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
📫 Save this recipe! Send it to your email! 📩
I consent to receiving emails from this site.
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!
Alex says
Amazing and easy! Loved the results… bread did not last long at my house! Making another loaf soon….
Jessica says
So glad everyone enjoys it- it’s one of our favorites too!
Julie Andrews says
Amazing! I made them into to rolls and they we so soft and yummy! I was wondering if I could freeze the dough? I have read that you need to double the yeast if you freeze it. What do you recommend?
Jessica says
Yes, you can double the yeast and freeze the dough!
Stephanie S says
First bread I’ve made with my new kitchenaid and I’m in love! So tasty and incredibly easy. Thanks!
Alison says
So glad you loved it Stephanie!
Verena says
This bread looks amazing. I have 2 questions please. 1 – what are the dimensions of your bread pan. I always seem to use a pan that is too large with the result the bread doesn’t rise as much and 2 – can I slice the bread and freeze it?
Jessica says
THe pan I used here is an 8″x4″ pan. I wrote up a whole post on bread pans! https://butterwithasideofbread.com/best-bread-loaf-pan/
I’m not a fan of slicing and freezing homemade bread because I feel like it dries out. But you can do it!
Verena Rousseau says
Thank you for your reply. I made the bread and it turned out perfectly. The flavour was superb. I did freeze it sliced, and so far so good. We generally only use frozen sliced bread for toast. Wow!! The toast is phenomenal!! I have to freeze otherwise it would just get thrown out. We don’t eat much bread. Thanks again for the recipe!!
Sylvia V kastler says
I am assuming that you warm up the buttermilk. If you have never baked bread before someone might use it right out of the fridge
Jessica says
Nope, you actually use it right out of the fridge!
Gwen says
The bread machine has several settings for size of loaf. Which one works for these recipes?
Jessica says
I use the 1-lb setting for my machine
Michelle S says
Your recipe is amazing!!! I even used the whey I get when I make my own cheese and it is amazing!! The smell of this while baking is just pure love! Then I also toast it and slap on butter. THANK YOU so much!!!!
Marilyn says
Just took my first lovely loaf of this out of the oven an hour ago. Sliced off the heel in 10 minutes because we couldn’t wait to sample.
I keep buttermilk on hand religiously and use it for so many recipes.
I was looking for a way to make my bread more flavorful when I came across this recipe.
So glad I tried it.
I’ll be experimenting with spelt to see if I can go 100% with it.
Thanks for a lovely recipe.
Alison says
Thank you Marilyn! I’m so glad to hear it worked out so well for you!
Godgift says
So lovely and amazing i tried it and it really work for me.it’s so enjoying thanks
Lisa Valandra says
The best bread ever!!!!! Thank you!
Mildred says
I followed the instructions and my bread came out delicious. Thank you for the great recepie
Bee says
Made this today, came out beautifully brown and very moist and flavorful! Thank you for sharing. What’s the best way to store it?
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it!! You’ll store bread in an airtight container. I bought bread bags off Amazon. https://amzn.to/33GlGrm
Jo Anne Stegall says
I wish I could give it more stars! This has become my go to recipe for a loaf of bread. I have tried several and they were not what I was looking for. I did not change anything because it was perfect. I do heat my buttermilk in the microwave and my butter. I pour that in bread machine and add my yeast. While I add my other ingredients to a large measuring cup, it has time to begin working. I mix the dry ingredients and then add it to the bread machine. I use the dough setting and take it out and proceed to the rising and baking. It is so good! I have made it about half a dozen times. I use flour from France or Italy because of the difference in the flour as opposed the flour in the US. I don’t have celiac but have CFS/ME and have found that I can eat bread made with this flour. It is more expensive but well worth the price. Spread the word to those who are going gluten free and do not have celiac disease.
Alison says
Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and kind words Jo Anne!
Erin says
Hello, I’d like to try this recipe but I was wondering what attachment you used for the kitchenaid? I just got mine for Christmas and have only made cookies with the attachment that came with it. Do I need to buy a special attachment for bread? Thanks!
Jessica says
Your Kitchenaid also came with a dough hook- that’s what I use with all my homemade breads. : )
Betty Barkley says
Very good buttermilk bread. I bought powdered buttermilk as I don’t use regular buttermilk on a regular basis. The bread turned out very well. I used a glass bread pan and baked it for 30 minutes. It was not quite done and did not use a thermometer to test it. Next time I will bake it for 35 minutes and also check it with a thermometer. I also think I will double the recipe and try half white flour and half whole wheat. Hopefully this will work as well. Thanks for a great, easy recipe!
Sheila C says
I just made this (did not use bread machine) and it was the best bread I’ve ever made. It was dense, moist, soft, and completely delicious. The only thing I did differently was I warmed the buttermilk just a touch. This is my go to from now on. Who needs store bought bread when you have this easy and tasty recipe! Thanks for sharing. So glad I tried it!
Jessica says
Sheila- I’m THRILLED to hear you loved the bread! It’s one of my favorites as well. SO DELICIOUS. : )
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?