HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BREAD

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?

1. 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!
2. Once dough is done kneading, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour; until dough has doubled in size.
3. 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.
4. 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

HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BREAD

Buttermilk Bread baked fresh in your kitchen with this easy recipe! Buttermilk Bread is soft and has incredible flavor. Simple bread recipe that everyone loves. 

4.4 from 41 votes

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Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Jessica~ Butter With A Side of 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. 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!

Notes

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. 

Tried this recipe?Mention @jessicalovesbutter or tag #jessicalovesbutter!