In a large glass bowl, warm milk in the microwave for about 1 minute or until milk is very warm, but not hot to touch. (Between 105˚ and 110˚F is ideal for dissolving and activating yeast)
Add yeast to milk and whisk until dissolved.
Stir in honey, salt and flour.
Using a hand or stand mixer with dough hook(s), knead the dough for 2 minutes until a ball is formed. (If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook, you can knead by hand for 10 minutes.)
Place ball of dough into a large bowl greased with oil. Cover loosely with a towel. Set in a warm place (80˚ - 90˚F air temp) for 1 hour to let rise.
After an hour, remove towel and punch down dough. Then gently gather the dough and without pressing into it, place the dough into a greased loaf pan. I place the dough punched side down in the bread pan so that top stays more smooth.You can let the dough rise a second time in the pan or skip the second rise and go right to baking. See notes for the instructions for the optional second rise.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375˚for 30 minutes.
Remove loaf from oven and let cool. Slice and serve warm or toast each slice. Best enjoyed buttered. Try adding jelly as well!
Video
Notes
You can let the dough rise a second time (called proofing) which can add a softer, more flexible texture and a more bready flavor. A second rise can also smooth out any imperfections that happen when you gather the dough. The second rise completely optional.If you'd like to give your dough a chance to rise a bit more after you've gathered and placed it in the greased bread pan, simply cover loosely the whole pan with plastic wrap and let the dough sit in a warm and ideally moist place for an additional 20-30 minutes then gather the dough and bake as directed. If you spray a little oil on the plastic wrap, this will help prevent it from sticking to the dough.I use the microwave as my warm spot.