Most bread recipes are for two loaves, which is way too much for one person to eat. I have another super-easy bread recipe, which is great for dipping in olive oil or eating on the side, but not ideal for a sandwich. This Kitchenaid white bread recipe makes a single loaf of bread that’s light, soft, and perfect for peanut butter and jelly, tuna salad, or your favorite sandwich fixing.
I got the recipe from the original Kitchenaid cookbook that came with my mixer. I cut the recipe in half (for one loaf) and I have also added instructions on how to shape the loaf of bread. Follow these simple tips and you’ll get a perfect loaf of fresh bread that looks like it came from a bakery.
The other key to the success of this Kitchenaid white bread recipe is my loaf pan. When I made the bread for this post I completely forgot to grease and flour the pan! I figured I would end up with a horrid mass of bread stuck to the pan. Nope! It came out perfect and popped right out of the pan!
One Loaf Kitchenaid Bread Recipe
Most bread recipes make too many loaves for one person. This one is a single loaf of white bread that's the perfect size and texture for sandwiches.
Notes
Note that the prep time includes time for the bread to rise twice.
Ingredients
- 1/4 C milk
- 4 1/2 tsp sugar (or 1 T plus 1 1/2 tsp)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 T butter
- 1.5 tsp instant yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp standard active dry yeast)
- 3/4 C warm water
- 2 1/2-3 C flour
Instructions
- Take a small saucepan and add the first four ingredients (milk, sugar, salt, and butter) to the pan. Heat that on a low flame, just enough to melt the butter. Stir it occasionally to make sure the sugar dissolves and is mixed thoroughly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool off. You want the mixture to be lukewarm (not too hot, or it will kill the yeast).
- Add the yeast and warm water to the mixing bowl of your mixer. If you are using active yeast, let it sit for 5 minutes or so. If you are using instant yeast, go on to the next step.
- Add the lukewarm milk mixture to the mixing bowl. Then add the smaller amount of flour.
- Now attach the dough hook to your mixer. Put the mixer on speed 2. Let that mix for a minute or two. Now check it and see if it has formed a tight ball around the dough hook. If it has, go to the next step. If not, add more flour.
- Keep kneading the dough, on the same speed for 2 or 3 minutes more. The dough should be smooth and stretchy. When it's kneaded enough, a small piece will stretch enough, without breaking, so you can nearly see through it.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and grease that bowl (or a fresh one) with about a capful of neutral oil.
- Put the dough back in the bowl and turn it around to grease the entire outside of the ball.
- Cover it with a towel, and set it a warmish spot (about 75 degrees) for about an hour. It should now be about twice its original size.
- Now punch it down.
- Sprinkle some flour on a board or counter and put the ball of dough on top. Flour your rolling pin too. Now roll out the dough into a rough rectangle (about 9 x 14 inches). This helps to smooth it out. Starting from the narrower side, roll the dough up into a cylinder. Pinch the bottom and sides shut to form a seam. Put the dough in a greased/floured loaf pan with the seam side down.
- Cover the pan and let the dough rise again for about another hour.
- About 45 minutes in to the second rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Put the bread in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Once it's done, remove the loaf of bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.
Tools and Ingredients for This Recipe
Norpro Stainless Steel Bread Pan
I call this my magic bread pan. It looks as clean and shiny six years later as it did when I bought it. It’s not a standard non-stick pan, but whatever they did to it, the food does not stick. It cleans up from banana bread, apple bread, meatloaf, potato bread—doesn’t seem to matter. Which is great when you don’t have a dishwasher and don’t want to spend all day cleaning pots.
Saf Instant Yeast, 1 Pound Pouch
This is so much better than buying tiny, expensive packets of yeast. Those packets cost a dollar each and after three loaves it’s all gone. With this big bag, you can bake dozens of loaves rather than just three, and it’s far more economical. Keep the bag in the freezer so it stays fresh. Also, since it’s instant yeast you don’t have to wait for it to activate. Just add your ingredients and keep going.
J.K. Adams FRP-1 Maple French Rolling Pin
Most rolling pins have tiny handles on the ends, that somehow make them harder to hold and roll, especially if when your hands get sticky. This one is different. It’s long and tapered, so there’s more surface area to roll out and shape the bread dough. It’s much easier to use than the old, carved one I had.
I admit, it took me a while to get one of these. But it’s really fantastic for getting your dough into the bowl to rise. It’s also great for scraping bits of dough and flour off the counter . Or, use it to scoop up chopped veggies and toss them into your pot.
More Kitchenaid White Bread Recipes
Kitchenaid Honey Oat Bread Recipe
Slightly sweet, with oats mixed right into the dough, with more sprinkled on top. Great for toast, especially cinnamon toast.
Single Loaf Bread Recipe Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Just about the easiest loaf of bread you can make. No shaping, or rolling required. And the ingredients are simple: flour, water, yeast, salt, and a little sugar so the yeast don’t go hungry.
Single Loaf Challah Recipe for Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
A single golden, round loaf of challah. Perfect for the holidays. If you haven’t heard of this bread before, it’s a kissing cousin to brioche.
Kitchenaid Potato Bread Recipe
Why potatoes? It’s not just flavor. The potatoes also make the bread moist and tender. You get the softness of store-bought, without having to go to a store. And since you made it yourself, you know exactly what’s in it. You also can enjoy that wonderful fresh bread smell as it bakes.
Thanks for posting this! When do you add in the milk/butter/salt/sugar? Seems to me that the warm water/yeast should go into it before the flour, but would really appreciate if you’d clarify this point. Thanks again for a lovely recipe. It makes the best ever crab salad sandwiches. Yummmmm.
Hi Rosemary!
Yes, you’re right. Add the yeast and water to the bowl. Then the milk mixture. And finally the flour. Sorry for the confusion!
An effortless recipe with a great result!
Hi Erin,
I’m delighted you liked it!
Can I heat the milk mixture and water all together and add to flour all at once?
The milk mixture should be lukewarm (98 to 105), while the water should be a bit warmer (105-115). Too hot and the yeast dies. Too cold and it won’t rise. I would do it separately.
What size bread pan do you use?
Hi MaryJo
Sorry for the delayed response. Your comment didn’t get emailed to me for some reason.
I use the pan shown in the post, which is 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5.