Milk and Honey White Bread

I ran out of my normal store-bought bread today and decided I was going to pull out a recipe I have been working on for a while and finish it.  Well, the results were so amazing that Chad, Munchkin and I ate about half of the loaf for dinner.

The recipe here is for a Milk and Honey Bread made with AP flour.  Milk and honey breads are very popular in the mid-west and incredibly flavorful.  This one is no different!

It has an wonderful texture, more dense than what you buy in the store, but soft and delicious.  The crust is slightly crisp and buttery.  Oh my, I get so excited just thinking about it!  You will be hooked once you try it.

I used honey that I just received as a gift and the honey element in the bread is absolutely divine.  I ate 3 pieces all on their own.  Chad and Munchkin enjoyed theirs with some fresh Strawberry Jam right off the stove.


Milk and Honey White Bread
4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets)

2-1/2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

1/2 cup honey

6 tablespoons butter, melted + 2 tablespoons reserved for greasing bowl and butter top

1 tablespoon kosher salt

7 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast, warm milk and honey.  Swirl with your fingers or a spoon to dissolve the yeast.  Allow to sit until the yeast starts to bubble and becomes aromatic, about 5 minutes. 

Add butter and 4 cups of flour, mix on low using dough hook, until smooth.  Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (mine takes the whole 3 additional cups) add salt.  Allow to knead for about 5 minutes.  You should have a ball of tacky (not sticky) dough at this point

Turn onto a floured board; knead about 10 turns. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350° for glass and dark pans (375° for light metal pans).  Brush tops with melted butter.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 

Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pans and brush tops and sides with melted butter.

Allow breads to cool before slicing.  Or at least TRY to wait.

YIELD: 2 Loaves


Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com