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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Everyday Basic Bread

    Aug 19, 2020 | Last Updated Apr 15, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.86 from 7 votes

    One loaf at a time basic homemade bread that is easy to make in your stand mixer or by hand. Fill your home with the great smells of baking bread with this homemade classic white bread you will enjoy for years.

    image of a loaf of bread sliced on a board

    Table of Contents
    • 📋Ingredients
    • ❄️Storage
    • 📖Bread Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    I love good bread. Well, this is great bread. I have been looking for an "everyday" bread recipe for several years. Yes, I said years. I have tried many; I have even taken pictures for a post several times. I just couldn't do it until now.

    So what was I looking for?

    1. Easy and great taste are givens.
    2. Stand-mixer option. I don't want to do hand kneading, mostly because I make a mess. It is a little work but more the mess. But flexible enough for hand kneading. I do no-knead bread, but the long time disturbs me—I think of nothing else all day long.
    3. I like the texture that milk adds to the bread. I don't like to "scald" milk. I don't even like to heat milk to a given temperature. It is just picky.  So powdered milk is a plus.
    4. I want to make a large enough loaf to use. Many recipes make short loaves that don't do it for me for toast or a sandwich. I want a loaf I can use "every day."
    5. A one loaf recipe. This is cooking for two, after all.

    So after many recipes and a number of trials, I have a winner. From King Authur Flour, we have an adaptation of their Classic White Sandwich Bread. It just has it all. I adjusted the salt a little and fleshed out the instructions a bit and adding options.

    MyRating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    Not a fancy loaf. Just an excellent loaf.

    📋Ingredients

    The Flour

    I'm an all-purpose (AP) flour user, and I think most of us are, especially in smaller households. It works for most uses, and flour does not store forever.

    You can use bread flour in this recipe. It is a direct one to one substitute. Bread flour has more protein and will usually produce a bit more rise and finer texture.

    You can substitute some whole wheat flour for part of flour, but this is not a "whole wheat recipe." I would go up to 25% on this recipe, but more than that requires other adjustments. Normally, even the 25% needs fluid adjustment, but how this recipe determines fluid is flexible enough to handle that, or you can add a bit more if needed.

    Lastly about flour, the most accurate way to use flour is by weight. But us Americans insist on cups.  I'm a cup guy. But never "pack it in", fluff it up some and level the cup with a knife.

    The Yeast

    Generally, home cooks use dry yeast since fresh is harder to find and has a very short shelf life (like two weeks).

    Consider instant and rapid yeast the same and is what I generally use. It dissolves rapidly and had a lot of live organisms.

    Active dry yeast (the really old fashioned stuff) is the same organism but needs to be proofed (pre-dissolved) and will have less live organisms, so it will be slower to work.

    I will frequently proof even instant/rapid yeast before use to be sure it is still good.

    The Sugar/Honey

    This needs some sweetness. I like to use honey and always have it, but many do not. The usual substitute for honey with sugar is generally between 1 part honey to 1.5-2 parts sugar.

    The Milk

    I prefer dried milk in bread recipes, but it is not a must. Just skip the dried milk and use liquid milk instead of water.

    My main reason has to do with temperature. The liquid should be 105 to 110 degrees when being added to yeast. Over 120 can start killing the yeast. I have been known to take 10 minutes to get my milk at the right temperature. It is much easier just to turn on the hot water.

    ❄️Storage

    Freshly baked bread should be stored airtight (after cooling) at room temperature. It will generally last about 3 days. Remember, there are no preservatives.

    You can freeze baked bread, although I prefer not to. One month is probably the maximum time to had acceptable results.

    You can also freeze the bread dough before baking. At the point of putting it in the loaf pan, seal well and freeze for up to 2-3 months. You can then thaw overnight in the refrigerator then let it rise before baking.

    📖Bread Recipes

    Julia Childs French Bread; Simplified

    Stand Mixer Rustic Peasant Bread

    Easy English Muffin Bread

    Multigrain Bread

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Bread Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    flour yeast and other bread ingredients

    To a stand mixer, add 4 cups flour, 1 package quick or instant yeast, 2 teaspoon salt, and ½ cup dried milk. Add 1 tablespoon honey or sugar, and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Mix well in the bowl.

    pouring water into stand mixer bowl

    Start the mixer on a speed of two with the dough hook. Measure 1 ½ cup of water at a temperature of 105-110. Add 1 cup and allow it mix. Slowly add a tablespoon of water at a time. If the dough is "shaggy," you need more water.

    kneading dough in the stand mixer

    Once it smooths, you are about right. It needs to be sticking some to the bottom of the bowl. Allow kneading 6-7 more minutes. You can also just mix well in a bowl and hand knead for 8-10 minutes. You're looking for smooth, bouncy and elastic.

    trasfer the dough to a large bowl

    Roll into a lightly oiled bowl and form into a ball. Cover and place in a warm place. Allow to rise until puffy and almost doubled—about 60-90 minutes. Please note the variation in rising time is based mostly on temperature.

    raised dough in a glass bowl

    Prep a 9 by 5 loaf pan with a light coat of oil. Preheat oven to 350°. Deflate the raised the dough.

    raw dough in a loaf pan

    Form the dough into the prepared pan. Cover and allow to rise until about 1 inch above the top of the pan. About 1 to 1 ½ hours.

    loaf pan in oven tented lightly with foil

    Bake for 20 minutes, then tent lightly with foil and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown. If you thump the crust, it should sound hollow. If you are not sure, then an internal temperature of 195° to 200° is done.

    baked loaf of bread on cooling rack

    Cool on a rack.

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    📖Recipe

    loaf of bread sliced on a board

    Everyday Basic Bread

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    One loaf at a time basic homemade bread that is easy to make in your stand mixer or by hand. Fill your home with the great smells of baking bread with this homemade classic white bread you will enjoy for years.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Rising Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 18 slices

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 4 cups flour - AP
    • ½ cups dry powdered milk
    • 1 package yeast - instant or rapid
    • 1 tablespoon honey - or 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
    • 2 tablespoons butter - softened
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1-1 ½ cup water - 105° to 110°

    Instructions

    • To a stand mixer, add 4 cups flour, 1 package quick or instant yeast, 2 teaspoon salt, and ½ cup dried milk. Add 1 tablespoon honey or sugar, and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Mix well in the bowl.
      flour yeast and other bread ingredients
    • Start the mixer on a speed of two with the dough hook. Measure 1 ½ cup of water at a temperature of 105-110. Add 1 cup and allow it mix. Slowly add a tablespoon of water at a time. If the dough is "shaggy," you need more water.
      pouring water into stand mixer bowl
    • Once it smooths, you are about right. It needs to be sticking some to the bottom of the bowl. Allow kneading 6-7 more minutes. You can also just mix well in a bowl and hand knead for 8-10 minutes. You're looking for smooth, bouncy and elastic.
      kneading dough in the stand mixer
    • Roll into a lightly oiled bowl and form into a ball. Cover and place in a warm place. Allow to rise until puffy and almost doubled—about 60-90 minutes. Please note the variation in rising time is based mostly on temperature.
      trasfer the dough to a large bowl
    • Prep a 9 by 5 loaf pan with a light coat of oil. Preheat oven to 350°. Deflate the raised dough.
      raised dough in a glass bowl
    • Form the dough into the prepared pan. Cover and allow to rise until about 1 inch above the top of the pan. About 1 to 1 ½ hours.
      raw dough in a loaf pan
    • Bake for 20 minutes, then tent lightly with foil and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown. If you thump the crust, it should sound hollow. If you are not sure, then an internal temperature of 195° to 200° is done.
      loaf pan in oven tented lightly with foil
    • Cool on a rack.
      baked bread on cooling rack
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. This is a one loaf recipe using a 9X6 or 10X6 loaf pan.
    2. Use instant or rapid yeast. If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm water and wait for some foam (about 5 minutes). Also, rising times will be longer.
    3. You can use liquid milk instead of dry. Use warm milk in the 105° to 110° range for the water.
    4. You can use bread flour. I always suggest unbleached flour. You can substitute about 25% whole wheat flour. This is not gluten-free, and gluten-free baking is a specialty that is not just substituting flours.
    5. The tenting with foil is to prevent over-browning of the crust since this is a large loaf.
    6. If you are comfortable with “tapping” for a hollow sound for the endpoint, that is fine, but an internal temperature of 195° to 200° is done.
    7. Good airtight at room temperature for 2-3 days. Good in the freezer for about one month. You can also freeze the dough for 2-3 months after the first rise. Instructions in the post.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 112 kcal (6%) | Carbohydrates : 21 g (7%) | Protein : 4 g (8%) | Fat : 1 g (2%) | Saturated Fat : 1 g (5%) | Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.1 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 0.4 g | Cholesterol : 4 mg (1%) | Sodium : 270 mg (11%) | Potassium : 81 mg (2%) | Fiber : 1 g (4%) | Sugar : 2 g (2%) | Vitamin A : 100 IU (2%) | Vitamin C : 0.2 mg | Calcium : 20 mg (2%) | Iron : 1.1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Bread
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally published November 14, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jennell Baldwin

      October 09, 2018 at 2:15 am

      Dr Dan,

      I was looking for a bread recipe that would be easy for my to try me hand at making bread. I came across your recipe and not only was it easy it turned out beautiful and tasted delicious.

      Thanks for sharing your recipe!
      Jennell

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 10, 2018 at 10:40 pm

        Hi Jennell,
        Welcome to the blog.
        It is so nice to make a good loaf of bread. Glad it worked well for you.
        Thanks for the note.
        Dan

      • Bev astles

        December 23, 2018 at 10:00 am

        I have tried the Great Everyday Bread recipe two times and each time it has failed me. I thought I followed the recipe exactly. The first time the bread did not rise even though I had bought new yeast. My grandson said that the yeast had gotten too close to the salt and was killed. The second time I mix the yeast with the honey and softened butter at 85 deg. The first rise worked the second did not

    2. Sam

      December 24, 2016 at 9:22 am

      Your use of the word abdication may be your attempt at a pun but really is not appropriate in the sense that King Arthur is not relinquishing anything - just my thought - I hope to try this recipe at a later date when we are home

      Reply
      • DrDan

        December 24, 2016 at 9:39 am

        Well, thanks for pointing that out. It should say adaptation, not abdication. I'm not a very "pun" person. Done in by the Mac spell checker again it appears.

        Have a happy holiday.

        Dan

    3. DrDan

      November 21, 2016 at 1:18 pm

      Replace all the water with milk. It needs to been warm but not over 110 degrees like the water.

      Dan

      Reply
    4. Cerwyn

      November 21, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      Can u use a half cup of regular milk? I don't have powdered.

      Reply
    5. DrDan

      November 14, 2016 at 9:01 am

      Hi Joan,
      No, but I have seen instructions somewhere. I do love a no-knead bread with the great gluten formation and that takes a day.

      This bread is quick to make. Just thinking out loud without actually knowing but yeast needs to be warm to rise. By the time you take it out of the refrigerator and get it going again to bake, you could probably just make it.

      Reply
    6. Joan

      November 14, 2016 at 8:54 am

      Hi, I'm looking forward to trying this. Have you ever tried making the dough the day before baking? If so, do you do the first rise before refrigerating?

      Reply

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