THE BEST HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD

Bread is my thing and this recipe is my favorite.  I have tried a lot of bread recipes and this one is the best homemade white bread. 

So, I am kind of obsessed with finding and making the best white bread! It started 10 years ago, when I read how much money you can save making your own bread.  My first attempts were alright, but not special and definitely didn’t hold up to freezing and toasting. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. I haven’t bought a loaf of bread in years.  Not only am I saving money, but homemade bread is so much better than store bought.

I have tried so many, many recipes.  This recipe is a compilation of what I have learned from my years on the hunt for the best white bread.  This is it, this dough is so good that I use it for every recipe that calls for a while dough.  I use it for bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, braided loaves, hot dog and hamburger buns.

Why This is the Best Homemade White Bread!

Here is my criteria for a great homemade white bread…

1. Taste

Most important, it must taste amazing. I haven’t really met a homemade loaf that I don’t like, but I like my favorites to have a little something special, and this bread does.

2. Easy

Next, the recipe has to be easy.  I don’t buy bread so I am making bread quite often.  So, my bread recipe has to be easy, and it can’t have unusual ingredients that are a pain to store and replace.  This recipe has ingredients that I always have on hand.

3. Texture

Also very important, my bread has to hold together.  I can’t have a bread that crumbles out of the toaster or rips when I spread on peanut butter.  This bread is light and fluffy, but holds together perfectly.  At my house, my kids take sandwiches to school every day, and they love this bread.

4. Freezes Well

And finally, I want my loaves to freeze well.  Making bread takes time, so when I do it, I want to make the max my oven will hold, and then freeze some for later.  So, I make five loaves at a time.  I keep one out and freeze the rest. These loaves last at least three months in the freezer. Once thawed, they are fantastic!

This recipe checks all the boxes!

 I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.  Message me below if you have any questions.

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The Best Homemade White Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup mashed potato flakes
• 5-7 cups of all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. First, place warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in your mixing bowl. This is your proofing. If you know your yeast is fresh, you can just go straight to step 2. If you want to proof your yeast, let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes to see if it get bubbly, that is proof your yeast is active.

2. Next, add, melted butter, sugar, salt, mashed potato flakes and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture.

3. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed and gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is soft, 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 6 minutes. Kneed on the counter a little, adding flour as needed, to form a nice ball of dough. 

4. Place your dough in a greased bowl and turn it over so the entire ball is greased. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a draft free place to double in size. This time will vary. Mine takes 45 minutes in the summer and 1 ½ hours in the winter. Judge by the look of it, not the clock. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then take a look.

5. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and turn out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Kneed on the counter, just a little to remove air pockets. Divide your dough into 2 equal loaves (use a scale if you like your loaves to be the same.) Work with each piece, shaping into a loaves. Place each loaf into a greased 9 inch loaf pan. 

6. Cover the loaves, loosely with plastic wrap (spray your plastic wrap so the dough doesn’t stick as it rises), put in a draft free place to double in size. Again, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hour. Set your timer for 30 minutes and check it every 15 minutes after that. You want your dough to look like how you want your loaf of bread to look like when it is done.

7. When the dough is getting close, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the rack in the center of the oven.

8. Once the loaves have risen to about 1 inch above the rim of the pan, carefully place in the over. Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until golden brown (195 degrees F if using a thermometer)

9. Remove from oven and immediately remove from pan and place on a cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter. Let the loaves cool completely before slicing or freezing.