A soft, delicious homemade honey, white bread that's simple to make and perfect for sandwiches and toast.
While practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible, I've been baking up a storm. Currently I'm baking my own bread and this homemade one is amazing. You really must try it! I think everyone needs to know how to make homemade bread and it's a lot easier than you think.
This homemade bread recipe makes a deliciously soft honey, white bread that's perfect for sandwiches! I haven't tried a whole wheat version using this recipe, but nothing beats plain old soft and chewy white bread. This sandwich bread makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese or toasted with butter and jelly.
The recipe yields one loaf of bread, but I highly recommend doubling the recipe to make two. My family always finishes off the first loaf in a day or two, so you'll definitely need a second or even a third loaf to freeze. You can use water or milk in this recipe, but I prefer to use milk because it makes a richer, softer loaf of bread that browns up beautifully.
Our local grocery store has flour and yeast in stock, so hopefully it's accessible to you as well. I normally keep yeast on hand and store it in the freezer. Then when I'm ready to bake bread, I just pull it out and bring the yeast to room temperature and then begin the bread preparation. I hope our favorite homemade sandwich bread will quickly become your favorite too! Let's get started.
In a large stand mixer or kitchen aid mixer bowl, add the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients.
Mix to combine on medium speed until you get a nice soft, but sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
When you get to this consistency, set the mixer on low and knead the dough for 5 minutes; the dough should be a bit sticky and pliable when pulled or pinched. Remove dough from dough hook.
Shape the dough into a ball and tuck the ends under the bottom.
Coat a bowl with oil and turn the dough ball over once to coat the dough. I like to turn the oven to 100 degrees and then turn it off before placing the bowl with the dough inside the oven. In a small bowl add about 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a light boil in the microwave.
Add the bowl with the bread dough into the oven and cover with a flour sack or thin towel. Then add the bowl with water and shut the oven door. Let the dough rise until double in size (about 1 hour). The steam from the water helps the bread stay moist.
Remove the bowl and punch the dough down, remove from bowl and place on a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, shape the dough into a rectangle almost the length of the bread pan.
Roll dough up jelly roll style and pinch off seams and ends of dough. Place the dough into a metal sandwich style bread pan that has been greased with shortening. Spray top of dough with butter spray or brush on real butter. You want to place the dough into the bread pan evenly (more like the one pictured on the left). The one on the right is a bit thicker in the middle and you don't want that.
Place bread pan back into the oven (on the off setting) with another bowl of boiling water, cover and let rise just until the dough rises to about 1/2 inch above the bread pan. The loaf on the left rose a bit higher. The dough to the right is perfect. Remove pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and check the bottom and sides of the bread. If it is still not golden brown place the bread back into the bread pan and back in the oven and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes. When the bread comes out of the oven and is still hot, coat the top of the bread with butter and then remove the bread from the pan. Lay the bread loaf on its side on a baking rack to cool completely (laying the bread on its side helps hold the shape of the bread).
Bread must be cooled completely before slicing. Use a GOOD bread knife for slicing homemade bread. I have a Kai bread knife, but any good serrated bread knife will work. Here is a great tutorial on how to slice homemade bread. Store sliced sandwich bread in a bread container or bread bag for up to 4 - 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
Honey White Bread
3 - cups all purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 - tablespoons powdered milk
3 - teaspoons instant yeast (if using active or rapid rise yeast see note below)
1 - cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
3 - tablespoons honey (I use raw honey)
3 - tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
shortening to grease bread pan
1. In a large stand mixer or kitchen aid mixer bowl, add the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix using the dough hook on medium speed until you get a nice soft but sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
2. When you get to this consistency, set the mixer on low and knead the dough for 5 minutes; dough should be a bit sticky and pliable when pulled on or pinched.
3. Remove dough from dough hook and shape into a ball. Coat a bowl with oil and turn the dough ball over once to coat the dough. I like to turn the oven to 100 degrees and then turn it off before placing the dough inside the oven.
5. In a small bowl add about 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a light boil in the microwave. Add the bowl with the bread dough into the oven and cover with a flour sack or thin towel. Add the bowl with water on the oven rack and then shut the oven door.
6. Let the dough rise until double in size (about 1 hour). The steam from the water helps the bread stay moist. Remove the dough and punch the dough down, remove from bowl and place on a floured work surface.
7. Using a rolling pin or your hands, shape the dough into a rectangle almost the length of the bread pan. Roll dough up cinnamon roll style and pinch off seams and ends.
8. Place the dough into a metal sandwich style bread pan that has been greased with shortening.
9. Place bread pan back into the oven (on the off setting) with another bowl of very hot water, cover and let rise just until the dough rises to about 1/2 inch above the bread pan.
10. Remove bread pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and check the bottom and sides of the bread (slide the bread out of the pan a bit). If it is still not golden brown place the bread back into the bread pan and back into the oven and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
12. When the bread comes out of the oven and is still hot, coat the top of the bread with butter and then remove the bread from the pan. Lay the bread loaf on its side on a baking rack to cool completely (laying the bread on its side helps hold the shape of the bread).
13. Bread must be cooled completely before slicing. Use a GOOD bread knife for slicing. Store sliced sandwich bread in a bread container or bread bag for up to 4 - 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
recipe yields: 1 loaf bread
Cook's Note: you can substitute 3 tablespoon sugar for the honey or omit the powdered milk and just use all water. I do not recommend using wheat flour in this recipe. If you're looking for a soft whole wheat bread Aunt Kathy's Whole Wheat Bread is soft and delicious. Aunt Kathy's bread is normally the recipe I use when I want a homemade whole wheat bread.
Which Type of Yeast Do I Use?
Instant Yeast - is made to be added or mixed directly into the dry ingredients, so there is no proofing (mixing with warm water) to be done. Your dough will need to rise twice (once in a bowl until double in size then a second time once shaped into loaves.
Active Dry Yeast - needs to be added to liquid to proof first before using. In this case you would add the active dry yeast to the amount of lukewarm water (110 - 115 degrees) called for in this recipe. Then it is added to the dry ingredients. Your dough will need to rise twice (once in a bowl to double in size then a second time once shaped into loaves).
Rapid Rise Yeast - Rapid or quick rise yeast can be added directly into the dry ingredients and does not need to be proofed. With rapid or quick rise yeast you can skip the first rise of the dough. Mix all of the ingredients together and let the dough rest about 10 minutes in the mixer bowl (the dough will not rise) before kneading. After the 10 minutes, knead the dough, shape into loaves and let the dough rise. Rapid rise yeast omits the first rising all together.
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