Finally, the final recipe for my Perfect White Bread. :)

5 1/2 cups high protein or high gluten flour
2 packages dry yeast (not Rapid Rise)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt

1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)

2 beaten eggs

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in large bowl.

Heat water, milk, and oil on stove until 120-130 degrees (Fahrenheit).

Add eggs and heated liquids to dry ingredients and mix until moistened.

Beat, by hand or machine, for about three minutes, until it resembles a smooth batter.

Add 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour in small increments (1/2 cup at a time) and continue mixing until it pulls together to form a sticky ball. I do this by hand, literally, with my hand. If you have a fancy mixer with great bread hooks, you could use that too, but I haven’t had as much success (or as much messy fun) that way.

Dust your work surface and hands with flour.

Plop sticky dough ball onto floured surface and knead, adding flour as necessary to keep from sticking (not too much though), until the dough feels smooth and silky. Shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.

Coat the inside of another large bowl with vegetable oil (olive oil works best, really).

Gather the dough into a ball, plop it into the bowl to coat the top surface, and then turn it over.

Cover with a damp cotton towel (smooth, not terry — paper towels can work too), and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled (about 45 minutes). I turn my oven on for a few minutes at 200 degrees, put the bowl in there and leave the oven door cracked a bit for ventilation. My house is rarely warm enough for bread rising, particularly during the winter.

Punch the dough down (literally, put your flour covered fist into it over and over to burst the bubbles in it).

Divide into two parts, need slightly and add a little more flour if it feels sticky.

Roll into loaf shapes and place into two bread pans.

Cover with damp towel again and let rise in warm location for 30 minutes. I set my oven to preheat (375 degrees Fahrenheit) at this point and put the bread to rise on top of the stove.

Bake at 375 degrees (Fahrenheit) for 35-45 minutes. During the first few minutes of baking, you will want to spray water on the sides and door of the oven a few times to increase the humidity. You can also place a cookie sheet into the oven during preheating (to get it hot), and put a small amount of cold water in it when you put the bread in to bake. I have not had much success with that method, so I spray, spray, spray.

Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and cover with cotton towels until completely cooled before cutting (or it starts to dry out too fast). You can, if you like, butter the top of the bread as soon as it comes out of the oven, but it shouldn’t be necessary for a soft crust, and I find it makes the bread mold more quickly.

You can also make rolls or free-form loaves with this recipe. Rolls will only take 10-20 minutes to bake, so you’ll have to watch them more carefully.

I have not had this recipe fail once (yet). Even the time my oven failed while the bread was baking, it still managed to turn out two wonderful loaves of totally edible bread. Provided you don’t add too much flour and make the dough too dry (I tend to leave it quite moist), I think it’s a no-fail recipe. Of course, your mileage may vary. ;)