In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will bubble and smell like beer once the yeast has activated.
Stir in milk, honey, and melted butter.
Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add bread flour and salt. Start the mixer on low speed until the dough begins to come together, about 2 minutes.
Increase speed to medium and knead dough for about 5 minutes until the dough has formed into a ball and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Cover and allow dough to rest for 60-90 minutes until dough has doubled in volume.
Grease two 9x4 inch loaf pans. Punch down dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into two equal halves. Using the heels of your palms, gently flatten and stretch the dough into a 9x6 inch rectangle (with the longer edge facing you).
Fold a third of the dough up away from you and roll dough into a tight log. Pinch seams together and place loaf seam side down in greased pan. Repeat with second portion of dough. Loosely cover loaf pans with greased plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for 60-90 minutes until dough has risen about an inch over the loaf pan edge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from loaves. Bake bread for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating midway through baking. The finished bread loaf should be golden brown on top and the internal temperature of bread registers at least 200 degrees F. Allow bread to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pan and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Once bread has cooled, use a serrated knife to slice bread. Store cooled bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or longer if stored in the fridge.
Notes
Calories are per loaf. Individual slices calories will vary with the size of each slice.
If mixing by hand, use a large bowl and sturdy spatula to combine ingredients. Stir until dough starts to form. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until dough is smooth.
To freeze extra loaf: tightly wrap cooled bread loaf in plastic wrap. Place in a freezer safe zip-top plastic bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost in the fridge before serving.