Amish White Bread

A slightly sweet, soft & tender loaf of Amish White Bread is so simple and easy to make that it is almost easier than picking up a loaf at the store.  And it tastes so much better and fresher!  Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just eaten piping hot from the oven slathered with butter and honey or jam!  

When it comes to simple, classic soft and tender bread, this is Amish white bread is my favorite, go-to recipe.  I have been using it for years and years with only slight modifications to the original recipe that was probably shared with me by a college roommate or someone.  I wish I could remember.  But this is the recipe that really taught me how to make bread.  It’s so simple and forgiving and easy to work with and you will get two perfectly beautiful, rounded loaves that have a golden brown crust and a soft, white interior.  You are absolutely going to love it.

Another thing I love about this bread is how quick it is to make.  Sure there is rising time that takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours total, but the actual active work time where you mixing and kneading the bread and then shaping it into loaves is more like 10 minutes.  It’s easy to throw a batch together and let it rise and bake while preparing a pot of Lasagna Soup.  I mean, what is better on a cold day than a bowl of soup and a slice of homemade bread?

One of the changes I made to the original recipe was to decrease the sugar and replace some of it with two tablespoons of honey.  It gives the bread a subtle sweetness and just a hint of honey flavor.  And rubbing the top of each loaf with butter right when they come out of the oven makes it so, so good and keeps the crust nice and tender.  We all have our weaknesses when it comes to different foods and I have to admit that really good bread is right up at the top of the list for me.

5 from 1 vote

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Amish White Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 6 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water, sugar, honey and yeast and stir to combine. Allow the yeast to proof until foamy. Once the yeast is bubbly, add the salt, oil, and 2 cups of flour and mix well. Continue adding flour, one cup at a time, kneading with the dough hook on medium speed until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Once the dough is smooth, transfer it to a large bowl, coated with a tablespoon of oil, turning the bread dough to coat the outside in a thin layer of oil so it doesn't dry out. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
2. Once the dough has rise, punch it down (like, literally just make a fist and push it once right in the center of the risen dough). Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves by forming two oblong balls of dough and placing each loaf into two oiled 9x5-inch bread pans. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and allow the loaves to rise for another 30-45 minutes, or until dough has risen about 1 inch above pans.
3. When the dough is close to being ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake at the loaves for 28-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Rub the top of each loaf of bread with a pat of butter as soon as you pull them out of the oven, then turn the loaves out onto a clean cloth or cooling rack. Slice and use for sandwiches, toast, or just slathered with butter, honey, or jam.

Recipe Notes

Before punching down the dough, this recipe works well for making fry bread or Utah scones by pinching off small chunks of dough (a little larger than golf ball size), and flattening and stretching them by hand into patties. Cut a small slit in the middle of each dough patty so that it will cook through evenly, then fry in a thin layer of hot oil in a frying pan, turning to brown each side. Serve hot with honey, jam, or powdered sugar and a glass of cold milk.