Bread Machine Honey White Bread

4.57 from 58 votes

Bread Machine Honey White Bread

Soft, lightly sweet milk and honey sandwich bread that's easy to make in any bread machine. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, and French toast.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 50

Total Time3

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bread Machine, bread machine honey white bread, bread machine sandwich bread, Bread Maker, milk and honey bread machine recipe, sweet white bread machine recipe

Servings: slices (2 lb loaf)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Bread Machine

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

3/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Milk
2 Tbsp. butter or neutral oil
3 Tbsp. Honey

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

3 3/4 cups white flour Bread or All Purpose
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp SAF Instant Yeast or 2 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the liquid ingredients to the bread pan in this order: water, milk, oil or butter, honey. Pour the honey over the other liquids so it rinses off the measuring spoon cleanly.
Add the flour on top of the liquid, covering it completely so the yeast stays dry.
Make a small well in the center of the flour. Place the salt on one side of the well and the yeast on the other, so they aren't in direct contact.
Put the pan in the bread machine. Select the Basic White cycle and the light crust setting (honey browns faster, so light typically produces a medium-brown crust).
Press start. Watch the first 2 to 3 minutes of kneading. The dough should form a single smooth ball. If it looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. If wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.
Let the machine complete the full cycle (about 3 hours).
Remove the loaf from the pan onto a wire rack. Let cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

One and a Half Pound Loaf Ingredients

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf of Honey White Bread, you'll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

2/3 cup (160 ml) water
2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. (22 ml) butter or neutral oil
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) honey

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

2 3/4 cups (330 g) flour
1 tsp (6 g) salt
1 1/2 tsp (4 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast)

1-Pound Loaf: Cut the 2-pound amounts in half.

Yeast type conversions (2 lb loaf base):

SAF instant yeast or bread machine yeast: 2 tsp (these are the same product and are interchangeable 1:1). Placed in a well on top of the flour with the dry ingredients.
Active dry yeast: 2 1/2 tsp, dissolved in the water first (wait 10 minutes until foamy, then proceed). Active dry has larger granules, so it needs a little more to equal the same rising power. Not compatible with the delay timer.

Scale yeast amounts down proportionally for 1 1/2 lb and 1 lb loaves.

Milk substitution: Whole milk gives the richest result, 2% is fine, skim works but the bread is slightly less tender. Evaporated milk works 1:1. For dairy-free, replace the milk with an equal amount of water; the loaf will be slightly less tender but still good.

Honey note: Honey browns faster than sugar, so the crust comes out darker than a plain white bread. Use the light crust setting if your machine has one. For less browning, reduce the honey to 2 tablespoons.

Flour notes: All-purpose and bread flour both work. AP gives a softer crumb; bread flour gives a fluffier loaf with a firmer crumb that holds up better to sandwich fillings. If you use bread flour, you may need to add 1 tablespoon of extra water during kneading.

Delay timer: Compatible with SAF instant yeast and bread machine yeast (they are the same product). Not compatible with active dry yeast (which needs to be dissolved in water first).

Storage: 4 to 5 days at room temperature in a bread bag or wrapped in a clean dish towel. Honey keeps this loaf moist a day or two longer than plain white bread. Do not refrigerate. For longer storage, slice and freeze in a zip-top bag; frozen slices toast straight from the freezer.

Common troubleshooting:

Dense loaf: old yeast, water too hot, or salt in direct contact with yeast. Start with fresh yeast, use lukewarm water (under 110°F), and keep salt and yeast on opposite sides of the flour well.
Collapsed top: too much yeast or too much liquid. Next time, try 1 1/2 tsp SAF instead of tsp, or hold back 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Dark crust: honey browns fast. Switch to the light crust setting.

Oven-baked version: Combine ingredients and knead by hand or in a stand mixer for 7 to 10 minutes until smooth. Rise until doubled (about 90 minutes). Punch down, shape into a loaf, place in a greased loaf pan. Rise again until 1 inch above the pan rim (about 60 to 90 minutes). Bake at 350°F for about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Nutrition