Learn exactly how to make homemade bread from scratch — soft, fluffy, and perfect every time. Just 5 ingredients, beginner-friendly instructions, and done in about 2 hours. Thousands of raving comments & 5-star reviews!
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.
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
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!
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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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!
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!
Once you have some experience making a few loaves of this bread, you’ll have to try other bread recipes of mine! Our buttermilk bread is very popular for its soft, feathery texture. Want to try a shaped bread? This Braided Sweet Bread is heavenly- and it’s easy, I promise! If you want a nostalgic soft loaf of white bread that’s perfect for sandwiches, we’ve got you covered with our Soft White Bread. This Honey Oat Bread has fantastic flavor, or if you want to take a break from yeast, you’ve got to check out our No-Yeast Wheat 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.
Cynthia says
I made the bread yesterday and my family loved it! Your directions were easy to follow and I enjoyed making the bread! I am looking forward to trying the wheat flour. Thank you 😁 Also I had problems with the ads but I just turned my phone sideways and that fixed the problem!
Jessica says
Thank you Cynthia! Glad you like the bread! If you click “Print” it won’t print immediately, but it gives a cleaner version of the recipe that’s super easy to read. : )
Anne Marie Briley says
Hi. Can I add cinnamon and raisins to this recipe? Can I also substitute the oil for butter and the white sugar for brown sugar? Thanks for your help.
Jessica says
Whew- that’s a lot of changes… yes, you can add cinnamon and raisins. Swapping out oil for butter- note that you won’t be able to taste the butter, or any difference really, but using butter instead of oil in a bread recipe results in a less soft, more coarse bread consistency. Yes, you can swap out white sugar for brown sugar, but use less as brown sugar is sweeter. Hope this helps!
You might want to check out our Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe- https://butterwithasideofbread.com/cinnamon-raisin-bread/
Deb E says
Just bought some King Arthur bread flour and some fresh yeast. My mother used to make the most wonderful Parker rolls and bread. Looked at bread machines and didn’t like what I read. So I’m going to make it myself, follow your pointers (thank you for all the tips!!) and hope for the best. I have one question. We avoid using our oven & stove because the gas company has the highest rates in the nation & our state does nothing to protect consumers. We do all of our baking now in a Breville convection oven (counter top unit). VERY good unit – we love it, doesn’t heat the house up and it uses electricity in the most efficient way. Can I put my loaves of bread into that type of oven? I can cook whole chickens inside this unit. I appreciate your assistance!
Jessica says
I actually have a Breville too, but I’ve never tried cooking bread in it. I imagine it’d be fine though!
Emily Hammond says
Hi! Have you ever made the dough the night before and baked it the next morning? I have been using the recipe religiously for 5 years and it’s the best, but just wondered if it’s possible to make dough the night before?
Jessica says
I’ve recently began experimenting with this a lot and so far it works really well!
Emily Hammond says
How do you do it? Do you let them rise for the second time in the pan and then put it in the fridge? And do you let them warm to room temp before baking?
Jessica says
I can’t quite tell what comment you’re asking about, but I think it’s about making the dough the night before. Here’s what I do: make the dough completely. In the same bowl, pick up the ball of dough spray some oil around the bowl. Place dough back in and spray a couple times on top of the dough. Place a piece of plastic wrap tightly over the bowl and just put it in the fridge. In the morning, take it out, then let it sit on the counter to come to room temp/ first rise. Depending on how warm your house is, it might take 1-3 hours. Punch down dough, transfer to pan and let rise again. Proceed with the recipe- baking, etc. I hope that helps!
Jac says
This is saved as my Go To recipie. I keep buttermilk powder on hand often so sometimes I’ll add that proportioned to the water for reconstitution. It makes a nice texture and taste. I also incorporated other techniques from other recipes for proofing and such. This is a great basic recipe for experimenting or just by itself. I’m not a strong cook so the fact that I can successfully make this and alter it says a lot. Using the full dufar, or a little more and the buttermilk makes it taste almost like Hawaiian bread. My kids love that!
Jessica says
So glad to hear it Jac!! Yes, it really is the perfect base recipe. Happy baking!
Lidia Bayliss says
Smells great but came out of pan a bit soggy in the bottom and sides. Why is that? Will definable this again and possibly add herbs.
Jessica says
Soggy? Hmmm… that’s one I’ve not heard before. Was it dense? Wondering if maybe it rose too much during the 2nd rest and then collapsed a bit when you put it in the oven. Try reducing the yeast a bit with another batch.
T. Forbes says
I really enjoy baking my bread… This was my first attempt and this recipe was really easy to follow.. Texture and color was perfect… only issue I had was that the bottom was burnt… Can you maybe provide tips on how I can avoid that next time… I felt like I followed the recipe to the tee but just that one thing…
Jessica says
T- tell me about the pan you used and where in the oven you were baking the bread. I prefer glass or ceramic pans and try to stick to the middle of the oven. I even have to take an oven rack out when I bake mine!
Claribel says
This is the first and only bread recipe I make! I have been using it for 3 years now. As my family is growing, can I double the recipe? Do I just double all of the ingredients? Can I keep the yeast amount the same if I am doubling? Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
Jessica says
Hi Claribel! So glad you enjoy the recipe. YES you can double it, just make sure your mixer can accommodate the increased volume! Yes you can keep the yeast the same too, just remember it might take a bit longer to rise, it really depends on how warm the environment is. : )
Austin says
omg im freaking out i live in a super dry climate and i used 5.5 cups of flour will my bread be too dense?
Jessica says
Hmmm… I’m not sure Austin, it really depends on what your dough looked like. Did you add it all at once, or slowly? Chances are your bread will be delicious, but it might dry out faster. If you scroll up to the top of my post I give lots of instructions with pictures on how the dough process should go. Hope that helps!
Paige says
Made bread for the first time ever using your recipe! I just got off work and was craving some bread and something to do! I did use olive oil but I don’t mind the taste. The bread turned out really good! So soft and delicious! Thank you for having a great recipe and easy instructions!
Jessica says
So glad it worked out well Paige!! I find using light olive oil is perfect!
Beth Smith says
This bread came out amazing!! Easy recipe to follow and great hints for faster proving time. Loved it!!
Jessica says
so glad to hear Beth!!
Wilma robinson says
Yes I’ve made it. It’s a winter thing with me.too hot in summer.But I must say it is delicious
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Christina says
Made this bread last night and I must say, I love this recipe. My question though is does it freeze well?
Jessica says
It doesn’t have any preservatives, so I think it freezes well for up to 2 weeks- a month. Personal preference though!
Lucy says
I don’t have a mixer or bread machine can I knead by hand?
Jessica says
You can, just know that it will likely take 2x as long to knead it fully!
Juli says
This was my first time ever making a bread and it came out so good! The only thing I did differently was instead of letting it rise for an hour, I left it in the fridge overnight for about 9 hrs. It still came out delicious and fluffy!
Melissa Maldonado says
Love the way the bread came out. Super soft inside. It’s like eating a warm cookie but instead it’s bread. The first rise, I actually went over the one hour and it was overflowing out the bowl. This was amazing to see.
I recommend following the recipe exactly. It’s really simple and easy. Delicious. I just want to eat more bread. The house smells SO good while baking and afterwards!
5 stars for sure!!
I will save this recipe and make it again.
Jessica says
Thank you so much Melissa! I’m so glad you loved your bread!
Cindy Pelletier, Red Deer, CA says
I just made this bread, I have never been able to successfully make bread in my bread maker, so I thought I would give this a try! This bread came out perfect! My whole family loved it! I even forgot to move my oven rack down one so it would be in the center, still turned out perfect! I even only kneaded the bread by hand for 7 min ( I missed the part about going longer if by hand)
I read all the tips and I am so stoked to be a bread maker….. I even only used the non-stick bread pans and honestly, I wouldn’t do a thing different! Thank you for this easy bread recipe, next time I will try wholewheat! Or maybe garlic and herb!
Jessica says
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it Cindy!! Once you understand a few simple steps, the sky’s the limit! ENJOY!!
Joseph Lee Reese says
I m cooking it now so It was easy so now I will see when I bake it and taste it thank you for the resp. I m try to make buns with it
Joe Reese
Jessica says
Hope you enjoy it Joseph!
Bree says
Loved making this bread for th first time! It came out beautifully. Can you make different versions of this, like adding cheese or sweet stuff like fruit?
Jessica says
So glad to hear Bree! Yes, it’s very versatile- have fun with it!!
Makayla Willeford says
How long does the bread last?
Jessica says
Well, we use no preservatives, so it’ll last just a few days on the countertop. Refrigerating it helps it last a few more days beyond that, but know that it can dry out your bread a bit.
Kayla says
Made this recipe a few times! Love it. Is there a recipe for homemade buns by chance? I’ve never made buns but would love to find a good recipe
Jessica says
I generally make hamburger buns with this recipe- it’s a tad easier to shape! https://butterwithasideofbread.com/white-bread-recipe/
susan catherine richards says
I have made bread in the past , not often. This recipe is the best! You shared many great tips and at 71 I am still learning. The family loved. I tinted the bread orange for my grandkids for Halloween. Was a great hit.