Classic White Sandwich Bread

I have always enjoyed baking homemade bread. For one thing, nothing beats the smell of freshly bakes bread. It's perfect for cold winter days or lazy Sundays when you have hours to spend around the house and can tend to it every hour or so for five minutes and then have a delicious treat at the end of the day. I also just love the idea of making such a basic staple, not having to worry when you run out of bread- you can just whip some up and it's even better than store bought. I have experimented with many different kinds of bread over the years and I love how many varieties you can make and the endless options. While I have liked some of the breads I have made, I often feel they haven't come out quite right and with a couple tweaks would be better, but then I end up opting to try another recipe next time instead and never perfect the previous ones. The Mr would agree- he says I may bake bread a lot but can hardly be considered very good at it! (I was slightly offended but had to agree it could be true). So I have decided to try to really focus on a couple great recipes and settle on some go-to recipes that I would be able to make perfectly every time. I'm starting with a super basic plain white sandwich bread, because after all it seems that something so basic should be easiest and most likely to come out and then I can build from there. Also we happened to be out of sliced bread so it seemed perfect to make some sandwich bread I could use for the next day. It came out pretty good. It rose perfectly and is light and fluffy yet still substantial enough for sandwiches. I may still make a couple tweaks (it's not super flavorful for example) and I will update this recipe as I do, but for now this is my version to go by.

{combine}

2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast

1/3 cup warm water

Let sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is dissolved and bubbly.

{add}

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 1/2 Tablespoons cubed butter

1 1/3 cup warm water

{stir in}

4 1/2 cups flour slowly

Knead for 10 minutes once it is all combined. Then place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap to sit and rise for one hour. Punch it down and take out of the bowl and place in a greased bread pan. Cover loosely and let rise again for another hour. While it rises for this second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Bake for 30 minutes, covering the loaf with aluminum foil about halfway through or when it is as brown as you want, so that it doesn't get too dark. 

Cool & enjoy.