Country Honey White Bread

I have been working on a good sandwich bread for awhile, and I think I finally figured one out! It is great for toast and spreading butter, jam or making sandwiches. It’s so light with great chew and a little sweetness. The equal parts of butter and honey keep the bread really soft. It’s best held in an air tight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. pure honey
• 1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 envelope or 2 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

Directions

In a large bowl stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the honey, warm water and dry active yeast. Let is sit for about 5-10 minutes just to get foamy.

Then pour in the flour and salt and with the motor running pour in the melted butter. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes until it starts to come together and clean off the sides of the bowl. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes until smooth. Transfer back to a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm spot for about 45 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Punch down the dough and shape into an envelope folding the sides inward and slightly overlapping. Press the seam to seal. Grease the loaf pan with a little butter and sprinkle flour over the pan tapping it around to get it all covered and then dump out any excess flour. Place the loaf into the pan, cover with the kitchen towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Transfer the pan to the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Rotating the pan half way through, bake the bread for about 35-45 minutes. Until the bread is a beautiful golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes then remove to a wire rack and let it continue to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy with your favorite homemade jam or a little butter and sea salt, or build a delicious sandwich. Keep in an air tight container for up to a week or in the freezer for about 3 months.