Honey White Bread

I have been slowly changing from a snack mood into a bread-making mood as of late. I've been having the urge to whip up a loaf of bread or bagels or something else equally tasty. Well, I did make a batch of cinnamon-less cinnamon rolls (which ended up in the trash), but that story is for another day. So when my sister suggested we try our hand at some simple white bread to try out her brand spankin' new KitchenAid mixer, I jumped at the chance. (Yes, I am still hanging around at my sister's.)

As this was a last minute decision, we had to find a recipe that would work with the ingredients we had on hand. Luckily, my sister had already found an easy recipe in the booklet that came with her mixer. I put my own little twist on it by switching out the sugar for honey -- I love that extra little hint of sweetness it gives the bread.

Honey White Bread
Adapted from: KitchenAid

1/3 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105 - 115 degrees F)
5+ cups all-purpose flour

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the milk, honey, salt, and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the yeast and warm water. Add milk mixture once it is lukewarm and 4 1/2 cups flour. Mix using the dough hook on medium-low for about 1 minute or until most of the flour is incorporated.

While continuing to mix, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Knead for an additional two minutes or until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide into two equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 7x14 rectangle. Starting with a long side, roll dough up jellyroll-style and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake loaves for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Makes: 32 slices (16 per loaf)

We went into this endeavor thinking we were making your typical white sandwich bread. Which to me screams floppy, thin, and light (hence why I never buy it any more). This bread was none of that. It smelled wonderful in the oven, and I totally wish we hadn't waited until late at night to begin on this project. A taste test would have to wait until the next day.

Instead of that lifeless loaf of bread you get off the shelf at the grocery, this bread has substance. It's far denser than your typical white bread, which means you can load it up with goodies all that much more. Is this an amazing bread recipe? While it definitely is better than your run-of-the-mill-grocery-store white bread, I think I'm still on the hunt for "the" white bread recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 89	Calories from fat 12
% Daily Value
Total Fat 1.3g	2%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	4%
Cholesterol 3mg	1%
Sodium 157mg	7%
Total Carbs 16.8g	6%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g	2%
Sugars 1.8g
Protein 2.3g
Vitamin A 1%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1%	Iron 6%