Basic Homemade White Bread Recipe

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk together warm water, yeast, and ½ tablespoon sugar. Let rest 10 minutes.

Fit mixer with the paddle attachment. To the yeast mixture, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, salt, milk, butter, and about ⅔ of the flour. Mix until well combined.

Switch to hook attachment, add remaining flour, and knead on low speed until it comes together well.

Continue to knead at low speed, while adding a little more flour as needed to create a soft, non-sticky yet supple dough.

Knead for bout 7 to 8 minutes until the mixture clears the sides of the bowl and becomes smooth. Transfer dough to a bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and cover bread (sprayed side down, don’t wrap tightly just drape over so the dough has space to expand). Let rest for about 1 to 1½ hours until doubled in volume.

Press dough down, then transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Pat and stretch dough to a rectangle about 14 x8-inches.

Roll dough up starting on one of the 8-inch ends and rolling to the opposite side. Transfer to a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray (or use plastic wrap used to cover the bowl) and drape greased side down over bread pan, leaving room for the bread to expand. The plastic wrap shouldn’t be wrapped tight.

Let rest for about 1 hour until the loaf is about 1½ to 2-inches above the height of the bread pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F near the end of that rise period.

Bake loaf in the center of the oven for about 35 to 42 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking, until golden brown on top and it sounds hollow when tapped. The loaf should register 195 degrees F in the center or an instant-read thermometer.

Remove from oven, run a stick of butter over top (using about ½ tablespoon). Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to slice.

Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or for longer shelf life store in the refrigerator.