Soft White Bread

I have been on the hunt for the perfect sandwich bread recipe for years now.  Both my husband and son prefer white bread, but I pretty much never buy it for them and force them to eat wheat bread because it's better for them.  However, once in a while I like to treat them to white bread, sometimes buying it and sometimes making it.  My mother-in-law always made her own bread, and my husband LOVED her bread growing up.  So I have been trying to find something that replicates her bread - soft white bread, but not dense.  Over the years I have tried lots of recipes and none of them have even come close to what I am looking for.  Most of them were pretty decent recipes, just not what I'm looking for.  

That is, until now.  I really loved this bread and so did my husband.  He said it's the closest to his mom's bread that I've gotten to so far.  Now, I let this particular loaf rise about 15 minutes too long by accident, so I am hoping that when I try it again it will be exactly what I am looking for!  If not I have one more recipe to try that I was hoping may be the one, but this recipe will be hard to beat.  I don't know where I got this recipe from because it's been in my mile high stack of recipes to try for years now.  However, a big thank you goes out to whomever this recipe belongs to!  Definitely wonderful bread, and I will be keeping this recipe for sure.

Soft White Bread

6 tbsp warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup more of warm water
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the yeast and 6 tbsp of warm water and let it set and dissolve for 5 minutes.  Add the sugar, salt, butter and additional 1 1/3 cups warm water and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes to combine.  Add 2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed for one minute, then add the remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and turn the mixer to medium-low and let the dough hook knead the dough for about 10 minutes.  Dough should be nice and smooth and not be sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Spray a large bowl liberally with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl turning it to cover the dough with the oil from the cooking spray.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for an hour.

Punch down the dough and place onto a floured work surface.  With a rolling pin roll it into a 12x12 rectangle.  Tightly roll it up and seal the edges.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.  Tuck the ends of the dough tightly underneath and place the dough into the loaf pan.  Set pan in a warm spot and let it rise for another hour.  

Preheat oven to 425.  Place loaf pan on bottom rack and back for 15 minutes.  Cover the loaf with foil and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven brush the top with butter.  Cool on wire rack.