Milk and Honey White Bread

"This is good!" These were my daughter's sweet words as she was enjoying her bread, fresh from the oven. Sometimes the simplest words are the most meaningful! This is a very tender, delicious white bread and is definitely one of our favorites.

2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm milk (110 to 115)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
8 to 8-1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add honey, butter, salt and 5 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. (I think I only used 7 to 7-1/2 cups flour total. The more flour you add, the less tender your bread will be.). Turn onto a floured board, knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, tuning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and shape into 2 loaves. Place in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with foil if necessary to prevent over browning. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.