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This BEST bread recipe makes the most deliciously fluffy loaf of white bread. It tastes so much better than store-bought!
Nothing beats delicious homemade bread! If you love a good bread recipe, you’ll also love our French Bread, White Bread Recipe, and Banana Bread recipes.
a Family Favorite!
I have to confess, I’m kind of a bread addict. I love any kind of bread, from tender and flaky Buttermilk Biscuits to pillowy soft Homemade Dinner Rolls.
My very favorite kind of bread, though, is a fluffy white loaf of this bread recipe. We love it because the flavor is PERFECTION, but also because:
- Made with pantry staples. Ingredients are simple and ones most everyone has on hand.
- Used for SO many recipes. It’s perfect for sandwiches, Grilled Cheese, or a batch of French toast.
- Cost effective and healthier. Making this homemade bread recipe will cost about $1.25 worth of ingredients per loaf and I get to control exactly what ingredients I use!
- Great to freeze. Like most bread recipes, this is great to make ahead and store.
Bread Ingredients
As mentioned above, most of these items can be found in your pantry, which means you should be able to make this any time!
- Active Dry Yeast (1 packet) – If your yeast is old or dead, your easy bread recipe is going nowhere fast. I store my yeast in the fridge at all times.
- Warm Water
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil
- Bread Flour – Comes in both whole wheat and white versions and has a higher percentage of protein than all-purpose flour. If you don’t have bread flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. It does change the texture a bit, but still works well.
- Butter
How to Make Bread
- YEAST. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar.
- COMBINE + KNEAD. When the yeast mixture is bubbly and foamy, add the sugar, salt, oil, and 4 cups flour, and mix with a dough hook until smooth. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, to form a soft, smooth dough. The dough should stick just slightly to your finger when touched, but not be overly sticky. Knead for 5-7 minutes, until smooth, then roll into a ball.
- RISE. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn over once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. (Use olive oil or cooking spray to coat the bowl.) Let rise for one hour, or until doubled.
- SHAPE. When the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it in half. On a non-stick baking mat or lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a long rectangle about 8 inches wide.
- ROLL. Roll the dough up, starting at the short edge, to form a cylinder that is approximately 8 inches wide. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- 2ND RISE. Place the dough, seam side down, into lightly greased loaf pans, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for one hour, or until the dough is ½-1 inch higher than the top of the pan.
Proofing tips
- Oil the bowl before adding the dough to rise. This will keep it from sticking when it is dumped out and shaped.
- Air temperature can affect the proof time. A warmer environment will allow the dough to rise faster. A cooler area will slow down the process.
- A quicker proof time.
- Preheat your oven to 200°F then turn it OFF. Place the dough in an oven-safe bowl and cover it with a warm damp tea towel. Stick it in the oven until the dough has doubled in size.
- Place the bowl of dough near a warmer area in your home such as a fireplace or warm slow cooker.
- Doneness. Visually observe when the dough has doubled in size and use that as an indicator of doneness. To tell if it has been proofed just right, poke your finger in the top of the dough…
- Bounces back immediately – continue proofing.
- Doesn’t bounce back at all – it is over-proofed.
- Bounces back halfway – it’s perfect!
How to BAKE Homemade Bread
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- BAKE. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- BRUSH + COOL. I like to brush my loaves with a little melted butter after baking. Remove to a cooling rack and cool before slicing. Makes 2 loaves of bread.
Why is my bread heavy and dense?
- Adding too much flour. Scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off. The amount of flour can be too much if measured incorrectly, which can make it dense.
- Under or over proofing. It is really important that the dough rises well. If you don’t allow it to rise long enough it will be dense. If you proof it for too long, it will fall and also become dense.
- Over kneading. This is really hard to do when you knead by hand, as your hands will tire before it can happen. However, it can happen if you let a stand mixer knead for too long or at too high of a setting.
Repurpose Your Homemade Bread
Use this bread in some of our favorite recipes:
Make croutons. Check out our Homemade Croutons recipe!
Storing info
- STORE. Cool completely and place in a Ziploc bag or wrap in foil. This best bread recipe should last 2 to 3 days stored at room temperature.
- FREEZE. Slice the loaf all the way through, place it in a plastic bread bag, and freeze it as soon as it has cooled completely.
- Freeze the bread dough. Add twice as much yeast to compensate for any yeast that will die in the freezer.
- Allow the dough to rise the first time, then shape it into loaves and place them directly on a greased baking sheet.
- Place them in the freezer and freeze until solid.
- Wrap each loaf with plastic and again with aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Freeze the bread dough. Add twice as much yeast to compensate for any yeast that will die in the freezer.
- To bake – unwrap and place in a greased bread pan. Cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap. Allow it to thaw for several hours and then rise until it is about doubled in size. Bake according to recipe directions.
For more bread recipes:
Bread Recipe
This BEST bread recipe makes the most deliciously fluffy loaf of white bread. It tastes so much better than store-bought!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar. When the yeast is bubbly and foamy, add the sugar, salt, oil, and 4 cups flour, and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, to form a soft, smooth dough. The dough should stick just slightly to your finger when touched, but not be overly sticky. Knead for 5-7 minutes, until smooth, then roll into a ball.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn over once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for one hour, or until doubled.
- When the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it in half. Roll each half of the dough into a long rectangle about 8 inches wide. Roll the dough up, starting at the short edge, to form a cylinder that is approximately 8 inches wide. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Place the dough, seam side down, into lightly greased bread pans, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for one hour, or until the dough is ½ – 1 inch higher than the top of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Brush with melted butter, if desired. Remove to a cooling rack and cool before slicing. MAKES 2 LOAVES.
Video
Notes
STORE. Cool completely and place in a Ziploc bag or wrap in foil. This best bread recipe should last 2 to 3 days stored at room temperature.
FREEZE. Slice the loaf all the way through, place it in a plastic bread bag, and freeze it as soon as it has cooled completely.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 351mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
For more delicious recipes by Alicia, head on over to The Baker Upstairs.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with the step by step. I made probably my 8th loave. This recipe always turns out great.
Oh, thank you!! I’m glad I could help 🙂 It truly is the best!
This is a really good recipe! I do love the simplicity of it and so does my family! Thanks for sharing, but I do have a question! For the flour measurement do you know how much you’re using per cup of flour? I use KA flour and 1 cup is 120grams, but the dough still seems a bit wet at time. I feel as though in may not be using enough flour at times. Any input would be greatly appreciate!
Thanks again!
I was so off on my timing and I had to leave the bread to rise for 3 hours before I can begin to roll it out / bake it. Will this ruin the texture?
How did it come out? I’m sorry I couldn’t get to your question sooner. I haven’t let mine rise that long, so I’m curious. Thank you!! Hope you liked it!
It was ok! It tasted really sweet and doughy. It was edible, but something was off. I’m going to try the recipe again now, knowing I will follow the recipe properly!!
Yes, please let me know 🙂 I’m sorry the first time, something was off.
I had to let mine rise for about 5 hours after putting into the tins because the power went out – I patted them back down and then baked, and they still tasted perfect!
Oh, I am so glad they turned out! Darn power! Thank you so much!
This recipe was the best bread recipe ive ever tried!
Awe, thank you so much!!
Best easy bread I have ever made. instructions were perfect and understandable.
Thank you so much for saying that! Glad you like it 🙂
Can this recipe Be used for dinner rolls?
I personally have not tried, but I am sure it could 😉
Have you doubled this recipe? I’m just curious because my family goes through bread like crazy and when I make one batch, it doesn’t last us very long. I’m wanting to make enough to last a few days not just one or two.
Also, have you tried to freeze it? Did it do well with being frozen?
I have not tried freezing it, I’m sorry. It’s usually gone so fast or we give some away. Has anyone else tried freezing it?
I decided to freeze a couple loaves. I will let you know how it turned out! 🙂
I’m going to be making this, it looks amazing! I just learned to make cinnamon rolls and noodles, and this recipe is next. My question IS…Will there be any difference with the quick rise yeast? Only because that’s what I have on hand at the moment, I sent my daughter in law to buy yeast for me, and she thought it would help to have instant. Bless her HEART..Anythjng to worry about?
It should be ok 🙂 I haven’t tried with other yeasts, but I think it should be OK!
Will bread flour work?
I honestly do not know. I haven’t tried that. I wish I knew how it would change the recipe. I’m sorry!
Really great recipe. My family loves it. I used bread flour and it turned out great! ThanK you!
You are so welcome! Thanks for letting me know!
I’ve made this recipe for a few months, I’ve always used bread flour. I’m at a high elevation so I’ve had to tweak the water/flour ratio but the loaves are always delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing!! Glad you like it!
Allison,
I’m in Colorado and have had the hardest time getting the flour/water mixture right for the high altitude!!!
I’ve tried *several* different recipes, types of flour, yeast, etc…. Never can get bread to rise well :/
May I ask what you do that works?
Thanks!
Aubrey,
SO what i do is a little different from this recipe, altered for the ALTITUDE we live at (6,100 ft) on the western slope.
I use 2 cups of water, between 105-115 deg F. I dissolve the 1/4 cup of sugar into the warm water. I then add in my yeast, 2 tsp. Currently I’m using Fleischmann’s Bread machine Instant yeast. I’ve also used Kroger packet yeast. I like them both, but the jar of instant yeast works a little better in my opinion. The key for me was the temperature and sugar. without checking the water temp with a thermometer my yeast was falling and my dough wouldn’t rise. My yeast DOESN’T seem to get very “foamy” no matter what i do/try. but if it doesn’t fall then i get good loaves.
I have to use much more flour than called for, about 5 1/2 cups. I add 4 cups and then slowly add more until i get the dough CONSISTENCY. Very little kneading, maybe 2 minutes. I have tried bread flour and regular white bleached flour- white flour worked just as well so i now use solely that. I use a colorado company, Blue Bird Flour (kroger carries it in the baking section).
I hope this helps!
Allison
Thank you so much for sharing that, Allison!! I am not too familiar with cooking in higher altitude, so this helps!
Yes it works just fine. I only use bread flour as it has more gluten.
Thanks for sharing! This is now my go-to bread recipe, and I’ve probably made it once a week for the last two months now! It turns out perfect every time. I’ve also made garlic bread and cinnamon raisin bread using this recipe as the base, and both have been excellent. I’ll slice them and pop them in the freezer, then reheat in the toaster. I’ve started making one plain loaf and one flavored loaf each time. I have a batch rising right now, and may try to make dinner rolls from it today.
That makes me so happy to hear!!! Such great ideas!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hi. Can’t wait to make. Can you tell me about how many calories?
Thank you.
I wish I knew. I honestly have no idea. I don’t like to know..since I love it so much 🙂
I just worked it up for myself and came up with roughly 1365 calories per loaf. I haven’t baked it yet, so I’m not sure how many slices this will end up yielding me.
Hello, I am just starting my adventure in baking bread. So my question is, did you use a hook attachment to knead the dough for the 5-7 minutes or by hand?
I like to knead by hand, but you could do either! Hope that helps! Good luck 🙂
The Kitchen aid recommendations say that 2 minutes with the dough mixer in low (2) replaces 5-7 minutes of regular kneading. I learned the hard way!:)
Can you make this recipe in a bread making machine
I personally haven’t, but I’m sure you could! I’d love to know! Thank you for stopping by!
Can you list the brand of yeast you used? I am using active dry yeast packets but they aren’t foaming at all ????
I used Red Star Yeast. Make sure your water is warm and give it a pinch of sugar to feed on. If it’s still not foaming, it’s not good yeast.
Thanks Alicia!!!
This is Alicia from The Baker Upstairs recipe. Here is her link, if you’d like to ask which yeast she used….http://www.thebakerupstairs.com/. Hope that helps!