Ingredients
4 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup warm water (about 110°F to 115°F)
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
Step by step
In a bowl of a KitchenAid® Stand Mixer, combine yeast and warm water (about 110°F). Let sit 5 minutes until yeast is dissolved.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and stir in milk. Heat the mixture until it reaches about 110°F to 115°F. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar and salt.
To the bowl with the yeast mixture, add 2 cups of the flour of your choice along with the warmed milk mixture. Stir to combine and create a shaggy dough.
Using the dough hook attachment on the Stand Mixer, knead the dough on speed 2 (recommended speed for kneading dough) for about 5 to 7 minutes, adding just enough of the remaining flour until the dough is smooth, soft, elastic and only slightly sticky (it should feel tacky, but pull away from the sides of the bowl).
Remove the dough from the Stand Mixer, shape it into a ball, grease the inside of the bowl with a thin film of oil and place the dough ball back in the bowl. Turn the dough once to coat it lightly with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down, divide it in half, shape each half into a ball and place them on a lightly floured surface. Let the dough sit for about 10 minutes so the gluten can relax (this makes it easier to shape into a loaf).
To shape the dough, use your fingertips to gently press each dough ball into a rounded rectangle. Fold over the top third of the dough onto itself, almost like a letter. Then, fold over the bottom third to overlap the other layers. Use your fingertips to pinch the seam closed.
At this point, you should have a log of dough with a very taut surface, but if it doesn’t seem taut enough, repeat the folding process one more time by pressing down the middle and folding up the sides. Sometimes, I’ll also roll the log of dough gently against my work surface to soften the seam line.
Carefully transfer each log, seam side down, into two greased KitchenAid® Professional-Grade Nonstick Loaf Pans. Cover the pans with a towel or plastic wrap and let them rise again until the dough begins to rise above the tops of the pans.
Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 375°F. Once the dough has risen, it’s ready to bake. Place the pans on the center rack about 3 inches apart and bake 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
When the loaves are golden brown and baked through (a good thwack with your fingers on the bottom of the loaf that makes a hollow sound will indicate that it’s done), remove them from the loaf pans and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.