Homemade White Bread

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups warm water 115°F
• 2 tablespoons melted butter optional

Instructions

1. Add 2 cups of the flour, dry milk, sugar, butter, yeast, and salt to the body of a stand mixer. With the hook attachment, mix it around just to combine for a few turns.
2. Add the water and mix to combine.
3. On slow speed, begin to add the flour a little at a time until you come to 5 cups of flour. Place the mixer on medium-high speed, the dough should clean the sides of the bowl after a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t, add a little flour at a time until it does, up to ½ cup more flour.
4. Continue to mix/knead the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic. Spray the dough with a little cooking spray and roll it around in the bowl, so it is lightly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place in your house for about 1 hour.
5. Take off the plastic wrap and punch the dough down in the bowl to release the air bubbles.
6. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand to get any additional air bubbles out, about 1 minute.
7. Spray 2 9×5 loaf pans with cooking spray.
8. Divide the dough into two even pieces. With your hands, roll them out into a log. Place each log into a prepared baking pan.
9. No need to cover the dough again. Let them rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
10. While they are doing the second rise, preheat the oven to 400°F.
11. Once doubled, make a slit down the center of the bread if desired. Place the loaves into the oven and immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
12. If desired, immediately brush the bread with the optional melted butter. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
13. Take out of the pans and cool on a wire rack completely.