Homemade Buttermilk Bread made easy at home with 6 ingredients! This buttermilk bread creates a soft loaf that has incredible texture & tastes divine!
Making this soft bread recipe is so simple, made with just a handful of ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen and pantry. Buttermilk bread has such a delicate texture and tastes incredible too, give it a try today and see how amazing it is!
This buttermilk bread is a fantastic next step after you’ve figured out how to make bread from scratch.
Tips to create the BEST bread every time
If you have never baked homemade bread before, here are a few tips that will help you make the most delicious and soft bread ever.
- Remember to fully knead. The recipe below kneads for 10 minutes and it is worth every minute. 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 will 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 are 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!
- Kitchen too cool 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 is 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 is 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!
Can I made this Homemade Buttermilk Bread in a Bread Machine?
YES! I have 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 Ingredients
Buttermilk: You will need 1 ½ cups of buttermilk* to create the most amazing homemade bread.
Butter: Adding in 2 tablespoons of melted butter will make this bread rich in taste.
Sugar: Use 2 tablespoons of sugar to help sweeten this bread up perfectly.
Salt: You will want to add in 1 teaspoon of salt to help balance the flavors in this bread well.
Flour: The base of this recipe is 3 ½ cups of all-purpose or bread flour.
Yeast: To make the bread rise properly, you will need 1 tablespoon of yeast.
Helpful Tips when Making Your a Loaf of Soft 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!
HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BREAD
Ingredients
Instructions
- Dough prep: Start by combining the buttermilk, melted butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.*
- Then, in a separate bowl, combine the salt, flour and yeast. Whisk the dry ingredients together to combine, then add them to the wet buttermilk mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients together until well combined (I use a KitchenAid Mixer.) 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 have 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!
- First rise: Once the dough is done kneading, proceed to cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour; until the dough has doubled in size.
- Second rise: After the first rise, punch the dough down and knead several times, then shape the dough (I like to roll mine, then tuck the ends under) and place in a greased bread loaf pan. Place the dough back in the warm spot and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Bake: Get the oven preheating to 350 degrees F. Once the second rise is complete, bake the dough for about 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes after baking is complete, then overturn the pan and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or folded towel to finish cooling. When ready to enjoy, slice, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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HOW TO 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!
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!
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.
Here are even more recipes for homemade bread to try:
- Honey Wheat Bread
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Honey Oat Bread recipe
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Fabulous French Bread
- Homemade Hawaiian Bread
- Potato Bread Recipe
- White Bread Recipe
Homemade Buttermilk Bread can now be baked easily and fresh from the comfort of your own kitchen with 6 ingredients! This buttermilk bread creates a soft loaf that has incredible texture & tastes divine!
Marilyn Schelnick says
I’m waiting to see what happens to the baking process since the bread has rose to the top of the lid. Never had this happen before. If I take it out it will fall I’m sure. If I don’t will it bake right?
Jessica says
It should bake just fine Marilyn!
Kim says
Mine is taking so long to rise…
Jessica says
Is your house cool? This bread can be a bit slow since you don’t activate the yeast initially. I give instructions in the post about how to rise your bread in a warm oven. Just turn it on for 4-5 minutes, then turn it off and put your bread dough in for the hour long rise. Usually helps a ton!
Natalie Johnson says
This bread recipe is so quick and simple and tastes amazingly good. It has a very nice crisp golden brown top. You cut into it and get that wonderful fresh bread smell, so soft and fluffy inside.
Thank you for sharing.
I found another Buttermilk bread recipe that is pretty much the same but it has honey for the sweetness. I will be making that recipe this eve.
Jean says
This does not cook all the way through at 350 degrees for only 35 minutes. I had to put the loaf back in for 20 minutes more.
Lorrie Ann Oyer says
Always use a digital thermometer. Internal temperature should be 190 to 195 F.
Ginger says
I have made this recipe twice in the past week and our family really loves it! I was looking for a recipe to use up some remaining buttermilk, and I’m so glad I found this! It’s easy to make by hand (although kneading for 10 minutes is tiresome lol) and it came out fluffy! I baked mine in a round ceramic dish and the bake time of 30 minutes was perfect. Great recipe!
Jessica says
I’m thrilled you love it Ginger!! It’s one of my favorites too!
Shelly says
Easy recipe and it turned out beautifully! Definitely a bread to show off.
Linda Cargile says
This is my favorite go to bread recipe so easy to make i make it as our main bread now ! Thank you for the great tip on warming oven to rise dough works so good!
Mary says
Best loaf of bread I have ever made! Came out perfect!
Have you tried to make this into dinner rolls?
Jessica says
Oh I’m so glad you liked it!! It’s one of my all-time favorites too. Yes, it’s versatile, you can make it into rolls!
Liz says
Excellent bread. Easy recipe
Aleta Hancock says
Do you bring the buttermilk to 110-115 temp.like most bread recipes
Jessica says
I don’t; when you combine the melted butter, it warms the buttermilk up a bit, so it works!
Sonia says
I’m about to try this recipe. Could you please tell me what size pan to use. Thank you
Jessica says
You can use any bread pan as long as it’s not the mini sized!
Lorrie says
I made 6 loaves so far. It works great with all-purpose flour. My next batch will be made with bread flour. I hope it’s just as good.
Jessica says
I love it with bread flour! So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Elaine says
Very soft and easy to make! I really like it! I want to try it with real buttermilk next time.
Karen says
This was so easy and delicious! Great recipe!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Maureen says
I was wondering if I can substitute honey instead of the sugar?
Jessica says
You can!
Barbara Polinkas says
You don’t mention anything about the temperature of the buttermilk. Shouldn’t it be around 110 degrees?
Jessica says
It doesn’t have to be, but you can speed up the process by heating it a little. Just don’t heat it too much!
CEK says
This is the best bread recipe I have tried, I didn’t have enough buttermilk, so filled in with 2%. It turned out golden brown and delicious.
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it CEK!
Tarsha says
I loved making this loaf, I ended up mixing my yeast in warmed buttermilk I had from making butter from scratch, I used olive oil instead of melted butter, I only did one rise, rubbed on left over butter from my mixer to avoid wasting, bread came out so soft, nice brown top, so filling and delicious with freshly made butter.
Jessica says
That sounds heavenly Tarsha!!
Steven says
As a previous poster stated the baking time is too short.
Buttermilk is dense.
45-50 minutes of baking time would yield a better product.