Simple Bread Loaf with Salted Honey Butter

It's been a while, I know, but I am BACK from vaycay and ready to bake/cook/eat my heart out at home for these last two weeks of summer. SO GET READY. As summer comes to a close I want to celebrate the good things in life. Well, there are few things in life that are better then homemade, fresh baked bread.There is absolutely nothing that can beat tearing into a still-warm-from-the-oven, freshly baked loaf and slathering it with some butter. Fresh baked bread is to me as trouble is to Lindsey Lohan; we can't stay away or stop once we start. This recipe produces a simple loaf that is delicate, rich and slightly crumbly. Smothered with a salted honey infused butter, my eyes literally dropped out of my head as I watched the butter melt and tuck itself into every crevice and eager crumble of the bread slice. This recipe, however, does have a downfall: it disappears way too quickly.

 Simple Bread Loaf with Salted Honey Butter *bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/8 tsp yeast
3/4 cup whole milk
4 tbs butter, softened
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Salted Honey Butter
1 stick softened butter
1 1/2 tbs honey
1 tsp kosher salt

Recipe: Combine 3/4 cup of the flour, all the sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl fitted with an electric mixer. In a saucepan, heat the milk and butter until warm, about 100-110 degrees. The butter does NOT have to be totally melted. Once warm, add the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Beat slowly for 2 minutes, until it comes together. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup of the flour and mix for about 2 more minutes. Add the remaining flour and mix for 2 minutes on low. Scrape the sides of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
After 1 hour, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Transfer your risen dough into a greased and floured loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 15 minutes, then take off the plastic wrap and let it rise for 15 more minutes. Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove loaf onto cooling wrack. If you can wait, let it rest for 5 minutes. But hey, who can actually wait?
For the butter: Mash all the ingredients for the butter in a bowl until well combined. Add more honey to make sweeter. Slather on bread or eat plain...enjoy.

 this is better then Christmas morning/1of the 8 nights of Chanukah

 those three slices are my tasting slices. You need at least three to get the full taste.

 and then comes the honey butter...somebody get me out of my own house

 happiness looks like this.

 BAH

bread 'n butter baby

xoxo

hungreegirl.