Honey Bread

Making bread at home is one of the cheapest, easiest ways to eat a healthier, tastier loaf of bread, and this soft honey bread recipe is a total winner. It tastes like your favorite white sandwich bread, with just a hint of sweetness thanks to the honey. The whole milk used in this recipe makes for a fluffy loaf that’s perfect warmed and smeared with butter or layered with sandwich ingredients. While this honey bread does require two rises, there’s little more delightful than the aroma of homemade bread wafting through the house. Make it ahead on a Sunday and use it for lunches throughout the week.

Ingredients for Honey Bread

• Active dry yeast: This is a basic yeast bread that uses two packages of active dry yeast.
• Whole milk: Make sure to warm the milk before adding the yeast to it.
• Honey: Honey gives the bread a bit of sweetness.
• Butter:  Melt the butter before adding it to the other ingredients.
• Salt: Salt balances the flavor of the honey and milk, and also works to strengthen the gluten for a proper rise.
• All-purpose flour: We use all-purpose flour in this bread recipe, but you could try swapping some of it for whole wheat flour.

Directions

Step 1: Activate the yeast

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Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm milk. The milk’s temperature needs to be between 110° and 115°; if it’s too cold or too hot, the yeast won’t proof.

Editor’s Tip: You can tell that the yeast is activated once it begins bubbling and the milk turns frothy. For more tips, check out our ultimate guide to yeast.

Step 2: Make the dough

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Add the honey, butter, salt and five cups of flour to the bowl. Beat the mixture until it’s smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour, in 1/2-cup increments, to form a soft dough.

Step 3: Knead the dough

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Transfer the dough to a floured board. Knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the bowl and and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about one hour.

Step 4: Shape the loaves

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Punch the dough down, and then cut it in half and shape it into two loaves. Put the loaves into two greased 9×5-inch loaf pans. Cover the pans and let the dough rise for a second time, until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Bake the bread

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Bake the honey bread until it’s golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. If the tops are browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil while baking. When the bread is done, remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool on wire racks before slicing.

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Honey Bread Variations

• Add herbs: Crushed rosemary or thyme kneaded in with the dough makes for some seriously tasty bread.
• Make it sweeter: Adding raisins and a cinnamon and sugar blend as you knead the bread will result in a flavorful homemade cinnamon raisin bread.

How to Store Honey Bread

Store bread in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and heat, inside a bread box, linen bread bag, plastic bag or paper bag. You can also stash it in the fridge, but the bread will likely dry out more quickly.

How long does honey bread last?

Homemade bread usually lasts up to four days, depending on the moisture and temperature in your house. Or, you can freeze the bread so it’ll last longer.

Honey Bread Tips

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Why is my dough not rising?

Although this honey bread recipe is fairly straightforward, sometimes dough can have a mind of its own. The most common reason that dough may not rise properly is because the yeast is old or dissolved in liquid that was too hot. Yeast should be stored in a cool, dry place, and it prefers warm temps for activation.

Why is my honey bread collapsing in the oven?

If the bread is overproofed, you used too much yeast, or you’re dealing with an incorrect oven temperature, you may have issues with collapsing bread. The most common reason is overproofing: Once the bread doubles in size, move on to the next step so it doesn’t overproof and then deflate in the oven.

How do I know when my bread is done?

The easiest way to check if bread is done is to knock on the dough. Open the oven door when the honey bread is golden brown in color and gently tap on the top with a wooden spoon or your fingernail. If it makes a hollow sound, you’ll know the bread is done.