant read thermometer. You want it warm to the touch but not scalding. If your water is too cold it will not activate the yeast and if it is too hot it will kill the yeast.

Where do I find dry milk?

It is usually in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Dry milk is usually sold in boxes or cans under the brand names of Carnation, Nido or store brands like Great Value at Walmart

How do I store leftovers?

This can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature where it will keep for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This can also be frozen. Wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove from the freezer to the countertop until thawed.

Pinterest image of slices of Homemade White Bread cut from the loaf and layered on top of one another.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • all-purpose flour
  • nonfat dry milk
  • granulated sugar
  • unsalted butter
  • active dry yeast
  • kosher salt
  • warm water
Ingredients needed: all-purpose flour, nonfat dry milk, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, active dry yeast, kosher salt and warm water.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD:

Add 2 cups of the flour, dry milk, sugar, butter, yeast, and salt to the body of a stand mixer. With the hook attachment, mix it around just to combine for a few turns. Add the water and mix to combine. 

Flour, dry milk, sugar, butter, yeast, salt and water in bowl of stand mixer.

On slow speed, begin to add the flour a little at a time until you come to 5 cups of flour. Place the mixer on medium-high speed, the dough should clean the sides of the bowl after a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t, add a little flour at a time until it does, up to ½ cup more flour.

Flour being added to bowl of stand mixer.

Continue to mix/knead the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic. Spray the dough with a little cooking spray and roll it around in the bowl, so it is lightly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place in your house for about 1 hour.

Bread dough mixed together in bowl of stand mixer.

Take off the plastic wrap and punch the dough down in the bowl to release the air bubbles.

Hand punching down risen dough in bowl of stand mixer.

Lightly flour a clean work surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand to get any additional air bubbles out, about 1 minute.

Kneaded dough on floured surface.

Spray (2) 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough into two even pieces. 

Dough cut in half on floured surface.

With your hands, roll them out into a log.

Dough being rolled out into logs.

Place each log into a prepared baking pan. No need to cover the dough again. Let them rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes. While they are doing the second rise, preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Dough placed in loaf pans.

Once doubled, make a slit down the center of the bread if desired. Place the loaves into the oven and immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Risen bread in loaf pan with a slit cut down the middle.

If desired, immediately brush the bread with the optional melted butter. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Finished baked bread being brushed with butter.

Take out of the pans and cool on a wire rack completely. Then slice and serve.

Homemade White Bread with slices stacked one with butter with bite taken out of it.

WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?

Close up square image of two slice of Homemade White Bread layered on top of one another with loaf in background.

Homemade White Bread

This Homemade White Bread takes is a great home recipe for beginners and novice bakers. It has a light and fluffy texture and tastes so good!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Rise Time:: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add 2 cups of the flour, dry milk, sugar, butter, yeast, and salt to the body of a stand mixer. With the hook attachment, mix it around just to combine for a few turns.
  • Add the water and mix to combine.
  • On slow speed, begin to add the flour a little at a time until you come to 5 cups of flour. Place the mixer on medium-high speed, the dough should clean the sides of the bowl after a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t, add a little flour at a time until it does, up to ½ cup more flour.
  • Continue to mix/knead the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic. Spray the dough with a little cooking spray and roll it around in the bowl, so it is lightly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place in your house for about 1 hour.
  • Take off the plastic wrap and punch the dough down in the bowl to release the air bubbles.
  • Lightly flour a clean work surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand to get any additional air bubbles out, about 1 minute.
  • Spray 2 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
  • Divide the dough into two even pieces.
  • With your hands, roll them out into a log.
  • Place each log into a prepared baking pan.
  • No need to cover the dough again. Let them rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
  • While they are doing the second rise, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Once doubled, make a slit down the center of the bread if desired. Place the loaves into the oven and immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
  • If desired, immediately brush the bread with the optional melted butter. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
  • Take out of the pans and cool on a wire rack completely.

Notes

  • You can use bread flour for this recipe, swap it out 1:1 with the all-purpose.
  • Make sure that when you are mixing the sides of your bowl is clean, this is essential.
  • Make sure you are using active dry yeast. It should say it right on the packet. One packet has exactly 2 1/4 teaspoons which is what we need for this recipe.
  • You will want your water to be between 110-115 degrees F.
  • This bread can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 1673kcal | Carbohydrates: 294g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 33g | Sodium: 2529mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 27g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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