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. 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!
HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BREAD
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nikki says
I don’t have a 12″ bread pan. Would 2 8×4 bread pans work? Thanks
Jessica says
You can always bake the bread in one of your 8″ pans and just have it be a tall loaf. That or yes, two of those pans would work well too!
Reba L Scharer says
WOW!!!!! WHAT A GOOD BUTTERMILK BREAD RECIPE. I HAVE MADE BUTTERMILK BREAD IN THE PAST BUT DECIDED TO TRY THIS RECIPE. EASY AND QUICK TO MIX DOUGH; GREAT TASTE AND OVERALL BEATS MY RECIPES. WILL ONLY USE THIS RECIPE IN THE FUTURE.
Anne says
Hello just curious if you used regular yeast or instant yeast
Jessica says
I use instant yeast.
Diane Novak says
Used “whole buttermilk “ and saf instant yeast.
Peggy says
What is the difference between instant and regular yeast?
Diane Novak says
Most of the yeast sold to home bakers is active or instant. I buy saf in a 16oz. pkg. and store in the fridge because I bake breads frequently…..I have not had it go in-active even after a year. It also can be stored in the freezer if you’re not a frequent baker.
Bill Wilkat says
Thanks for posting this–we had some leftover buttermilk from pancakes that we made and I decided to give it a go using the bread machine. The only change I made was to replace 1/2 of white flour with 1/2 whole wheat flour. However, it rose too much and collapsed producing an unsightly loaf (I’ll call it rustic LOL!). Nonetheless, it tastes great. In the future, I’ll try reducing the amount of yeast and/or sugar or bake it in loaf pans–yours look terrific. I’ll blog about it and refer people back to your blog for the recipe should they want to try using the bread machine. Generally, I’ve found that I prefer to bake bread in a conventional oven and let the bread machine do the kneading and first rising. Thanks again!
Bill Wilkat
Alison says
Bill, really as long as it tastes good looks are secondary 😉 glad you could enjoy this recipe!
Char Sachson says
I tried mine in the bread maker, and it totally collapsed. Did you have any luck readjusting the amounts?
Jessica says
Did you kill your yeast? That might be the culprit!
Ben Wilkat says
Thanks for posting this, I’ll give a try, once our summer weather has passed and bread baking is back in my sights!
Alison says
Ben, something to look forward to for sure!
Jo says
Can you use gluten free flour and if so, would it require the same quantity as the all purpose flour
Jessica says
I don’t have a lot of experience working with gluten-free flour, sorry!
Bill Wilkat says
You might try “Cup for Cup” gluten-free flour brand as that’s what it is intended to do (i.e. be a direct replacement for regular flour). However, from my experience testing a few gluten-free bread recipes, there’s no guarantee that the end result will be perfect. It takes a lot of testing and I’ve never tried it with a buttermilk bread recipe of any kind. America’s Test Kitchen gluten-free flour blend (recipe is online) might be another good choice.
Good luck!
Bill Wilkat
Michael says
Use real buttermilk if you can find it. What most grocery stores sell is milk mixed with enzymes. I use powdered buttermilk with great results. For the love of God, don’t mix milk with vinegar.
Jessica says
THanks Michael!
Duck says
I have a Zojirushi bread machine that makes 2 pound loaves. I’m wondering if anyone has increased the recipe by 1/4 and how it worked out in the machine??
Jessica says
I’ve made this recipe in my Zojirushi before as is and it turned out great!
Donna says
Ok, in one place you say you use instant and in another place you say you use active dry yeast….which is it? Also, do you usually use all purpose flour or bread flour?
Donna says
Also, my questions are for making this in my bread machine.
Donna says
Is it really a tablespoon of instant yeast for 3 1/2 cups of flour?
Hilary S Lappetito says
I wouldn’t use 1 TBSP. I followed the recipe to the T and it was a bust. The loaf rose out of my bread machine bread pan and couldn’t be salvaged. A sticky, burnt mess. 🙁 I’d stick with the oven.
Jessica says
It certainly depends on the size of your bread maker for sure!
Marita Dennis says
This recipe is SO easy!! I have to give half away so my husband and I don’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting. Even my 9 year old granddaughter made this bread. Thank you!!
Alison says
So glad you all enjoyed it Marita!
Will Dimmitt says
Honestly was a spear of a moment thing! It came out good! Thank you for the awesome Recipe.
Jessica says
You’re most welcome Will! Glad you liked it!
roy says
turned out perfect ,light and fluffy too. no bread machine so will make this my buttermilk bread recipe .
Loved to be a able to bake one loaf.