Homemade Sandwich Bread

My family doesn't eat a lot of sandwich bread. So, we always end up throwing out or feeding the birds in our yard half a loaf of bread. I decided we needed a change! My mom gave me two loaf pans for Christmas and they have been gathering dust in the cabinet. Thankfully, I found a great recipe online and the reviews were all positive so I thought it was worth a shot.

This is a recipe for white bread made with all purpose flour. I'm sure it would turn out even better with bread flour or wheat flour. But, I just used what I had on hand. You can also make this bread with or without a stand mixer. The crust comes out soft just like a loaf you buy at the store. No need to cut it off!

The recipe below is for 2 loaves of bread. I cut it in half and made just one loaf since we don't eat a lot of bread.

Prep. Time: 2 hrs 20 mins | Bake Time: 35 mins | Yields 2 loaves of bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. active dry yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. Prep your yeast by pouring the warm water and sugar into a bowl and letting the sugar dissolve. Once the sugar has dissolved, sprinkle the yeast into the bowl and stir until combined. Let this sit for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to proof. You will know your yeast is ready when it starts to form a foam on the surface of the water.
2. Once your yeast has been prepped, add the remaining ingredients. Knead by hand for 10 minutes or let your Kitchen Aid Mixer to the work for you for about 5 minutes. If you are using the Kitchen Aid, I suggest setting it to level 2 or 4. Also, WALK AWAY! Do not look at the dough when it is being kneaded. It will look very dry at first and you will think that you need to add more liquid, DON'T! After the kneading is done, you will be left with a slightly sticky and stretchy dough. 
3. Grease a bowl and form the dough into a ball. Put the ball of dough into the greased bowl and cover with 2 kitchen towels. Let it rise for 1 hour in a warm area.
4. If you are making 2 loaves, this is when you will take the ball of dough out and divide it into 2 pieces. Then knead the dough for a few minutes by folding it over itself to form a slight oval shape. Place the dough into 2 greased loaf pans. Let it rise again for another hour, uncovered this time!
5. Place the loaf pans into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
6. Let your bread sit in the loaf pan for about 5 minutes before removing it. 
7. Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing into it. This will prevent it from crumbling. It is best to let it cool completely. 

Hopefully you enjoy this bread recipe as much as we do! We store the bread in an old bread bag from the grocery store. It keeps it fresh for about 4 days.