White bread is often held up as a villain, a food that should be avoided at all costs, due to the fact that it lacks whole grains and because its name is nearly synonymous with overly processed, pre-sliced loaves. But many artisan breads are made with white flours and are still perfectly acceptable to eat, so the real villain here is the preservatives and other additives used in many white breads. Fortunately, all of them can be avoided by simply making your own.

White bread makes great sandwiches and even better toast. This loaf will remind you of the best sandwich bread you had from your childhood - only better. It has a very even crumb, or texture, and a light, buttery flavor.

The instructions may look a bit long, but it is an easy recipe to follow, especially if you have a stand mixer to help you with the kneading, though I regularly make it by hand. If two loaves is too much for you to eat in a couple of days, try freezing a loaf to make toast later or giving one to the neighbors.

Classic White Bread
(from Baking with Julia)

2 1/2 cups water, warm (105-115F)
2 1/2 tsp (1 package or .25oz) active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp butter, very soft

Combine 1/2 cup of the water with the yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy - about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining water, 5 cups of flour and the salt to the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon (or in a mixer), adding the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time, until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead in butter until dough is smooth and not sticky.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading for an additional minute or two, until it is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
Butter two 8x4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide in two equal portions. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out into a 9 inch wide x 12 inch tall rectangle, with the short side towards you. Fold one third of the dough down, then fold it down again. Pinch the bottom seam to seal. Your rectangle should be approximately 9x4 now. Turn the seam side up. Fold each end over about 1/2 inch, tuck in any loose ends and pinch to seal. Place the loaf seam side down into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan.
Cover loaf pans lightly with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. Dough will rise above the top of the pan.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.
Place loaves in oven and bake for 36-40 minutes. The loaves will be golden and will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom when they are done (you'll have to turn the loaf out of the pan to check, and you can also insert an instant-read thermometer into the bottom of the loaf. It will read 200F when the loaves are done.)
Remove loaves from pans immediately and let cool completely on a wire rack(2-3 hours) before slicing.
Makes 2 loaves