Easy White Bread Recipe

No smell is more inviting or comforting than that of homemade bread. A freshly baked loaf of bread is one treat that will have everyone lining up at the oven to grab a bite. While bread baking is a rewarding experience, it’s also a science that requires specific ingredients, measurements and baking tools. Here’s at Bob’s Red Mill, we’ve baked our fair share of bread recipes and want to share that experience. If you are ready to switch things up and want to start making bread at home, we know just where to start. The Easy White Bread recipe below is the ideal loaf to create for all of your bread-based meals. Continue reading to learn how to make this bread at home, with or without a bread machine.

How to Make Easy White Bread

A simple-to-make loaf of white bread that can be used to create everything from sandwiches to croutons. Make sure your first bread-making experience is successful, and follow the step-by-step instructions below to create the perfect loaf. This recipe makes two loaves of bread.

Easy White Bread Ingredients

• 5-6 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, divided
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
• 2 cups Water
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 1 Tbsp Margarine

Easy White Bread Instructions

1. Combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a large bowl. Mix well.
2. In a small saucepan, heat water and oil until it reaches 120-130°F.
3. Add the warm liquid to the flour mixture and blend at low speed until it is moistened.
4. Beat the mixture at medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in 2 ½ - 3 cups of flour by hand, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
6. Flour a large work surface, place the dough on the surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic. (about 5 minutes)
7. Place the kneaded dough into a greased bowl and cover it loosely with a cloth towel. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. (30-60 minutes)
8. Grease two loaf pans.
9. Once the dough rises, punch down the dough several times to remove all air bubbles.
10. Divide the dough in half and shape it into loaves.
11. Place the two loaves of dough into bread pans, cover, and let rise until the dough fills the pans and the loaves are about an inch above the edges of the pan. (about 30-35 minutes)
12. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
13. Uncover the dough and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped.
14. Remove the loaves from the pans and place them on wire racks.
15. Brush with melted margarine and allow the loaves to cool for one hour.

Making White Bread in a Bread Machine

As rewarding as making bread by hand is, making bread in a bread machine can significantly cut down preparation time. If you have a bread machine, follow the steps below to ensure that your next loaf is the best yet. This bread recipe makes 1 ½ lb. loaf (13 slices). 

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 3 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 3 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual and process the basic bread cycle according to the manufacturer’s directions. Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes before slicing it.

Tips for Making Homemade Bread

Whether you’ve made homemade bread before, or this is your first time, take a moment to review the tips below to create a great-tasting load every time.

Treat Your Yeast Kindly

A good bread recipe starts with healthy yeast. When making bread from scratch, you’ll want to ensure that the yeast you are using is active and remains so during the entire process. Though the type of yeast you use will require different handling methods, the most important thing to be aware of is the temperature of the water used. Water that is too hot is the quickest way to kill the yeast. When inactive yeast is added to a bread recipe, it creates a dough that will not rise.

On the contrary, water that is too cold could prevent the yeast from activating and result in an accidental unleavened bread. To properly activate yeast, we recommend using water that is warm to the touch but not so hot that you have to pull your hand away. Water between 70 - 90°F won’t kill your yeast but instead help it thrive.

Use the Right Flour

Using different flours to make homemade bread will result in different textures. Because there are other gluten properties in all types of flour, a standard all-purpose flour might not work well for every loaf. When making bread at home, read the recipe instructions carefully and use the flour suggested.

Avoid Under Kneading Dough

To achieve the perfect texture, you’ll need to pay attention to how much, or little, you knead the dough. A great bread produces the perfect chew when you bite into it. To accomplish this “chew,” it’s essential to ensure that gluten properties are activated and well strengthened.

When using a stand mixer, kneading dough to perfection is quite simple. Just set the timer and let the machine do the work. However, if you are kneading by hand, you’ll want to make sure you knead for the recommended time—usually 15-20 minutes. Though this might seem like a long time for one step of the recipe, it’s a vital part of producing great-tasting and -textured bread. Enjoy this time in the kitchen by putting on music, listening to a podcast, or catching up on that show you’ve been meaning to watch.

Be Cautious of the Proof Time

A flavorful bread has been proofed for the perfect amount of time. The time bread requires to rise and proof allows the yeast to grow and start breaking down and fermenting the flour in your dough. If your goal is to create a flavorful and fluffy loaf, you’ll want to allow the bread to rise for as much time as needed. Cutting this time short typically causes poor fermentation and under-proofing, resulting in dense, gummy bread.

To make sure that your homemade loaf of bread bakes perfectly, allow your yeast time to grow before it’s baked. By cutting the rise time short, you’re killing off the yeast that still has more work to do. How do you know when your dough is done rising? Follow the recipe's instructions and observe it as it grows. While recipes will provide rough timelines, the temperature of your house, the tools you use and your baking skills all play a factor in the rise time.

Be Mindful When Baking with a Starter

If the white bread recipe you baked turned out perfectly, you might be eager to make something more complicated like sourdough. When instructions are followed, making sourdough bread is a relatively straightforward process. That being said, you’ll want to be mindful of the starter used. All sourdough recipes require a starter, and they work best when a mature and active starter is used. If you’re making a starter from scratch, allow it to fully mature before making your first loaf—a process that usually takes about two weeks. How do you know if your sourdough starter is ready? Once your starter is rising and falling on a predictable schedule and feeding twice a day, you can use it for baking a loaf of bread.

Allow Bread to Cool Before Slicing

Slicing up a serving of a warm loaf of bread is highly tempting. However, slicing bread before it’s had a chance to cool off can affect its texture and flavor. Bread that is sliced when warm will hold a gummy nature and be less airy than if you had waited for a little. Additionally, prematurely sliced loaves will also go stale much quicker. To ensure that your bread tastes great and lasts as long as possible, allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

Making a fresh loaf of bread is simple and an excellent way to improve your baking skills. To make a loaf that can be used for almost anything, follow the Easy White Bread Recipe above, and reference our bread-making tips before beginning. We’re sure that with a bit of practice, you’ll be an expert bread maker in no time. From everyone at Bob’s Red Mill, we wish you loads of baking success!

Do you enjoy making bread at home? We'd love to hear about the different tricks and tips to ensure that your loaf turns out perfect. Share your favorite white bread recipes with us in the comments below.