It’s official – I’m completely addicted to making bread.  There is something so therapeutic about the smell of freshly baking bread in the oven, and I am showing up for my therapy session just about every other night right now!  Today I’m sharing my newest favorite- the best Honey White Bread.  The texture of this bread reminds me of the bread at Village Baker, and my family cannot stop eating it.  It just disappears slice by slice.

This bread is baked from an enriched dough.  It uses milk, honey, melted butter and an egg which gives it an incredibly tender crumb and fantastic flavor.  (My hubby says it should be called donut bread.)  After delivering a loaf to my daughter she texted me to tell me it was a bad idea to bring her this bread, that it was “stupidly good” and “problematic” as she was not going to be able to stop eating it.  I say, if you are going to eat bread, eat good bread.

A couple of tips for this recipe:

• You can use all purpose flour or bread flour for this bread.  Using bread flour is my favorite because it gives your bread a little more structure and chewiness, but if you only have AP, don’t let that stop you.  You are still going to have an amazing loaf of bread.  (You can also use half of each!)
• When adding your flour, start with the 5-1/2 cups and add small amounts until it’s the right consistency – it should be tacky to the touch, but shouldn’t stick to your fingers.  How much flour you need can vary depending on weather, altitude, and temperature of your kitchen, so just add by small amounts, up to a cup more, until it feels right.
• There are substitutions you can make in this loaf in a pinch such as substituting water for the milk, or shortening or oil for the butter if you are missing ingredients.  However, be aware that while you will still get a loaf of bread, it won’t be exactly the same.  The milk and butter bring so much texture and flavor to this bread, so if you substitute that out, it’s not going to be “the best” honey white bread, but it will still be delicious.

This recipe makes two big loaves in 9×5 inch loaf pans.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm milk (about 110-115 degrees)
• 1 Tbsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups bread flour (can substitute AP flour or do half of each)
• 1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp salt
• Egg wash:  1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
• Additional melted butter to brush on when it comes out of the oven

Instructions:

1. Put the warm milk in your mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over it.  Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes to make sure the yeast activates and gets foamy.
2. Add 5-1/2 cups of the flour, the melted butter, honey, egg and salt.
3. Use the dough hook attachment to mix the dough together on low speed.
4. Add small amounts of bread flour, (up to another cup total but you do NOT have to use the whole cup), just until the dough is the right consistency, (you want a soft dough that is easy to work with, and you want it to feel tacky, but not stick to your fingers.)
5. Let the mixer knead the bread on low speed (2 on my KitchenAid) for 5 minutes.
6. Scrape the dough in to a ball, place in a large oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.  (I turn the oven on at the lowest temperature for just 1 minute, then turn it off and put the mixing bowl in there.)
7. Lightly grease two loaf pans with non-stick spray.  (I use 9×5.)
8. Once the dough has risen, punch it down with your fist, then turn out on to a lightly floured pastry mat or counter.  Divide the dough in two equal portions – shape in to a ball.
9. Press or roll the dough out in to a rectangle, fold down a third of the dough from the shorter end and press it down with the heel of your hand.  Continue to fold and press until you have a roll – tuck in the ends, and place the bread with seams down in the prepared bread pan.  Repeat with the other piece of dough.
10. Cover the pans lightly with plastic wrap and let the loaves rise another 30 minutes in a warm place.
11. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.
12. Remove plastic wrap, brush the loaves gently with egg wash, then bake the loaves at 350 for about 30 minutes.  (Bread should register 190 degrees with an instant read thermometer to be fully baked, but not overbaked.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes in the pans before popping the loaves out of the pans on to a cooling rack and brushing with melted butter.
14. Cool the bread for at least 30 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife!