Amish White Bread

The perfect sandwich bread! Soft, slightly sweet, and great for sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 Cup water, 110F
1 Cup milk, 110F
1/4 Cup sugar, (you can use less)
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1/4 Cup butter
5 1/2 Cup flour
1 tbsp Oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter two 9×5-inch loaf pans.
Warm the milk, then stir in the warm water and yeast.
Note: Make sure the water isn't too hot, or it will kill the yeast. It should feel warm to the touch, not hot.
Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, or until the yeast becomes foamy.
Stir in 2½ cups of flour, then add the salt and oil.
Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix until fully incorporated.
If the dough is still very sticky, add the remaining 1/2 Cup of flour.
If it is still too sticky to handle, sprinkle flour onto the countertop and turn dough onto the flour. the
Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding only enough flour as needed to prevent sticking, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the bowl, then return the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough to coat all sides with oil.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes to remove air bubbles.
Divide the dough in half (or into 3 portions if the recipe has been doubled).
Shape the dough into loaves and place them into the prepared loaf pans.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size, 30–45 minutes.
Brush the tops with melted butter and bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when thumped.
Allow the bread to cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

This bread freezes well. I put 1 loaf in the freezer, 1 loaf in the refrigerator and the first loaf doesn't usually make it past the next day:)