This French honey bread is the best white, sandwich or toasting bread you’ll ever have.  It’s easy too.

My friend Shirley W has been making this bread recipe for years.  She told me it originally came out of an old booklet of recipes that came with one of her first bread machines.

Shirley’s French Honey Bread

Anyone who has made this has raved about what a great all-around bread it is. They are absolutely correct!  Shirley says her extended family beg her to make this and she even told me when she and her husband moved after they retired, her niece wanted her to FedEx the bread to her each week!  That’s how popular this is.

Perfect sandwich or toasting bread

This is the perfect white bread.  Which also means it’s a great toasting bread and sandwich bread.  I should mention that it’s very easy to make.  You can do it either in the bread machine entirely, just let the machine mix and rise and you shape, or totally do it conventionally.

Tender golden crust

Any way, it’s a terrific bread.  Sure to become a family favorite.

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Shirley's French Honey Bread

This French honey bread is the best white sandwich or toasting bread you’ll ever have.  It’s easy too.

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: French bread, honey bread, white bread recipe

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 tbs honey
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast I used bread machine yeast
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour

Instructions

Bread Machine:

• If using a bread machine, add the ingredients in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on BASIC/WHITE cycle...and that's it if you want to do it entirely in a machine. If you want to shape yourself, then set to DOUGH cycle and remove dough, roll and shape and place in a greased 9 x 5 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until double--about 30 minutes. Bake as for conventional method.

Conventional Method:

• Add all ingredients to the bowl of a large stand mixer. Using dough hook at speed recommended by manufacturer, mix dough and knead for 5-8 minutes.
• Put a little oil in a large bowl and add the dough, coating one side with oil. Turn oil side up, cover with greased plastic wrap and set in a warm, dry, draft-free place to rise until double in bulk--about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough and shape as for a loaf.
• Place in well greased 9 x 5 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and set in a warm, dry, draft-free place to rise until double in bulk--about 30 minutes. Note: Shirley cautions that this is a high-rising bread, so once it's shaped, when it has risen to 1-inch over the top of the pan, that is the time to bake.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake loaf for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and tapping the bottom of the loaf makes a hollow sound (190 degrees F on an insta-read thermometer).
• Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Moist and tender crumb

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