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!
If you love Bread as much as we do, find all of our Best Bread Recipes Here!
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. 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 bread recipe? Here are even more recipes for homemade bread to try:
-
- Honey Wheat Bread
- How to Make Bread
- 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
- White Bread Recipe
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!
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!
HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BREAD
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk*
- 2 TBSP melted butter
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 TBSP yeast
Instructions
- 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. 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Brenda says
You don’t dissolve the yeast in warm water first? How does it activate?
Jessica says
Crazy right? It does activate!
Cyndie says
I love this recipe. I do have a question. I use a kitchen aid mixer. You say you can need in the mixer 6 to 7 minutes or knead by hand 10 minutes. My wrists aren’t holding up well so I want to try kneading in the mixer. Do you use the dough hook or regular mixer blade?
Thanks
Nellie says
You can definitely use your mixer- just use the dough hook!
Cyndie Purdy says
Do you use a kitchen aide dough hook to knead in the mixer?
Jessica says
That’s what I use, yes!
Judy U says
Delicious
Alison says
Thank you Judy!
Ryan F says
Nice rise and crumb. Soft but able to stand butter and jam. I scored the top so it would get that signature slice of bread shape. Also bake time was about 38m to get to 190°F. Goes great with homemade jam or jelly!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Ryan!
Elizabeth Scott says
Instant yeast okay?
Jessica says
Yep!
Corinna says
I made this recipe for the first time today; never had buttermilk bread before and didn’t get to try this loaf either because it was a gift for a friend who made my family some face masks. She said it was wonderful! I normally don’t have bread flour at home, but have been experimenting lately and used bread flour in this recipe. Your recipe states that all purpose flour can be used here too. How do either of these flours affect the tatste / texture?
Roger Martin says
for bread machine – what loaf size to select?
Jessica says
I use the 1-lb loaf option on mine.
PItollie says
I made this in my Cuisinart bread machine. After the first rise it looked perfect. I knew this would be sticky dough so I kept an eye on it. When it was time to remove the paddle, the dough seemed to get real sticky and was no longer in a nice ball, but I left it alone. I left it alone to see what it would do. It rose real well and I thought all was good, then it fell at the end and the top caved in a bit. I ate it anyway. It was delicious. In hindsight, when I removed the paddle, I wish I had added some flour and kneaded it a bit on the counter and then put it back in the machine (I set these up when I’m working from home). The bread is nice and light and real tasty. I will make again. Has anyone substituted honey for the sugar?
Jo Anne Stegall says
I have used this recipe as my go to recipe for bread I make once a week. I have been looking for a good recipe for buns but have not found the one. I improvised this recipe for making quick hamburger buns by using double the yeast, two tablespoons. After kneading, shape into twelve buns. Let rise ten minutes and bake at 425 degrees. This made a great bun recipe!
Con says
Would you have rough estimates on calorific intake (I make this for some family members as a treat at times but they were asking!)
Thanks
Jessica says
I added the info- about 177 calories per slice, if you slice it into 12. : )
Haley says
This is SO good! My only problem was that I forgot the salt. I used homemade buttermilk. I made butter the other day with heavy whipping cream, and I used the buttermilk that was left over from that. I also had an open and partially used packet of rapid rise yeast. It used what was left, about 3/4 of the tablespoon, so I add enough of the yeast I had on hand which was active dry yeast to equal the whole tablespoon. It worked! The rise on this bread was awesome. I’m so proud of myself cause it turned out so good. Amazing recipe, great job!
Desiree Gadd says
How long would I bake it if I formed into buns instead?
Jessica says
Depending on the size, I’d bake them for 20-25 minutes.
Jo Anne Stegall says
Another comment on this great recipe: I counted the calories in the ingredients, 1,372 calories a loaf. An average loaf of bread has twenty to twenty four slices, so about fifty seven to sixty nine calories.
Carolyn says
I have to admit I was a bit nervous about trying this recipe, as I’ve never made bread; but it was so easy and it turned out perfect. I made it simply because I had buttermilk and needed to use or waste it. I’m definitely keeping this recipe.
Alison says
This is so great to hear Carolyn! I hope you continue to enjoy this recipe!
Rebecca D. says
For anyone interested in making this recipe in a bread machine using the Express/Quick setting…I heated the buttermilk until it was warm. Also added just a little extra Active Dry yeast (because I didn’t have Rapid Rise yeast). I used the “Express Bake/1.5 lb” setting on my machine, which took only 58 minutes!! The sides were golden and the top soft. Perfect!
Nellie says
Thanks so much for sharing Rebecca! So glad the bread turned out so well in your bread machine!
Pam F says
This bread is delicious and so easy! Talk about a pillowy soft texture–yes! My husband and I love it!
Alison says
Thanks so much Pam! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this!
Kim Z says
Can you use this recipe to make cheese bread? It is delicious bread and really easy to make.
Jessica says
I haven’t ever made a cheese bread with this one, but I agree, I think it’d be wonderful!