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.
Mary Lou Berg says
I always have made a christmas bread from my grandmothers recipe, the recipe she used was in her head ! I would like to try this and was wondering if I would be safe putting small bits of fruit in the dough I always do that before I put all the flour in. Do you know of anyone that has done anything like that? I will be making the bread in a couple of weeks and hope it turns out. My grandma’s recipe is much more complicated than yours, I will make it without the fruit also one day .
Jessica says
I’ve never tried adding bits of fruit to this bread… personally, I’d use this recipe for that idea instead- https://butterwithasideofbread.com/braided-sweet-bread/
You don’t have to braid it, although with the fruit, it’d be gorgeous!
Jen says
If I want to do one large braided loaf. How long do you think it should bake?
Jessica says
Baking time might be reduced by a few minutes. Just watch it and test for internal doneness- 195-200°F.
ZAra says
I made garlic bread tonight using this recipe and it turned out lovely 🙂 Bread was just the right touch of sweetness and incredibly soft. Will make again!
Jane Marek says
This is the best bread recipe that I have found..I especially like it for cinnamon rolls. Comes out perfect every time.
Jenn says
This is the best bread I’ve ever tasted.
Kathleen Jalensky says
Easy and very delicious perfect if you’re in a hurry for homemade bread!
Heidi says
Since finding this recipe, I have made 10 loaves of bread…within a span of 4 days. There is only 4 slices of the last loaf left. Right now I’m waiting on loaves 11 and 12 to finish rising so I can put them in the oven. I LOVE THIS RECIPE!
Alison says
Color me impressed! I am so happy to hear how much you love this recipe!
David Swanson says
Is it 1 or 1.5 tablespoons of yeast? Thank you.
Nicole says
1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast, so 1.5 tablespoons.
Zina Strachan says
This is a wonderful recipe for bread I have made it a few times and my family loves it. Also I was wondering can you refrigerate the dough?
Marie says
Can you use parchment paper instead of greasing the pans?
Nicole says
While parchment paper is great and totally fine for lining the baking pans with, I still recommend greasing the pans too. It’s just one extra step that helps to make sure that your bread comes out of the pan perfectly without ruining all of your hard work.
AC says
Is there a way to have it be less dense? Mine came out as a “heavy” loaf. Did I not do something correctly or is this normal? Any way to make it lighter?
It tasted great just thicker than I like it
Nicole says
When measuring the flour for bread it is best to do the spoon and level method. This means to use a spoon to fill up your measuring cup and then level the cup. Repeat until all of the flour has been added. You do not want to pack the flour into the cup by using it as a scoop or something because that will give you too much dry to wet ratio and will result in a heavier and denser loaf. Another culprit for a dense loaf is one that was overproofed. Double check that you only proof until the dough has doubled in size. Depending on where you are and the weather this could be anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Colleen Hay says
Thank you for the easy delicious recipe! I did not have bread flour, so I added vital wheat gluten to all purpose flour. I always weigh my flour instead of measuring it by volume (125 grams to a cup). Using my stand mixer to knead meant that I didn’t run the danger of adding too much flour. I also halved the oil since I am trying to cut back on fat. I followed the tips above about using instant yeast. I also used the suggestion to put the dough in the oven for the second rise, and leave it there while preheating the oven. I served this with 15 bean soup and everyone loved it. Nice tender crumb and high rise. Will definitely make again.
Alison says
This bread with 15 bean soup sounds fantastic! I’m so glad it worked out great for you Colleen!
Sarah Stewart says
This is the first time I made homemade bread and if I knew it was this easy and amazing I would have started earlier in life. Forget store bought bread! Loaves 3 and 4 are rising now! We go through it so fast! My girls love it! Thank you for a delicious easy recipe!
Nicole says
Oh my gosh that’s so exciting! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe! Enjoy your fresh baked loaves1
Patricia Dotson says
Wow I have tried a bunch of recipes and nothing is as good as yours. Not only easy but delicious. Will try more of your recipes.
Zina Strachan says
This is a wonderful recipe for bread I have made it a few times and my family loves it. Also I was wondering can you refrigerate the dough?
Nicole says
Im so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Yes you can place the dough into the fridge. I recommend making the dough all of the way up to the second rise and then placing it in the baking pan as directed. then cover in greased plastic wrap and keep in the fridge to “slow rise” for up to 8 hours or overnight. In the morning place the dough on the counter for about an hour to come to room temp as the oven preheats and bake as directed.
Angelina San Miguel says
Will using olive oil affect it any different?
Nicole says
Using olive oil may give it a different taste profile than expected but the bread will still turn out the same if made correctly
Bryan Sheffler says
I’m just looking into possibly making my own bread. This recipe looks a lot easier and less complicated than others I’ve looked at. Why is the vegetable oil needed?
Nicole says
Vegetable oil is a necessary fat used in baked goods and recipes to help the product remain moist. This means that it will keep the bread fresh longer so that it doesn’t become stale too quickly, giving you longer to enjoy it. Hope that helps! 🙂
Bridgette says
Have you tried this with gluten-free flour? I did and it didn’t raise like I was expecting. Idk if I over heated the yeast or it’s the bob red mills gluten free 1:1 flour I used.
Nicole says
I have not tried that flour with this recipe but I do know of a lot of bread recipes where bobs red mill baking flour is used 1:1 for all-purpose and gets fabulous results. I would recommend trying the recipe again and paying more attention to the age of the yeast and the temperature of the water as well as rise times to make sure you don’t under or over proof the bread.
Jasmine says
Good recipe, turned out well.quite sweet for me though so will significantly reducd the sugar next time.
Nicole says
Glad you liked it!
Debby Velders says
It’s a super cold day here and through of making bread! So gave it a try. Luckily had all the ingredients on-hand. Followed the easy instructions and it did take me more time – just a new recipe – but bread out of the oven now. House smells wonderful and hubby approves! Pretty tasty and great texture.
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it Debby! Baking is the best when it’s cold outside!
Lynne says
My bread is the loaf rising. There’s 9 minutes left and it’s far from having risen above the pan. I will give it more time. Will bake it also. I don’t think it’s to cold in the house. Any ideas what I IMHO have done wrong. The first rise seemed OK.
Nicole says
The time estimates given for bread rising will vary person to person as everything from weather to yeast quality can have an effect. It sounds like you’re doing okay because the first rise went well and you’re on the second rise. Chances are that you may have just needed to let it rise a little longer. Good places to keep your loaf as it rises are inside of an oven with just the oven light on or inside of a microwave because they are draft free and allow the bread to rise without getting too cold or slowing down the process.