Easy 5 Star Homemade Bread recipe made with simple ingredients & detailed instructions showing how to make basic bread! Thousands of comments & reviewers agree this is the BEST homemade loaf for both beginners and expert bakers.
Homemade Bread is one of my favorite foods of all time. Can you tell by the name of this site?! There really is nothing quite like a warm slice of fresh bread served with a thick pat of butter on top. Mmmmm! This recipe is perfect. It’s simple to follow, takes about 2 hours to make and yields 2 loaves of wonderful bread. It’s quite versatile too, so feel free to use part whole wheat flour if you’d like. Brush butter on top when it’s out of the oven and partially cooled and everyone will thank you.
Yes, you can make this recipe in a bread machine! Scroll down to see full Homemade Bread recipe and ingredients, with printable instructions for your bread machine.
A decade ago when I was just beginning to bake confidently, I still struggled with making bread. I tried countless recipes and none of them were quite right. I found this one and never looked back. It uses basic ingredients, comes together fast and I love the bread it makes. It’s soft, chewy with fantastic flavor. Feel free to reduce the sugar if you prefer. Enjoy the process and enjoy that bread!
Where to start on your bread making journey
This is a very comprehensive post with tons of information I’ve gleaned over the years making bread. Where would you like to start first?
JUMP TO–> LEARN THE BASIC STEPS TO MAKING BREAD
JUMP TO–> HELPFUL TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR FIRST LOAF OF BREAD
JUMP TO–> GET THE OVEN BAKED BREAD RECIPE
JUMP TO–> GET THE BREAD MACHINE BREAD RECIPE
Basic Steps for Making Basic Yeast Bread Recipes
If you’ve never made bread before, here is the basic formula for making your own at home. My recipe below follows this perfectly. It’s so much easier and trust me, the scent of fresh bread baking will make everyone really, really excited for dinner!
Step 1: Assemble Bread Ingredients
You’ll need warm water, granulated sugar, instant OR active dry yeast, salt, vegetable or canola oil and flour. That’s it!
Step 2: Dissolve the yeast and activate it by Proofing
This is a simple process that takes about 5 minutes. You can see a picture below what yeast looks like when it’s proofed. It’s possible to kill yeast if you use too hot of water, so aim for slightly warmer than luke-warm, or about 105°F. Combine warm water, yeast and 1 TBSP of the granulated sugar in your mixing bowl. Give it a quick stir and then let it sit for 5 minutes. You’ll begin to see the yeast puff up until it covers the entire surface of the water.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients and mix
Add the rest of the sugar, the oil, salt and flour (You can use all-purpose flour OR bread flour!), then mix using an electric mixer until it’s well combined, about 2 minutes. You can mix by hand but it will take longer.
Step 4: Knead the Bread
You might be thinking, “Wait! It’s already mixed!” Ha! Not so fast! Going through the process of kneading bread dough is crucial for bread with great texture. Kneading dough allows gluten to form which enables dough to rise better, be lighter and fluffier. you can knead by hand or with a mixer. I use the dough hook on my mixer and knead for 7 minutes. If you knead by hand, you’ll want to knead for 10-11 minutes, depending on how consistent you are.
Step 5: First Rise
Place your lovely smooth, elastic bread dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean towel. I think plastic wrap works better because it traps hot air inside and thus, my dough requires a shorter first rise. Be sure to spray the side of the plastic wrap that will touch the dough with oil!
If your house is cool, your bread will take longer to rise. In the wintertime when my house is cooler than normal, I like to turn the oven on for 2-3 minutes, then turn it off and let the bowl of dough rise in there. The oven traps the heat for a longtime and it’s the perfect atmosphere for rising dough.
Step 6: Punch Dough and Shape it
Punching the dough down quickly releases any air pockets that have developed and helps your bread have a more consistent rise and texture. Shape your dough by rolling it gently into a ball and rolling it 2 or 3 times on the countertop so that the ball is more oblong. I usually punch down and shape the dough quickly, then place in a greased bread pan.
Step 7: Second Rise
I like to do my second rise in a warm oven that’s not turned on. I turn the oven on just before I punch my dough down, then turn it off once I place the dough in the oven for the 2nd rise. It’s really only on for a minute or two, which is fine! The second rise will help shape your loaf of bread and takes about 30 minutes.
Step 8: Bake the Bread
You’re nearly there! Bread bakes for about 30-40 minutes. You know what I do to make sure my bread is perfectly cooked? I use a digital cooking thermometer! Fully cooked bread will be 190-200 degrees F. Bread recipes that include milk will need to cook until 200 degrees, but since this one doesn’t, I take it out once it reaches 190 degrees. The top will be golden brown.
My all-time favorite cooking thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
Step 9: Cool the Bread
Cool baked bread in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then overturn pan and turn loaf out onto a cooling rack or folded towel to finish cooling. If you leave the bread in the pan for much longer than that, you’ll steam it, which may cause some parts of your loaf to go soggy. No one likes soggy bread!
BEST BREAD PAN?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
Helpful Tips when Making Your First Loaf of Homemade Bread:
If you’ve never baked homemade bread before, here are a few tips:
1. Remember to fully knead
The recipe below kneads for 7 minutes and it’s worth it! Kneading dough helps to develop the flavor and texture of the bread, so don’t skimp on kneading time.
2. Weather can affect your ingredients
If you live in a moist climate, chances are you’ll need at least the recommended amount of flour, maybe even 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more. Bread dough should be sticky, but still manageable, especially after the first rise. While you’re kneading, the dough should come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl, leaving the bowl mostly clean. I usually aim to have the very bottom of the dough still attached to the bowl. Try not to add too much flour because your bread will be more dense. When you pick the dough up, some will stick to your fingers. After the first rise, it will be easier to handle!
3. Temperature affects how long your bread takes to rise
If your house is cool, your bread will take longer to rise. In the wintertime when my house is cooler than normal, I like to turn the oven on for 2-3 minutes, then turn it off and let the bowl of dough rise in there. The oven traps the heat for a longtime and it’s the perfect atmosphere for rising dough.
4. Don’t overwork the dough
Try not to go crazy kneading your bread after the first rise. I usually knead and shape my dough in about 1 minute, then it’s back in the pan to rest, for the 2nd rise. I like to have the pan rise in the oven for this second rise so that I don’t have to worry about moving risen dough. When it’s fully risen, I just turn the oven on and set the timer to bake!
Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
Here are the ingredients for the oven baked recipe, which yields 2 loaves of bread:
— WATER: You need 2 cups warm water. (110° F/45° C) I recommend you take the temperature using a cooking thermometer until you get the hang of how warm the water should be. If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your bread will be dense and flat!
— SUGAR: We add 1/2 cup white sugar. You are welcome to reduce this even further and use just 1/4 cup.
— YEAST: We add 1 TBSP + 2 tsp active dry yeast to the dough to help it rise.
— SALT: You need 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to enhance the flavors in the bread. If you’ve never had bread with not enough salt, it does not taste good! I forgot to add it once. Don’t do that.
— OIL: We used 1/4 cup vegetable oil but you can also use coconut oil or canola oil. I’ve tried it with light olive oil and it just has a strange aftertaste that I don’t love.
— FLOUR: You’ll need 5-6 cups flour. You can use all-purpose flour OR bread flour!
How to Make 5 Star Homemade Bread
In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. I just combine the two and whisk it slightly to dissolve the sugar. Stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
Add in the salt and oil. Begin to mix, using a rubber scraper or the dough hook on your stand mixer. Add the flour one cup at a time, reserving the last cup of flour to see if you need it. You might not use all of the flour. The dough should pull away and clean the bowl, sticking on the bottom in a small circle about the size of a quarter. If your dough does this with just 5 cups of flour, do not add more. However, if your dough still sticks to the bowl, add more a couple tablespoons at a time until it cleans the bowl, sticking in just a small circle on the bottom.
Now knead dough for 7 minutes. Set a timer as a full knead is important! Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for 1 minute and divide dough in half. Shape into loaves and place into two greased 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30-40 minutes. Cool, brush with butter and enjoy!
How can you tell if bread is fully baked?
I like to use a food thermometer. Mine is digital, so it’s very easy to use. Fully cooked bread will be 190-200 degrees F. Bread recipes that include milk will need to cook until 200 degrees, but since this one doesn’t, I take it out once it reaches 190 degrees. The top will be golden brown.
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
EASY HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water 110° F/45° C
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ TBSP active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 5-6 cups flour all-purpose flour OR bread flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, dissolve 2 TBSP of the sugar in the warm water. I just combine the two and whisk slightly to dissolve the sugar. Stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
- Add in remaining sugar, salt and oil. Begin to mix, using a rubber scraper or the dough hook on your stand mixer. Add the flour one cup at a time, reserving the last cup of flour to see if you need it. You might not use all of the flour. The dough should pull away and clean the bowl, sticking on the bottom in a small circle about the size of a quarter. If your dough does this with just 5 cups of flour, do not add more. However, if your dough still sticks to the bowl, add more a couple tablespoons at a time until it cleans the bowl, sticking in just a small circle on the bottom.
- Now knead dough for 7 minutes. Set a timer as a full knead is important! Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch dough down. Knead for 1 minute and divide dough in half. Shape into loaves and place into two greased 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
- Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30-40 minutes. Cool, brush with butter and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Instant or Active Dry Yeast for Making Bread
If you use instant yeast, you can add it directly to your other dry ingredients when making bread. If you use active dry yeast, you’ll need to first dissolve it in warm water before using it in a recipe. For the sake of ease, I just always buy instant yeast. BUT, this recipe works for both!
Can you Make this bread in a Bread Machine? YES! Here’s how:
I’ve found this recipe works really well in a bread machine! I just had the halve the ingredients so it would fit. You can see and print out the recipe below.
Bread Machine Ingredients
You’ll use the same ingredients, only HALF of them, so you can fit them in a 1-lb bread machine.
— WATER: You need 1 cup warm water. (110° F/45° C)
— SUGAR: We add 1/4 cup white sugar. You are welcome to reduce this even further and use just 1-2 tablespoons.
— YEAST: We add 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast to the dough to help it rise.
— SALT: You need 3/4 teaspoons salt to enhance the flavors in the bread. If you’ve never had bread with not enough salt, it’s… not good. I forgot to add it once. Don’t do that.
— OIL: We used 2 TBSP vegetable oil but you can also use coconut oil or canola oil. I’ve tried it with light olive oil and it just has a strange aftertaste that I don’t love.
— FLOUR: You’ll need 3 cups flour. You can use all-purpose flour OR bread flour!
Making your Loaf of Bread in a Bread Machine
Add the ingredients to the bread pan of your machine in the following order: water, oil, flour, sugar and salt. Make a small well in the dry ingredients and add yeast.
Place bread pan in machine. Close lid and set bread machine to bake a loaf of basic white bread.
Let bread cool when bread machine has completed the full cycle. (Mine takes 3.5 hours.) Remove from machine & pan. Brush with butter and enjoy!
Easy Bread Recipe for a Bread Machine
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water 110 degrees F/45 degrees C
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- 3 cups flour all purpose OR bread flour!
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to the bread pan of your machine in the following order: water, oil, flour, sugar and salt. Make a small well in the dry ingredients and add yeast.
- Place bread pan in machine. Close lid and set bread machine to bake a loaf of basic white bread.
- Let bread cool when bread machine has completed the full cycle. (Mine takes 3.5 hours.) Remove from machine & pan. Brush with butter and enjoy!
Nutrition
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How to Store Basic Bread
You’ll want to store leftover bread in an airtight container. I bought bread bags off Amazon and LOVE them!
Enjoy this bread recipe? Here are even more recipes for homemade bread to try:
Yeast Bread Recipes:
- Homemade Buttermilk Bread recipe
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Honey Oat Bread recipe
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Parmesan Garlic Dinner Rolls
- Fabulous French Bread
- Sweet Orange Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Easy Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Tomato Parmesan Flatbread
- Potato Bread Recipe
- Soft Cornmeal Dinner Rolls
- Honey Wheat Bread
- Soft White Sandwich Bread
Quick Bread Recipes:
- Best Zucchini Bread
- Pineapple Bread
- Sweet Coconut Bread
- Easy Banana Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Best Pumpkin Bread
Easy 5 Star Homemade Bread recipe made with simple ingredients & detailed instructions showing how to make bread! Thousands of comments & reviewers agree this is the BEST homemade bread for both beginners and expert bakers.
Magdalena Garcia says
Last week I made the yummylicious bread with regular flour. Today I tried whole wheat flour. Both of them were scrumptious!!! Since I live in the southermost part of Texas, our weather is very humid and didn’t have to adjust anything. Super easy to make. Your instructions were perfect!
Allyson says
When using instant yeast, do you mix all dry ingredients, then add all the wet to the dry? I’m planning on trying this recipe tonight. It will be my first time ever making bread!
Jessica says
I use the same process regardless of what type of yeast I’m using. : ) I still proof it with warm water & sugar, etc.
Rebecca says
love this recipe!! I’ve made it three times in one week 🙂 the only issue I keep having is the very center isn’t quite cooking – any tips for how to fix that? Otherwise, it’s delicious!!
Jessica says
I have the same issue with all my breads, so I started taking an internal temp to see if they’re done. Breads should ready about 200 degrees F. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well.http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?tw=BUTTERBREAD
Thomas Manns says
I made a second batch of these but used Bread Flour instead. They came out great again and I think a little better on the inside. A couple of questions. On the 1st rise time of 30 minutes. If it goes longer than that will it effect how the bread turns out? I guess what I’m asking is can the rise sit too long before rolling the dough into balls? Also if I want to make a larger ball say a 3-4 oz ball does the temperature need to be the same or a lower temp with a longer cook time? Thanks again for such a great recipe.
Thomas
Nicola says
Perfect and easy
Alison says
Thank you Nicola!
Elizabeth maroa says
Am interested with home made bread recipe,l like it much l have following everything on net for sometimes now and desire to do it but unfortunately don’t have an oven.pray for me, so that God may bless me with an oven to fulfil the desire of my heart.
Tammy says
Hi Elizabeth, there was a time I didn’t have a traditional oven and I used a toaster oven. It works wonderful… I even cooked a whole turkey In mine. God bless you.
Peggy says
This came great. I made one loaf as written and rolled some cinnamon sugar in the second to make a sweet loaf.
Mark says
Turned out great! This was the first homemade loaf of bread I was able to cut and use as sandwich bread. I only had one loaf pan, so I divided the other half into 9 rolls in a 8×8 baking dish, and they came out perfectly as well. The kids loved it, and keep asking me to bake it again. I used all-purpose flour the first time, and it came out a little softer than usual, with a slightly cakey texture, but it still held together well enough to make sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica says
You’re welcome! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Lucky says
This was my first attempt at making bread without a bread machine. The loaves are beautiful and soft and flavorful! I live in Mexico, elevation over 1 mile, no humidity. I was worried I would have issues with high altitude baking, but it was perfect! Good tip, though, to use a warm oven to help the dough rise- our house stays cool. Gracias, muchas gracias!
Alison says
I’m so glad this worked for you!
Katherine Gupta says
Hiya!
This is my first time making bread. I’ve very little experience handling yeast, tried making pizza a couple of times with not great results, and realised with your recipe and explanation that I didn’t proof the yeast! Sounds like an important step, why don’t they explain this in other recipes! Haha. Anyways wish me luck, my only question is – do I need to pre-heat the oven? and If so for how long? I am yet to own a thermometer but will definitely get one soon.
Nellie says
Yes, you’ll definitely want to pre-heat the oven. As soon as your oven reaches the target temperature, it’ll be ready…some ovens take a little longer to heat up so the time will depend on your oven.
Sadie says
Wonderful! First time making bread and the loaves turned out perfect.
Mary says
This recipe is very easy and very tasty! I only ended up using 6 cups of flour and kneaded it until it was no longer sticky. It’s a sweeter bread so you can cut back on the sugar. Great for making cinnamon loaves.
robin says
awesome easy recipe ..HIGHLY RECOMMEND for beginners !
Lynn says
I have grown wary of baking recipes on the internet, because so often they do not turn out well. This recipe, however, is fool proof and I have made it many times already, with great results each time! I do cut the sugar in half, but the load still turns out perfectly. Highly recommend if you are looking for an easy, quick, delicious loaf (or two) of homemade bread.
Alison says
Thank you so much Lynn! I am so glad this has been a success for you!
Caleb says
Very much like the recipe my grandmother used. She would bake 90 loaves a week in a wood cook stove. Same process with these ingredients.
1.5 teaspoons yeast
1.5 cups water
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons oil
4 Cups flour
Cheryl says
Great recipe! Our two loaves turned out REALLY well! Made homemade chicken soup today, and my husband and I finished half a loaf of the bread as we enjoyed our soup! The proofing took a bit longer than five minutes, but I just waited until it was frothy as you said. Texture of the bread was excellent! Used bread flour because I like the way it tastes better than all-purpose flour for making bread. Thank you for a recipe I will be using again and again!
Jessica says
I LOVE using bread flour too Cheryl!! So glad you like it!
Beth says
I followed the recipe exactly, but even with using a little more than 6 cups of flour, the dough was still extremely sticky. I kneaded it by hand and had a horrible time because it stuck to my hands so much. I was afraid to keep adding too much flour though because you said too much flour can make a dry bread. It was still pretty sticky after the first rise, when I punched it and quickly kneaded it a second time. It is rising for the second time now…then will bake it. I am not sure how it will turn out. Any ideas what I could have done wrong or how I could have fixed it? Since it was so sticky, would it have been ok to add more flour than called for until the desired consistency was achieved? Thanks.
Jessica says
Bread dough is quirky- you are welcome to add more flour. I’m curious to hear how it came out though! I prefer to have a stickier dough because it seems to yield the BEST bread! Most people don’t like to work with it though.
Catherine Philips says
First time trying this recipe and they r perfect!
I can see I need to try all ur recipe’s
Alison says
I hope you continue to enjoy all of the recipes you try!
Sharayah says
Used this recipe to make mini braided garlic loaves and it was amazing. Best bread recipe I’ve come across so far.
Jessica says
Oh that’s such a great idea!!
Mark says
This recipe really is fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever made a loaf of bread myself before and it turned out perfectly. It’s delicious plain. I’m amazed. Thank you!
Nanette Broomfield says
Made this in February once I had found this recipe. Haven’t stopped making it. It is a very simple recipe and the bread is perfect every time I have been trying all bread recipes that I come across and nothing seems to work. So happy I managed to find this This is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone. Thank you so much. Lyn
Jessica says
So glad to hear Lyn!! Happy Baking!
denise says
Excellent recipe. Two perfect loaves of bread. My friend opted to indulge without butter, the bread was delicious on it’s own.