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Single loaf of white bread cooling on a rack.

The Softest, Fluffiest Homemade White Bread You Can Make

Kevin Mayfield
Warm, fluffy homemade white bread has been a staple of cooks long before and after mid century because it is that good!
4.10 from 51 votes
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 24 slices
Calories 162 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 cups warm water just warm to the touch, not hot
  • 2 packets dry yeast .25 oz each
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 7 cups of all-purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • In your mixing bowl, add the packets of yeast and a ½ cup of warm water. Stir to mix. Let the yeast activate in the water for 5 minutes. Add the other 2-½ cups of warm water along with the 3 tablespoons of room temperature butter, plus the sugar and salt.
  • Add first 4 cups of flour to the mixing bowl and stir ingredients together. You can mix by hand, but I prefer to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
  • Mix on a low speed for 10 minutes while slowly adding the next 3 cups of flour. The dough ball should start to take shape and be 'tacky' to the touch, but not wet and sticky. It should 'clean' the sides of the bowl by itself, but feel free to scrape down excess dough if necessary.  I find I may not even need to add the entire 7th cup of flour. But if the dough is still too wet, slowly add the last cup of flour by the tablespoon until the dough ball becomes smooth.
  • Remove dough from mixer and place on a large, smooth floured surface. Do not knead the dough, just shape it into a ball and add a pinch of flour on it if it is still very sticky to the touch.
  • Place the dough ball into a large bowl that has been coated in vegetable oil. Roll the dough ball around so that the oil coats it. Cover with plastic wrap.
  • Place the bowl in a warm place and wait for 50 minutes to an hour as the dough doubles in size.
  • Place the dough back on the floured surface and split it into two equal balls.
  • Work one ball at a time to flatten and remove any excess air pockets. Once again, don't knead the dough, just push it down to flatten it. 
  • Shape into a rectangle about as wide as your 9 inch baking pan.
  • Roll that up into a tube and tuck the ends under itself and place into a 9" x 5" inch loaf pan that has been greased with cooking spray.
  • Repeat for second dough ball.
  • Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush lightly over the two loaves.
  • Place both loaves into an oven that has been pre-heated to 400 degrees.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking.
  • Remove from oven and once again lightly brush with remainder of melted butter. Let cool for 15 minutes while remaining in the pan.
  • Remove from the baking pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Always use fresh yeast to ensure it will be active. Old yeast may cause your bread to fail.
I like to place my dough in a warm, dark place that doesn't get a lot of air while it's rising, so I place it in an unheated oven.
If the loaves of bread are getting too brown while baking, place a piece of foil over the top to prevent over browning.
Store bread in an airtight container or tight-fitting plastic wrap and eat it promptly. It will get stale quickly since it has no preservatives.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 293mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 73IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 2mg
Keyword 5 ingredient bread, bread from scratch, easy bread recipe, Fluffy Bread, Moist Bread, Soft Bread, White Bread
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