Buttermilk Bread baked fresh in your kitchen with this easy recipe! Buttermilk Bread is soft, has incredible flavor and can be made in your bread machine!
Buttermilk Bread is made with just a handful of ingredients and is one of my favorite bread recipes. It has such a delicious, soft texture and fantastic flavor. My kids get so excited when they walk in to the smell of freshly baked bread! Bonus too- this recipe is perfect for a bread machine!
If you’ve never baked homemade bread before, here are a few tips:
- Remember to fully knead. The recipe below kneads for 10 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.
- 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 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!
- 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.
- After the first rise, don’t overwork the dough. 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. I just turn the oven on and set the timer to bake!
- 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. Since this bread contains a lot of milk, I don’t take it out of the oven until it reaches 200 degrees F. The top will be golden brown.
- 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.
Can you make this Homemade Buttermilk Bread in a Bread Machine?
YES! I’ve had wonderful results making this Buttermilk Bread in my bread machine. You don’t have to make any ingredient changes either- simple add them to your bread machine pan in the order listed below. I used the “Basic White Bread” setting with a light crust and it turned out beautifully.
Homemade Buttermilk Bread
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
- 2 TBSP melted butter
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 TBSP yeast
How do you make homemade bread from scratch?
- Combine buttermilk, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, including yeast. Whisk dry ingredients together to combine, then add to buttermilk mixture in the mixing bowl. (I use a Kitchenaid Mixer.) Mix ingredients until well combined. I like about a quarter sized amount of dough to be sticking on the very bottom. If your dough looks a bit dry, add in another splash of buttermilk. Once you’ve achieved a good consistency, mix the dough on low for about 6-7 minutes. (Or knead by hand about 10 minutes.) Proper kneading is critical to great textured homemade bread!
- Once dough is done kneading, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour; until dough has doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and knead several times. Shape dough (I like to roll mine, then tuck the ends under) and place in a greased bread loaf pan. My all-time favorite bread pan is the Norpro 12″ Bread Pan. Place dough back in the warm spot and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake dough for about 30-35 minutes- until top is golden brown. Let cool and slice.
*You can substitute regular milk + lemon juice for buttermilk, but you won’t quite get the full texture and flavor of this bread. So add buttermilk to the grocery list; you’ll love it!
Enjoy this Buttermilk Bread? Here are even more homemade bread recipes to try:
- Basic Homemade White Bread
- Fabulous French Bread
- Sweet Orange Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Easy Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Tomato Parmesan Flatbread
- Soft & Buttery Potato Bread
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
- 2 TBSP melted butter
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 TBSP yeast
- Combine buttermilk, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, including yeast. Whisk dry ingredients together to combine, then add to buttermilk mixture in the mixing bowl. (I use a Kitchenaid Mixer.) Mix ingredients until well combined. I like about a quarter sized amount of dough to be sticking on the very bottom. If your dough looks a bit dry, add in another splash of buttermilk. Once you've achieved a good consistency, mix the dough on low for about 6-7 minutes. (Or knead by hand about 10 minutes.) Proper kneading is critical to great textured homemade bread!
- Once dough is done kneading, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour; until dough has doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and knead several times. Shape dough (I like to roll mine, then tuck the ends under) and place in a greased bread loaf pan. My all-time favorite bread pan is the Norpro 12" Bread Pan. Place dough back in the warm spot and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake dough for about 30-35 minutes- until top is golden brown. Let cool and slice.
- *You can substitute regular milk + lemon juice for buttermilk, but you won't quite get the full texture and flavor of this bread. So add buttermilk to the grocery list; you'll love it!
Yes you can make this recipe in a bread machine! No changes needed either. Add the ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order listed above. Before you add in the yeast, make a small well in the flour and place it there. I used the "Basic White Bread" setting with a light crust.
King Cobra says
Easy breezy. Followed the recipe by the book and came out delicious. Baking took a bit longer but every oven is not the same. Measuring the inside temp did the trick. Thanks!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it! I take the temp of all my bread at this point! It’s such an easy way to get perfectly baked bread!
Gail- Lynn Hollman says
So this bread went against everything I have been taught and learned about baking bread. Made it today and will be making it again. Great taste very light. Love it.
Jessica says
Kind of funny isn’t it?! It really works though- so glad you enjoyed it!
Theresa Latham says
I tried this recipe today and it did nothing!! I have tried so many bread recipes and I can’t get any of them to work. It didn’t rise at all. Any suggestions? I have watched videos, tried every recipe.
Jessica says
Hi Theresa– there are a few things that affect bread, but if they’re all not working, maybe it’s time to enlist the help of someone who has successfully baked homemade bread? A friend or family member? If your bread isn’t rising, check and make sure your yeast is new, or has been properly kept- I like to put mine in the freezer. Are you using the correct amount of yeast in each recipe? I wish I could help more!
Bruce Frank says
I have a bread recipe that I have, over the years, modified and really like. I add three jumbo eggs to the two loaf recipe. The original called for corn oil and I substituted coconut oil. I also use Lite Salt (50/50 mix sodium chloride and potassium chloride) which has a slightly different flavor the just sodium chloride. The recipe is also made with 50% unbleached and 50% whole wheat flour and brown sugar in place of white sugar. (Self developed “whole wheat” recipe)
A couple of years ago I switched to all butter and used twice as much replacing the oil that was called for. I am now also using twice the salt called for. That was originally a mistake with salt, but the bread tasted good so I served it along with loaves made with the correct amount of salt. I got genuine raves for the loaves with the extra salt, so I now make it that way.
I guess I need to get to my point, I would like to replace the sweet milk (yes, I grew up in the South) with buttermilk. I have to say that the extra salt does not appear to impacted the rise of the bread. Is there any adjustment necessary due to the acidity of buttermilk…or sour (naturally soured) milk, which I am also disinterested in trying. Btw, in response to another post about sugar, white (or unbleached) flour bread rises with regular yeast, but more slowly, without any added sugar. Wheat flour contains the enzymes amylase and diastase, that convert starch to sugars that the yeast digests.
Jessica says
Without knowing your full recipe, it’s hard for me to say if using buttermilk in place of sweet milk will work well or not. However, I’m a big fan of simply trying it out! Buttermilk does add a nice flavor and texture, but it also requires a bit longer cooking time, so keep that in mind. Let me know how it goes!
Bruce Frank says
Doesn’t appear to be a way to edit my earlier post. I see to mistakes: This “different flavor the just sodium chloride” should have been “Different flavor THAN just sodium chloride.” And “disinterested” was intended to be “interested!” Sometimes spelcheck is not my friend.
Betty Richardson says
Best bread recipe ever. I have made and eaten countless loaves.
Check Website Living on a Dime to find out how to never run out of
fresh buttermilk.
Jessica says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Betty!
Clara says
I made this recipe a couple days ago, and it really was yummy. I used room temperature buttermilk, and I had no trouble at all with the bread rising. I’m wondering for the next time I make this recipe, do you warm the buttermilk or use it cold from the fridge? Thanks!
Jessica says
I always just use buttermilk cold from the fridge! It still works every time! ;) I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hannah says
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. I am not the best bread baker out there but the loaves had a nice, soft texture with some good height to them. Definitely will be making these again. Thanks for the key to knead for awhile. I timed my ten minutes and I think it really helped.
Jessica says
Sounds like it went perfectly Hannah! So glad you liked the recipe!
Sumbal says
Hi, I made this recipe exactly as per instructions and it’s tastes great; soft and buttery..kneaded 10 mins by hand ..however it came out with a crackling crust and not at all looking the way yours does.. any suggestions ?? I even placed a bowl of water in the oven.
Jessica says
Hi Sumbal ~ I’m so glad you liked the bread! As far as a crackling crust, I’m honestly not sure what would cause that. I’ll have to do some research on it!
Nico says
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I am at high altitude (5,500 ft) and the recipe turned great! The only change I made was to bake at 400 deg the first 15 min and then lowered it to 350 to bake the rest of the time (as suggested in “Pie in the Sky”). This was my first time making bread and I was super intimidated by it, but you made it easy. Thanks again!
Jessica says
You’re most welcome Nico! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Judy says
We rarely use buttermilk so I keep a can of buttermilk powder in the fridge. Add the amount of powder to dry ingredients and add water to liquids (eggs, melted butter).
Jessica says
That’s a great idea Judy!!
Jeannine Bianchi says
LOVED IT! I used my bread machine and it was easy, easy and delicious. My husband said it ‘s the best one yet. It worried me at first because it was “white” for so long. I would use the darker or medium crust instead of light.
Jessica says
So glad you liked it!!
Abdul Samad says
Am highly grateful to be part of this lovely page, I also want to start producing bread to sell I need help sisters
Jessica says
Thank you Abdul- and good luck with your endeavors!
Peggy says
Hello,
I’m enjoying your blog, and have a quick question about the bread. Can I make it, the day/night before and then bake it in the morning?
Thank you!
Jessica says
Yes, you can make the dough, then put a piece of plastic wrap over the mixing bowl and refrigerate it until morning. Know that your rising time will be longer though because the dough will have to warm up to adequately rise!
Peggy says
Thank you!
Peggy
Thomas says
I just made this bread. Totally Deliscious! It is now in my recipe folder. Thank You so much.