I'm new to baking and still trying to master a basic white bread recipe.

I tried a couple of things I've not done before, I used bread flour instead of plain white flour and I put a tray of water in the oven while my bread was baking. The loaf has a thin crispy outside but is overall very soft. I feel like I undebaked my loaf, I also only preheated the oven for about 5 minutes. I appreciate any advice you can give.