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NOTHING beats delicious homemade bread! And as you can imagine, we are biased – our homemade bread recipe is the BEST!!
We’ve tested classic bread recipes time and time again, and this is the recipe we keep coming back to. Plus, it’s the one YOU guys keep coming back to. We use it for everything – French Toast, Grilled Cheese, Homemade Croutons – you name it!
The flavor is PERFECTION! But also – most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry, so you can make it any time. It also requires only about 20 minutes of hands-on work! The rest is rising and baking time.
And like most bread recipes, this is great to make ahead and store so you always have fresh bread on hand.
If you love a good bread recipe, you’ll also love our French Bread, White Bread, and Whole Wheat Bread!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Made with pantry staples. The ingredients are simple and ones most everyone has on hand.
- Used for SO many recipes. It’s perfect for sandwiches like Grilled Cheese or a batch of French Toast.
- Cost-effective and healthier. Making homemade bread will cost about $1.25 worth of ingredients per loaf and you get to control the ingredients!
Homemade Bread Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) – If your yeast is old or dead, your bread will not rise correctly, if at all.
- 2¼ cups warm water – The water must be around 105-115°F.
- ¼ cup sugar plus 1 pinch
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil – or canola oil or olive oil labeled for baking.
- 5½ – 6½ cups bread flour – or an equal amount of all-purpose flour (the texture will change a bit). To make bread flour: add 1 teaspoon of vital wheat gluten to a 1-cup measuring cup. Spoon all-purpose flour to fill the cup the rest of the way and sift.
- butter for topping (optional)
How to Make Homemade Bread
- DOUGH. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast in 2¼ cups warm water with a pinch of sugar.
- When the yeast mixture is bubbly and foamy, add ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, and 4 cups bread flour, and mix with a dough hook until smooth.
- Add the remaining 1-2 cups of 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 with the dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until smooth, then roll into a ball.
- RISE. Use olive oil or cooking spray to coat the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, turn over once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for one hour, or until doubled for the first rise.
- 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 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 a second time for one hour, or until the dough is ½-1 inch higher than the top of the pan.
- BAKE. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- SERVE. Brush loaves with a little melted butter after baking. Remove to a cooling rack and cool before slicing. Makes 2 loaves of bread.
- Use your bread in some of our favorite recipes: French Toast, Grilled Cheese, French Toast Bake, Garlic Bread, Homemade Croutons
Can you make this in a bread machine?
Of course! It’s super easy, and the machine does all the hard work for you!
- Layer the ingredients the right way! Add them in this order:
- Warm water
- Sugar
- Salt
- Oil
- Bread flour
- Active dry yeast (make a little well in the flour and place the yeast inside so it doesn’t touch the liquid right away!)
- Pick your settings: Use the basic bread setting and choose light or medium crust, depending on what you like best.
- Check the dough: After a few minutes of mixing, peek inside! If it looks too sticky, add a little more flour (one tablespoon at a time). If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit of water. You want the dough to be soft and slightly tacky.
- Let the bread machine do its thing! Once it’s done baking, carefully take out the loaf, let it cool on a wire rack, and—if you’re feeling fancy—brush it with a little melted butter. SO good!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- My #1 tip for any bread recipe is to Measure the flour accurately! Too much flour can result in dense bread, and we all know bread should be soft.
- Be sure to activate the yeast correctly otherwise, the dough will not rise.
- Watch the rise time. 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 become unusable.
- For best results use bread flour. It creates a better structure and chewier texture than all-purpose flour, although we’ve used all-purposes in a pinch and it still works.
Homemade Bread Recipe
Equipment
- loaf pans
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 2¼ cups warm water
- ¼ cup sugar, plus 1 pinch
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5½ – 6½ cups bread flour
- butter for topping, (optional)
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
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You can totally swap instant yeast for active dry yeast in your recipe. The best part? Instant yeast doesn’t need to be dissolved in water first—just mix it right in with your dry ingredients, and you’re good to go! If your recipe calls for proofing the yeast first, you can still dissolve instant yeast in warm water to keep things consistent, but it’s not necessary. Just use the same amount, and your bread will turn out just as soft and delicious!
Place the bowl of dough near a warmer area in your home such as a warm slow cooker, sunny window, on top of a warm oven, or suspend above a bowl of steaming water.
Add an extra teaspoon of yeast and make the dough as directed. 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 3-4 months.
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.
Cool completely and place in a Ziploc bag or wrap in foil. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for 3-4 months.
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This recipe was first published December 2016.
The loaves came out just like the photos. I had small lOaf pans so used three. I stopped at 30 min and they were perfect. IT is a delicious White bread. It was soft. Holes were small and CONSISTENT. Wow i can actually bake a great loaf of breAd.
Thank you!
This may have been answered but, when it’s time to knead the dough. Does it have to be done by hand or can it be done in my kitchen aid with the bread hook?
I like doing it by hand, but yes, you can totally use the bread hook 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. However, the 1 tbsp of salt made it too salty. I would use 1 tsp next time. also, i find that proofing the yeast in 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and 1 tsp of sugar works better, and then add the rest of the water afterward. i use a little honey instead of all of the sugar, as a personal preference, and sometimes molasses as well if it is on hand. I also put some egg yolk or milk on the top before baking as a personal preference. Everything else came out fine.
Thank you for giving it a try!
Using Kosher salt keeps it from being so salty. It’s a milder salt (in my opinion). That’s what I used, and it does not taste too salty at all.
This bread recipe is fantastic! Its so easy to Prep, the INSTRUCTIONS and pictures were supEr helpful and the loaves turned out perfect. We Used them With just bread and jam but the slices are perfect For grilled cheese. Definitely my New go to recipe
Yes, this bread is great for so many things! I am glad you liked it. Thank you for letting me know!
I used instant yeast and made a few changes in the process while making it and it still came out As expected. so yummy and will use this recipe again!
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing that 🙂
This recipe was so easy and yummy! I used instant yeast instead and added it with the salt sugar and 2 cups of flour, then added the warm water and remaining flour after. Will use it again!
Omg i made this recIpe yesterday. I haven’t had bread this good siNce my mom passed 20 Years aGo. She Made bread eveRy week. Thank you For sharIng. I will definitely make again. Probably today ?
I am glad to share 🙂 Glad this recipe could remind you of your mom! Thank you so much!!
I’ve made this bread a least a million times since finding the recipe last year. I just realized today that it calls for bread flour lol! AP has worked great (obviously haha) Hs’ing tried it many different ways (part wheat, etc) I’ve got to say that my family prefers it with 1/4 to 1/2 cup ground flax. I add it when I’m adding the additional flour after the first 4 cups. I think it makes me feel better about how much of this bread inhale. It’s delicious!!! Thank you so much! This made this weird quarantine doable today hehe
Awe, I am glad it can help. Homemade bread makes everything better 🙂 AP flour is still great! Thank you!
This is a new family fAvorite! Easy to make, has the Perfect density for sandwiches and has a mellow flavor so it won’t overpower whatever you’re eating.
Yay!! Happy to hear that! Thank you so much!
If you haven’t tried it yet, make it, you wont regret it. Easy to make and was super soft on the inside, i’m gonna make another batch soon!
Awe, thank you so much for saying that!! I agree 🙂