A great loaf that is easy to make in your stand mixer or even by hand. This everyday bread checks all the boxes and will become your daily bread.
I love a good bread. Well, this is a 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?
- Easy and great taste are a given.
- 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 also.
- I like the texture milk adds to 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.
- 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.”
- A one loaf recipe. This is cooking for two after all.
So after a number of trials and reading many recipes, 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.
MyRating
Not a fancy loaf. Just an excellent loaf.
Notes on My Everyday Bread
Most people think baking bread is “hard” but not really. Yes, there are lots of variables. How you measure your flour. Do you weight it? Fluff and measure? Or just dip into the flour. (I’m a dipper.) The temperature of the water, the room temperature, the age of the yeast and when the salt is added. Even the season of the year can affect the flour.
So what to do with all that? It is like fussy math. It will be OK, really. At it’s heart, bread is flour, salt, yeast, and water. If the yeast is good, it almost always turns out good.
So jump in and give it a try today. All you have to lose is a little yeast and flour.
Other Bread Recipes You May Enjoy
Julia Childs French Bread; Simplified
Stand Mixer Rustic Peasant Bread
To a stand mixer, add 4 cups flour, 1 package quick or instant yeast, 2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup dried milk. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Mix well in the bowl.
Start mix on a speed of two with the dough hook. Measure 1 1/2 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. Once it smooths you are about right. It needs to stick some to the bottom of the bowl. Allow to knead 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.
Roll into a lightly oiled bowl and form into a ball. Cover and place in 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.
Prep a 9 by 5 loaf pan with a light coat of oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Deflate the raised dough.
Form into the pan. Cover and allow to rise until about 1 inch above the top of the pan. About 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Bake for 20 minutes then tent lightly with foil. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown and an internal temperature of 195 to 200.
Cool on a rack.
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Great Everyday Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 cups dry powdered milk
- 1 package yeast - instant or rapid
- 1 tablespoon honey - sugar would be fine
- 2 tablespoons butter - softened
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-1 1/2 cup water - 105 to 110 degrees, I needed right at 1 1/4 cup
Instructions
- To a stand mixer, add 4 cups flour, 1 package quick or instant yeast, 2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup dried milk. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Mix well in the bowl.
- Start mix on a speed of two with the dough hook. Measure 1 1/2 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. Once it smooths you are about right. It needs to stick some to the bottom of the bowl. Allow to knead 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.
- Roll into a lightly oiled bowl and form into a ball. Cover and place in 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.
- Prep a 9 by 5 loaf pan with a light coat of oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Deflate the raised dough and form into the pan. Cover and allow to rise until about 1 inch above the top of the pan. About 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Bake for 20 minutes then tent lightly with foil and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown and an internal temperature of 195 to 200.
- Cool on a rack.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Jennell Baldwin
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
DrDan
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
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
Sam
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
DrDan
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
DrDan
Replace all the water with milk. It needs to been warm but not over 110 degrees like the water.
Dan
Cerwyn
Can u use a half cup of regular milk? I don’t have powdered.
DrDan
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.
Joan
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?