Soft White Bread Recipe
This pillowy white bread recipe will be your new favorite! Straightforward & easy to make, and it bakes up so soft & fluffy! A perfect sandwich bread.
It’s a brand new year!
And I’m kicking it off with a basic recipe that you’ll love having in your back pocket: white bread!
I don’t know about you, but in my family, we go through A LOT of bread. It gets toasted at breakfast time, and made into sandwiches for lunch. We even eat it with our dinner a lot, buttered and served as sort of a side dish or appetizer.
We have several favorites, such as this soft whole wheat bread, this crusty French baguette, and this brioche. They are all so good, but nothing is more versatile than a simple white loaf.
This one has a soft, fluffy texture and a flavor that’s perfectly balanced. It really is the best sandwich bread.
And best of all, the recipe couldn’t be easier to make! With just a handful of ingredients and a method that’s simple as can be, this white bread recipe is sure to be on heavy rotation in your kitchen.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD
To make this easy recipe, start by proofing the yeast.
Dissolve a little sugar in some warm water, and then sprinkle active dry yeast all over the surface.
The water should be warm but not hot. Think of the temperature you’d make a baby’s bath- just a little warmer than body temp. If the water is too hot it could kill the yeast, and then your bread won’t rise.
After about 5 minutes, the yeast will have dissolved, and the mixture will look kinda foamy. This is how you know your yeast is working!
Mix in about 2 cups of the flour, along with the butter.
Once that’s all incorporated, knead in another 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups of flour, along with the salt. You should start to see the dough gathering itself into a ball, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.
Work in another 1/2 cup or so of flour, kneading until the bread feels very smooth and stretchy. Give it a good long knead (around 10 minutes) to really develop the structure of the bread.
Now mist the bowl with a little non-stick spray, and pop the dough back in. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size. This will typically take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
Once the dough has grown, punch it back down and knead it a few times, creating an elongated loaf shape.
Place the unbaked dough in a loaf pan and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap that’s been misted with non-stick spray.
This will need another 30 to 45 minutes to rise a second time, and then it can go into the oven until golden brown and puffed.
You’ll know your bread is done baking when it makes a hollow sound when tapped.
CAN YOU LEAVE OUT THE SUGAR?
I personally really like the flavor of this bread with the amount of sugar and salt stated in the recipe card below. It’s not sweet, it just has a nice, balanced flavor.
But if you want to leave the sugar out, you can. Just be aware that the bread will need more time to rise because the yeast won’t have as much to feed off of.
And you might also notice that the shelf life of the bread will be cut short. Breads made without sugar tend to go stale more quickly.
CAN THIS BE MADE GLUTEN-FREE?
This recipe is not gluten-free and I have not tested it as such, but if you have a gluten-free flour blend that subs 1:1 for regular flour, I would think that would work well as a replacement for the all-purpose flour.
Here are a few good options:
CAN YOU MAKE THIS IN A BREAD MACHINE
I use my stand mixer for almost everything, including bread making.
But if you prefer to use a bread machine, it should work well with this recipe.
If you don’t have either, that’s fine too! You can totally mix this white bread up and knead it by hand. It’s very easy to do!
CAN THE DOUGH BE MADE AHEAD?
Making bread dough ahead can really be a great way to save time.
OVERNIGHT WHITE BREAD
Follow the recipe all the way through to shaping the loaf, then cover it tightly with greased plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours.
When you’re ready to bake it, take it out and allow it to come up to room temperature. Then give it 30 to 45 minutes to rise to twice its original size, and bake it as usual.
CAN YOU FREEZE THE DOUGH?
The unbaked dough can also be frozen after its first rise.
Punch it down and place it in an airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for about a month. (Any longer than that can kill the yeast.)
Then thaw it to room temp, shape it, allow it to rise a second time, and bake it off.
HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD LAST?
This white bread will keep at room temperature for up to a week. Just be sure to keep it tightly wrapped so it doesn’t dry out.
In the fridge, it will last around 2 weeks, and in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.
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This pillowy white bread recipe will be your new favorite! Straightforward & easy to make, and it bakes up so soft & fluffy! A perfect sandwich bread.
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 ounce active dry yeast* (1 packet)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (you may need as much as 4 1/2 cups)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
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Place the warm water and sugar in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof.
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Add the butter and 2 cups of the flour, and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
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Stir in an additional 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups of flour, along with the salt, mixing until the dough gathers itself into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
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Continue to knead, adding an additional 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
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Place the dough in a large greased bowl, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (30 to 45 minutes).
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Lightly mist a 5 cup loaf pan with non-stick spray.
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Punch down the dough and shape it into a loaf.
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Place the dough in the prepared pan, cover it loosely with greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (30 to 45 minutes).
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Uncover the dough and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
*Instant yeast may be substituted. Rise time may need to be reduced by 10 to 15 minutes. You'll know your dough is done rising when it has doubled in volume.
