Homemade White Bread
There are few things more satisfying than a loaf of homemade white bread cooling on the counter. The kind you slice thick, spread with butter and jam, and immediately understand why simple recipes endure. This is classic bread baking at its best, dependable, comforting, and made to be shared.
Our Homemade White Bread recipe is one we come back to again and again. It’s soft yet sturdy, with a tender crumb and golden crust that holds its shape beautifully for sandwiches, toast, or serving alongside your favorite soups. Made with The Old Mill Classic White Bread Flour, it delivers that familiar, just-right texture that feels like home from the very first slice.
Whether you’re baking for a weekend gathering or simply filling your kitchen with something warm and familiar, this is the kind of bread that reminds you how good homemade can be.
Homemade White Bread
Ingredients
- 5½ to 6 cups The Old Mill Classic White Bread Flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Whisk together 5 ½ cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until just hot to the touch. Turn off the heat. Stir in the oil. The mixture should be about 120ºF. Pour into the bowl with the flour mixture, and beat on low speed with an electric mixer until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough becomes a sticky ball. If needed, add the remaining ½ cup flour to bring the dough together into a ball.
- To knead the dough by hand, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. Or, attach a dough hook to the mixer and beat on low until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel. Place in a warm place to rise until it has doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough with your fist and divide into two pieces.
- Brush two 8 ½-inch loaf pans with some of the melted butter. Roll each piece of dough into a 12 X 7-inch rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin. Beginning at the short end of the rectangle, roll up tightly, tuck the ends under and carefully place in the loaf pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Cover the pans with the kitchen towel, and place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Lightly brush the top of the loaves with the remaining melted butter. Bake until the loaves are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and turn the loaves out carefully onto a rack to cool before slicing. Makes two loaves.