Now that I have conquered a easy delicious whole wheat bread, I decided to find a good white bread recipe to make from scratch. So far this one is the winner. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's July 2004 magazine. Easy and it just tastes great!
06On a lightly floured surface, knead dough, adding up to 1 cup more flour as needed; knead until smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes (I do this with my dough hook in the mixer).
07Let rise in a large buttered bowl, covered with plastic wrap in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
08Preheat oven to 400.
09Butter two 4 ½ by 8 ½ inch loaf pans.
10Punch down the dough; transfer to a lightly floured surface.
11Divide dough in half.
12Gently knead each piece until smooth.
13Shape each piece into a loaf, tucking sides underneath to form a seam down the middle.
14Place loaves, seam side down, in buttered pans.
15Let rise until dough reaches top of pans, 15 to 20 minutes.
16Brush top of loaves with butter.
17Bake until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottom (briefly turn out loaf to test), 35 to 45 minutes.
18Let cool slightly in pans on wire racks; unmold.