Dan’s Old Fashioned White Bread – Don’t LOSE this Recipe 

👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Proof the Yeast 🫧🌾

1. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the 2 cups of warm water and ¼ cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Sprinkle the 1.5 tbsp of active dry yeast over the top of the water.
3. Let it sit undisturbed for about 5 to 10 minutes. When it’s ready, the mixture should look completely frothy, foamy, and smell delightfully yeasty. (If it doesn’t foam, your water was either too hot or your yeast has expired—time to restart!)

Step 2: Mix the Dough 🎛️🥣

1. Whisk the 1 tbsp of salt and the 3 tbsp of melted butter into your foamy yeast mixture.
2. Begin adding your flour, cup by cup. Start with 3 cups, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a dough hook attachment on low speed.
3. Keep adding flour half a cup at a time until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and slightly tacky, but not sticky to the touch.

Step 3: Knead to Pillow Perfection 🧘‍♂️💪

1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Knead the dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes (or 5 to 7 minutes in a stand mixer) until it transforms into a smooth, elastic, and beautiful uniform ball.
3. The Windowpane Test: Pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it out. If it stretches thin enough to see light through it without tearing immediately, your gluten is perfectly developed!

Step 4: The First Rise 🎈⏰

1. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place your dough ball inside, turning it over once so the top is lightly coated in oil.
2. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place it in a warm, draft-free spot in your kitchen for 1 hour, or until it has fully doubled in size.

Step 5: Shape into Loaves & Second Rise 📐🍞

1. Punch down the risen dough to deflate the air pockets. Turn it out onto your counter and divide it into two equal halves.
2. Roll each half out into a rectangle, then roll it up tightly into a log shape, pinching the seams together at the bottom.
3. Place each log into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
4. Cover the pans loosely with your kitchen towel and let them rise a second time for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough dome crowns beautifully about 1 inch over the rim of the pans.