READY IN ABOUT 2¾ hrs

Blue Ribbon White Bread

Read Reviews (86)

"This is a county fair 'blue ribbon' winning loaf that is very tender and creamy." — ONESMALLANGEL

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the evaporated milk, 1/4 cup water, shortening, honey, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll out each half and roll into loaf shapes, sealing seams by pinching. Place in buttered 9x5 inch bread pans. Butter the tops of each loaf with melted butter; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm area until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Place a small pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Uncover loaves and bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 to 35 minutes. Brush butter onto crusts while warm. Slice when cool.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 35 mins
READY IN 2 hrs 40 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Aug 22, 2005

I, too, double the yeast and use melted butter instead of shortening. I have found that using butter not only improves the flavor, but it also eliminates the need to butter the crusts altogether. I also don't bother with the pan of water. No need! It is wonderful without the fuss!! The milk, butter, and honey give the bread the depth of flavor that we were looking for. The texture is perfect, and I love that it makes two 9x5 inch loaves. To make wheat bread, I just substitute whole wheat flour for the first 2 cups of bread flour. I can't believe that this recipe isn't more highly rated!!

—Sara

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 14, 2003

I think I am only the second person who did not like this recipe. It was very heavy and had an unpleasing taste. I will not make this bread again.

—LILENGLISHCHIC

See full review »

107 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

Jan 12, 2004

Ever since I decided to make my own bread by hand instead of buying the mediocre loaves at the grocery store, I've been in search of the perfect white bread recipe. Well, I found it a month or two ago in this. This bread has everything I want in a loaf -- the flavor is there, it really is tender and creamy enough you can eat it plain, and yet it holds together well enough for sandwiches and for scooping up gravies and sauces. You really do get the best of all worlds with this recipe. However, I recommend using a bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. I have found that all homemade loaves really benefit in texture immensley. The only other thing I eventually changed was using melted butter instead of shortening -- one time I had run out of shortening and didn't notice until it was too late, so I had to substitute. The butter tastes very, very good in this loaf! The texture isn't exactly the same, but the difference is very minor and I actually like it better. This is a keeper! Thanks, Kristin.

—SPEEDBMP

See full review »

Jun 23, 2003

Love it, love it, love it!!!!! I am a novice (with a capital N) baker, but I have made this several times and it always turns out great. As Kristin has said, it's creamy and rich. Actually, it's a little too good, because we're consuming a lot more bread than we usually do!!! :-)

—TRAVELR773

See full review »

Jan 23, 2006

YOUR SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT BREAD RECIPE CAN END RIGHT HERE! I followed this recipe EXACTLY. I've eaten some wonderful homemade bread in my life, especially since we don't live that far from Ohio's Amish Country. This bread blows every other out of the water! It is so unbelievably good. Not doughy, but nice and soft inside with a nice crust. It makes great rolls, too! I'm going to add a little more sugar and use it for cinnamon rolls. I'll probably never buy bread from the store again! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! :)

—Kristi

See full review »

Aug 20, 2003

Wonderful soft sandwich bread. I made half of the recipe in my bread machine. I put it through the dough cycle and shaped it into a long loaf and it turned out great. Thank You Kristin for responding to my request for the "Subway sandwich" type of bread. It was just what I was looking for.

—queen of cakes

See full review »

Jan 25, 2004

I found this recipe to yield a bread that was too salty, too sweet and not a very pleasant flavor or texture. It was easy to make with not too many steps.

—SHASTASHEEN

See full review »

Jan 16, 2004

Made this yesterday except I reduced the salt by 1/2 tsp and doubled the yeast (both recommended tips here, thank you). Don't like shortening, used melted butter. 1/2 dough as is; the other I spread cinnamon and butter (forgot the sugar part, yikes) before rolling up tight and into the pan. Family loved both and had them straight from the oven with butter, and camembert. Made cheese toasts (plain loaf,thickly sliced) served with corned beef hash for breakfast ... mmm. Quite dense if not for the increased yeast, but that's ok too, if you like dense bread. Good basic bread, with lots of possibilities. Thanks Kristin.

—Sereneblue

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Crusty White Bread

Low-Salt White Bread

Traditional White Bread

Grandma VanDoren's White Bread

Baxis White Bread

White Bread II

White Bread For The Bread Machine

Simply White Bread II

White Bread III

Buttermilk White Bread

Nutrition

Calories
184 kcal
9%

Carbohydrates
29.6 g
10%

Cholesterol
7 mg
2%

Fat
4.9 g
7%

Fiber
0.9 g
4%

Protein
5.3 g
11%

Sodium
218 mg
9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Blue Ribbon White Bread

Serving Size: 1/24 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 184
** Calories from Fat: 44

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 4.9g 7 %
** Saturated Fat 2g 10 %
** Cholesterol 7mg 2 %
** Sodium 218mg 9 %
** Potassium 90mg 3 %
** Total Carbohydrates 29.6g 10 %
** Dietary Fiber 0.9g 4 %
** Protein 5.3g 11 %
** Sugars 4.8g
** Vitamin A 1 %
** Vitamin C < 1 %
** Calcium 6 %
** Iron 16 %
** Thiamin 29 %
** Niacin 29 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 5 %
** Folate 39 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.