Homemade Amish White Bread (Printable)

Soft, fluffy white bread with a hint of sweetness—ideal for sandwiches, French toast, or warm from the oven with butter.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cups warm water (110°F)
02 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
05 - 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
06 - 5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

→ Optional Topping

07 - 1 tablespoon melted butter

# Steps:

01 - Dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the surface and let stand 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
02 - Stir salt and oil into yeast mixture. Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until soft dough forms that pulls away from bowl sides.
03 - Knead on lightly floured surface 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
05 - Punch down dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans.
06 - Cover pans and let rise until dough extends about 1 inch above rim, 30 to 45 minutes.
07 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
08 - Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped.
09 - Brush tops with melted butter if desired. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The texture is impossibly soft and pillowy, making it perfect for everything from morning toast to midnight sandwich cravings
  • It requires zero special equipment or technique just a bowl and your hands
  • This recipe yields two generous loaves, so you can keep one and share one, which is exactly how bread should be enjoyed
02 -
  • The dough should feel tacky but not sticky, too much flour will make dense bread while too little will make it spread flat
  • Temperature matters, if your kitchen is cold, find the warmest corner or create a warm spot by preheating your oven briefly and turning it off
  • Letting the bread cool completely before slicing seems impossible but prevents the crumb from becoming gummy
03 -
  • Weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale creates the most consistent results, but the cup measurements here have been tested thoroughly
  • If your dough is not rising, your yeast might be old or the water too hot, always test with an instant read thermometer

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