Amish White Bread

Introducing the bread that's been winning hearts and conquering kitchens—our Amish White Bread! This isn't just any loaf; it's a tender, velvety masterpiece that slices like a dream, making your sandwiches and toast the talk of the town. Kids adore its subtle sweetness, and guess what? It freezes beautifully, so you can always have a loaf on standby. With millions of Pinterest saves and thousands of 5-star reviews from delighted bakers, this recipe is a must-try!

Course Bread

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 1 30

Total Time 2 30

Servings 2 loaves

Calories 240kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup water 110F
1 pinch powdered ginger optional - activates yeast
1 cup milk 110F
⅔ cup sugar (you can use less)
1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable oil coconut oil works really well here (melt it first and let it cool to 100F)! OR use melted butter
5-½ cups bread flour you may need a little more or a little less
2 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

Conventional method

Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and milk in a large bowl.
Whisk in the yeast (and ginger if using).
Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture gets foamy.
Stir in 1 cup of the flour.
Whisk in the salt and oil.
With the mixer running add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
Knead by machine about 5 minutes.

Hand kneading

If you are hand kneading mix in the flour until you have a sticky dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic - adding flour as needed.

Rising and shaping

Oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it.
Oil the top of the dough and then cover with a damp cloth.
Allow it to rise until it has doubled in bulk. This will take about an hour.
Punch the dough down.
Knead for three minutes or so and divide in half.
Let rest for five minutes.
Shape into loaves and then place in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Brush the tops with the melted butter.
Let rise for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen an inch or so above the pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. An instant-read thermometer will register 190℉ when poked into the center of the loaf when it's done.

For a soft crust

For a soft crust butter the tops and place a clean tea towel over the baked loaves as soon as you take them out of the oven. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and then take them out of the pans to finish cooling, covering them back up with the tea towel.

Bread machine instructions

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order the manufacturer recommends.
Select white bread cycle.
Press "start".
When the dough has risen once and second cycle of kneading begins, turn the machine off. Press "start" again to reset the machine.
The dough will rise a second time before it bakes.

Notes

Storage:

Store wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for up to 2 days at room temperature. Freeze for longer storage.

Since this fluffy white bread freezes so well you can make several batches to have on hand when you need them. Give this Buttermilk Bread a try, too!

Tips

If you want something less sweet you can cut the sugar in half. It will change the texture a bit but will still be great.
This is one recipe I don't often use butter in. I use organic extra-virgin coconut oil because it adds just a little flavor to the bread. A light vegetable oil will work, too. Try it with coconut oil, light vegetable oil, or melted butter and just see what you like best. Make sure whatever you use is melted and cooled to 100F before adding.

Help with rising

There are definitely a lot of ways to get yeast doughs to rise - such as keeping it in the oven with the light on, etc. My favorite is to use a natural dough enhancer like one of these-

Ground ginger helps to activate the yeast and really get it going.
Potato water strengthens the structure of the dough allowing it to rise higher.
Click through to 5 Ingredients to Help Your Bread Rise to find more great ideas including a recipe for a natural dough enhancer -

Nutrition