Homemade Country White Bread is an approachable and reliable recipe that suits home cooks of all skill levels, delivering a soft, flavorful loaf every time. Its warm, comforting taste pairs perfectly with a classic pot roast for a satisfying meal.
Jump to:
🍞 The Ingredients
Simple, humble ingredients like flour, yeast, water, and salt come together harmoniously to create a light, delicious country white bread every time.
Expert Tip
Be sure to check the “Best By” date on your yeast. If it’s near expiring, get a new batch. You can use either Instant or Active Dry yeast. Instant works a little faster, but you get excellent results with both.
👩🏼🍳 How To Make Homemade Country White Bread
- Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Step 2: Add the remaining water, sugar, salt, butter, and flour. Use the dough attachment to knead the dough.
- Step 3: Place in a greased bucket bowl and cover.
- Step 4: Let rise until at least doubled in size
- Step 5: Turn out onto a floured surface
- Step 6: Cut in half, shape into two rectangles, and roll into tight cylinders.
Expert Tip
The dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Instead of proofing in a warm, non-drafty area, cover the bowl and place it in the fridge.
🧑🏾🍳 How To Bake Homemade White Bread
- Step 7: Place the cylinders into greased bread pans and cover with plastic wrap.
- Step 8: Proof until risen, about another 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap.
- Step 9: Brush with melted butter, bake, and then brush with more butter.
- Step 10: Cool on a baking rack.
🍽️ How To Serve and Store
- Serve Warm, Toasted, or at Room Temperature: To heat the bread, wrap it in foil and place it in a 275°F oven for 20 minutes. This bread is perfect for making Croque Madame, Monte Cristo, or a Classic BLT.
- Store at Room Temperature in a Bread Box or Paper Bag: Keep your bread in a bread box or wrapped loosely in a paper bag to maintain its crust while preventing it from drying out too quickly.
- Avoid Refrigeration: Refrigerating bread can cause it to stale faster due to moisture loss, so it’s best to keep it at room temperature unless you plan to freeze it.
- Freeze for Long-Term Storage: If you won’t finish the bread within a few days, slice it and freeze in an airtight bag; you can then toast or thaw slices as needed to keep it fresh.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
All-purpose flour works well for homemade white bread. Bread flour with higher protein content will give you an even chewier texture and better rise.
Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes by hand or 7-10 minutes with a stand mixer until it becomes smooth and elastic, which helps develop gluten for a good structure.
Dense bread can result from using too much flour, not kneading enough, or not allowing the dough to rise fully; make sure to measure flour accurately, knead properly, and let the dough double in size during rising.
🥯 Other Homemade Bread Recipes
Ready to make the best bread in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Homemade Country White Bread
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4½ teaspoon instant yeast Two 0.25 packets
- ¾ cup + 2⅔ cups warm water divided
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter cubed, room temp
- 9 to 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, for brushing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup of the warm water (approx. 105°F), and let sit for 5 minutes4½ teaspoon instant yeast, ¾ cup + 2⅔ cups warm water
- Add the remaining 2⅔ cups of water (warm), sugar, salt, butter (room temp), and 5 cups of the flour. Stir to combine.¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt, 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, 9 to 10 cups all-purpose flour
- Using a dough hook, mix on low speed and gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is soft and tacky, but not sticky (you may not need to use all the flour). Increase speed to medium and knead until a soft ball of dough forms and clears the sides of the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn it over so it is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface.
- Gently press it all over to remove any air pockets. Divide the dough into two pieces, and working with one piece at a time, gently pat it into a 9×12 rectangle.
- Roll up the rectangle, starting on the short end, into a very tight cylinder. Pinch to seal the seams and the ends, and tuck in the ends of the rolls. Place into 2 greased 9-inch loaf pans.
- Cover the loaves loosely and place in a draft-free area until doubled in size, about 60 to 90 minutes.
- Position an oven rack on the lowest setting and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Brush the loaves with some of the melted butter and then bake the loaves for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until golden brown. If browning too much on top, cover the bread loosely with foil.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush with more of the melted butter. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely before slicing.3 tablespoon unsalted butter
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is from Michelle of the amazing Brown Eyed Baker!
WL says
This bread is perfect EVERY TIME we make it! Golden brown crust on the exterior and fluffy white on the inside. We usually serve this with pot roast.
Kris Longwell says
The BEST!!!
Vicki says
This is the best bread recipe I have ever made! I’ve already made it twice! I have a question, would it be possible to freeze half of the dough to bake at a later time? If so, at what point in the recipe, before the first rise?
Kris Longwell says
Hi Vicki!! That’s so great to hear! We are thrilled you’ve had such awesome success with the bread! Yes, you can freeze the dough after the first rise. Let us know if you have any other questions! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Susie MacPherson says
This is an excellent and very easy recipe. Perfect for a beginner and delicious enough to please even a seasoned baker! Thank you as always for your superb recipes!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Susie! Thank you so much! We love this bread recipe, too!! So happy you had such great success! Nothing better than homemade bread!! All the best, Kris & Wesley