Bread Recipe

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

1. YEAST. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

How to BAKE Homemade Bread

1. PREP. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. BAKE. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
3. 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.

Repurpose Your Homemade Bread

Use this bread in some of our favorite recipes:

• French Toast
• Grilled Cheese
• French Toast Bake
• Garlic Bread

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.
• 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:

White Bread

3 hrs 15 mins

Recipe Video

Whole Wheat Bread

2 hrs 45 mins

Recipe Video

No-Knead Bread

3 hrs 14 mins

French Bread

1 hr 15 mins

Recipe Video

For more delicious recipes by Alicia, head on over to The Baker Upstairs.