Soft and delicious, with just a touch of sweetness, and not at all like flimsy store-bought white bread, this homemade white bread recipe is easy and it’s made with simple ingredients.
Here’s all you need to know about making the perfect loaf of Homemade Bread (White Bread)!
There’s something deeply satisfying about a slice of white bread. And when that white bread goodness is homemade? The best! Plus, I LOVE the smell of freshly baked bread. I’ve been making Homemade Bread (White Bread) for about 15 years now, and I’ve made it so often that I can make this white bread recipe without measuring the ingredients now. And the more you make it, a better feel you get for it, and you’ll instinctively know what your bread dough is supposed to feel like.
Why you should be making this white bread loaf recipe!
- Make no mistake, this homemade bread recipe is simple to make.
- Incredibly soft and delicious, with just a touch of sweetness, it’s easily the best white bead I’ve ever tasted!
- Really substantial, unlike the sad, flimsy store-bought white bread.
- It’s free of all the sodium and preservatives of store-bought bread, and it’s made with simple ingredients. What’s not to love?
- This recipe provides STEP BY STEP instructions, on how to make the perfect loaf of bread
I guarantee you’ll never want to go back to store-bought white bread after tasting this!
What is classic white bread made with?
Delicious white bread is traditionally made with just,
- Flour
- Water
- Yeast
- Honey
- Salt
- Butter (or some other type of fat)
However, I also like to add a little citric acid (or vinegar) as well. This is optional, but it achieves two things.
- The acidity helps keep the bread soft. It apparently helps with preserving the bread too, but the amount I add in this recipe may likely not have an appreciable impact on this.
- Citric acid adds a little sourness to the bread loaf as well, much like the acidity in sourdough gives it that characteristic “sourness”. The citric acid adds an extra depth of flavor to the this classic white bread recipe too. But the sourness here isn’t as pronounced as with sourdough.
Tips for making perfect homemade bread (homemade white bread)
Use a stand mixer.
Makes the whole process easy. You can knead the dough by hand, but it takes quite a while to develop the gluten in the dough this way. (Although, I do quite enjoy kneading dough by hand sometimes, bashing the dough repeatedly. Great for letting out some pent up frustration!). Just make sure not to “tear” the bread while you’re kneading it by hand.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands in there and feel the texture of the dough.
This is the only way to make sure you get the right consistency. The amount of water or flour needed to make this homemade white bread can vary slightly each time. Use this recipe as a guide, and know that you may have to adjust it a touch depending on the weather, and type of flour and ingredients used.
I usually use AP flour to make homemade white bread, but you can use bread flour too.
With bread flour, you may need to use a little extra water to get the right consistency, because the more protein content in the flour, the more moisture it’ll need to yield a soft texture.
Using bread flour will also lead to a chewier bread texture, which is also incredible desirable.
Proofing is important.
The first proof is important to allow the yeast and gluten to develop. This plays a huge role in the flavor of the final product as well. The second proof is important to get a beautifully risen, airy and light bread loaf.
If you over-proof the bread dough at any stage, it can result in an unpleasant yeasty flavor. And if you over-proof the dough during the second stage, you’ll likely end up with a bread loaf where the crust separates from the rest of the loaf, or the crust is misshapen, or there’ll be big holes in the bread and it’ll collapse.
With under-proofed bread dough, you’ll end up with a smaller bread loaf that is more dense and has less volume.
A quick, simple way to check whether your homemade bread loaf is done is to tap the bread on top for that characteristic “hollow” sound. However, a fool-proof method to ensure perfectly baked bread is to use a thermometer. Your bread loaf is done when the internal temp. registers 195°F.
To avoid a soggy bread bottom, make sure not to leave the bread in the pan to cool completely.
Leave it in the pan only for about 10-15 minutes and then place it on a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents any condensation from forming on the pan and making the bread soggy.
Another really helpful tip that I’ve discovered is to allow the bread to cool down in the oven.
When the bread is done, I turn off the oven and let it cool down inside, with the oven door half open. Or if I have to do more baking, I let the bread cool down in a draft free, warm place. If the bread cools down too fast, it can cause some wrinkles to form on the crust. It doesn’t affect the taste however, just the appearance. However, this may sometimes be unavoidable in the winter.
Choosing the right bread pan
You can make this white bread recipe in a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan for best results. But a 9 x 5 loaf pan will work too. However, if you do use a 9 x 5 inch pan, the resulting bread loaf won’t have as much height (or shape).
How to form the perfect loaf of bread
The next step after proofing the bread dough, is to form the dough into a log to fit inside your bread pan.
I turn the bread dough out on to a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a rectangle. This removes excess air that formed in the dough while it was proofing. The longer side of this rectangle should be slightly shorter than that of your bread pan.
To make sure you have a tightly formed bread loaf, roll up the dough, while pinching the edge into the dough along the way. Pinch the seams of the dough, tuck the sides in and pinch them into the dough as well. It’s important to tightly roll up the dough while pinching it into itself. This prevents large air pockets from forming inside the dough as it proofs and bakes.
All the seams of the dough should be on one side, while the other side should be smooth and tightly stretched (with no wrinkles). Make sure your bread dough log has an even thickness too.
Then carefully place this in the prepared bread loaf pan, and gently press it into the corners and bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and let it proof for a second time.
How to check when your bread loaf is ready to be baked
The second proofing time can vary greatly depending on the ambient temperature and weather. It can take much longer in the winter to proof, than in the summer. So it’s important to know what signs to look for to know when you’re bread loaf has proofed properly and is ready to be baked.
- The bread dough will rise about 1 ½ inches above the rim of your bread loaf pan in the center. It’ll form a dome, so just look at the pan from the side to see how much it has risen above the rim.
- When you gently press into the dough with your index finger, an indentation will form and it’ll remain, if the dough is perfectly proofed. If the dough bounces back without leaving an indentation, then the dough is under-proofed. If the indentation causes the dough to collapse, then the dough has over-proofed, and you may need to re-knead and re-form the dough and proof it once again.
How to store homemade white bread
The fact is homemade white bread doesn’t keep for too long, since it doesn’t have preservatives like store-bought bread.
So it’s important to keep your homemade bread in a container that allows for some ventilation, to let the the bread “breathe”. This white bread will keep for about 4-5 days this way.
But what I personally like to do (especially because I bake two loaves on the same day usually), is to slice the bread once it cools down, and then place these bread slices in a container or sealable bag and freeze. This keeps the bread fresh for much longer! Then I just remove the slices I need from the freezer, and let them thaw out whenever needed.
However, never refrigerate bread. The dry air in the fridge will make the bread go stale even faster.
Seriously, there’s something just so satisfying about a slice of white bread, when you’ve made it yourself! 🙂 Even from frozen, it tastes incredibly fresh and DELICIOUS.
Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are a whole new level of comfort with this homemade white bread recipe! 🙂
If you liked this step by step recipe for Homemade Bread, then you may also like some of my other detailed how-to posts,
How to make Authentic Brioche Bread
How to make Shortbread cookies
EQUIPMENT & TOOLS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
Stand Mixer – I use my KitchenAid mixer
8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans – the perfect sized pans to make these bread loaves.
Kitchen Scale – Best tool for baking, to ensure you get accurate results each time
Measuring Cups – I like to use cups to measure all liquid ingredients most of the time. I absolutely LOVE my colorful cup measuring set, and I also love my pyrex measuring jugs too.
Measuring spoons – for measuring all the small amounts of ingredients.
Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Homemade Bread (Homemade White Bread)
What You Need:
- See post for detailed list of equipment & tools used.
Ingredients:
Proofing yeast
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 7 g
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp honey (or sugar or maple syrup)
Bread loaf
- Proofed yeast mixture (ingredients listed above)
- 19.5 ounces AP flour 4 cups + 6 tbsp
- ⅓ cup lukewarm water
- 1 ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp honey (or sugar or maple syrup)
- ¼ tsp citric acid or ½ tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted (or vegetable oil)
Instructions:
Proofing yeast
- Place the water in the mixer bowl of your stand mixer.
- Stir in the honey to dissolve, and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Gently stir to mix.
- Allow the yeast to sit in a warm place for about 15 minutes, until it's activated and becomes frothy. This could take longer if your yeast was in the freezer. If the yeast doesn't activate (no frothy bubbles), then your yeast is likely too old and you will need it replaced with fresh yeast.
- Once the yeast is activated, you’re ready to make the bread dough.
Bread loaf
- To the proofed yeast mixture, add the flour, warm water, salt, honey, citric acid and melted butter.
- Using a dough whisk or a spatula, mix the ingredients to form a rough dough.
- Place the bowl in the mixer with a kneading hook attached, and knead the dough on low speed for about 2-5 minutes, until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Increase the speed by 1 level (speed 3 in a kitchen aid mixer) and knead the dough for a further 12-15 minutes until it's smooth and elastic.
- While the dough is kneading, check on it every few minutes to make sure it’s kneading well, and is not too dry or too wet.
- If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, then it’s too wet, so add a little extra flour (a dusting at a time), to get the right texture. To check if it’s at the right consistency - lift the kneading hook from the bowl, and check if the dough only sticks to the bottom of the bowl. If yes, then the moisture is perfect. If the dough isn’t sticking to the bottom of the bowl however, you may need to add a little extra water (just ½ tsp at a time), to get the right consistency. The dough should be smooth, a little soft and a little tacky to the touch.
- Once the dough is kneaded, remove the dough hook and fold the dough over a few times by hand, to get a smooth ball. Then place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
- While the dough is proofing, prepare the bread loaf pan. Butter a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan and set aside, until the dough is ready.
- Turn the proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently press the dough into an evenly thick rectangle. The short side of this rectangle should be roughly about 7.5 - 8 inches (i.e. slightly shorter than the length of your bread loaf pan).
- Next, tightly roll up the short side, along the length of the dough rectangle. Make sure to pinch/press the edge of the dough as you go, while rolling it up (read the post and see pictures for more details).
- Once the dough is rolled up, pinch the seams to seal it, and tuck in the two sides and pinch these seams as well. Make sure all the seams are on one side (this will be the bottom) and the other side is smooth and seam-free (this will be the top).
- Transfer this into the prepared loaf pan, seam side down, and press the dough into the pan. Make sure it’s evenly pressed into the bottom of the pan. Loosely cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let it proof again in a warm place, for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.
- The dough should rise about 1 - 1 ½ inches above the rim of your bread loaf pan (when looking from the side), and when you leave an indentation in the dough with your finger, the indentation should remain, and not bounce back (read the post and see pictures for more details).
- Preheat oven to 375°F, during the last 30 minutes of the second proofing time. It’s best for the oven to be preheated to the right temperature for at least 20 minutes, before baking the bread.
- When the bread loaf is ready and the oven has preheated, place the loaf pan in the middle of the oven, and bake for 45 minutes. It's done when it sounds hollow when the bread is tapped on top, OR when the internal temperature has reached 195°F.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and keep it in a warm place (away from drafts) to cool. After about 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and keep it on a wire rack to cool down completely. The bread is now ready to be served.
- Optional - brush melted butter on the top while it's hot to add more buttery flavor.
- Keep the loaf in a bread box at room temperature for upto 4 - 5 days, or slice and keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Kj says
Hai, is it ok if i dont add the citric acid? Is the bread still soft
Andd how make the top bread so shiny like urs?
Dini says
Hi KJ
As stated in the post, the citric acid is optional. You can leave it out and still get soft bread.
In the picture, I brushed the tops with melted butter. That’s why it looks shiny. However the butter does get absorbed and doesn’t remain shiny for too long.
For a shiny crust, you can brush the tops with an egg wash BEFORE baking. This shine will remain for a longer time.
Hope that helps.
Rueben says
This recipe turned out great! Really love it, thank you!
Rueben says
Forgot to rate it, sorry
The Womble says
I put the water, yeast and honey in the bread maker and left 30 minutes for the yeast to start foaming before adding the rest of the ingredients Used the bread maker to finish the kneading etc before the cooked in the bread maker.
Going to use this recipe from now on.
Jim Wood says
Great and easy but too big for us. We can store for the next day but the bread is way better the day it was baked. Can the dough be divided into 2 mini bread pans after the first proof? Bake one and freeze the other before the second proof? Thaw, proof and bake the second another day?
Dini says
Hi Jim!
I haven’t tried freezing the bread loaves after proofing unfortunately. It could work though, provided that you very securely wrap the frozen dough in the pan. Any freezer burn can impact the texture of the bread dough. I do freeze my pizza dough, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t work!
I personally slice and freeze half of my bread loaf and use what I need because that works for my family. However if you do try to freeze the dough, I would love to know how it comes out!
Sujatha Kannan says
I loved the recipe a lot.This was the best bread recipe and I was very proud when my family appreciated it.Can I also use wheat flour also for the same recipe?Thank You.
Dini says
Hi Sujatha!
Thank you! I’m glad you and your family liked this recipe 🙂
I have had some readers who have used half white flour and half whole wheat flour with great results. I haven’t tried 100% whole wheat flour myself, so I’m not sure how it would turn out unfortunately.
Asha says
I loved this recipe so much. The bread turned out so soft! Thanks a ton!!
Nidhi says
Hi, could u pls tell me when to put the bread dough in refrigerator for proofing? What stage? And after taking out from the fridge, when to put it for baking. Thank u in advance
Dini says
Hi Nidhi
If you want to proof the bread in the fridge overnight, the best method is to replace the first proof with the overnight proof.
Once it’s taken out of the fridge, you can shape the dough while still cold and place the dough in the prepared loaf pan and allow it to proof according to the recipe before baking. However, the second proofing (in the loaf pan) will take longer because the dough will be cold to start with.
Hope that helps!
Angela Ricci says
This is the easiest bread recipe I’ve seen in a long time. I’m gonna try making it in my bread machine.
Sheet says
Hii.. What should be measurement of instant yeast n also on which mode I hv to bake in microwave. N timing also
Dini says
Hi
You could use the same amount (by weight) for instant yeast, but proofing times will be less.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it would be possible to bake this in a microwave. The cooking method is very different between the two.
Amanda says
So easy and delicious!!
Darla says
Wonderful recipe!! First time I used it. I doubled it and made 1 loaf and 8 buns. I will use it again and again
Sharmin says
Love this recipe,didn’t get that yeasty flavour and scent.kids love it.
Meena Mayilvahanan says
I loved this recipe so much. 6th time making it . Thank you
Maria Grazia says
Hi Dini! Thank you for all your step by step recipes! I’m learning tons with your blog 🙂 I have a question regarding this recipe: as I only have instant yeast at home, when shall I add it? I understand this yeast shouldn’t be proofed, but I’m not sure when to mix it (with the flour or with the liquids?). Thank you in advance, and warm regards from Peru 🙂
Dini says
Hi Maria
Some sources say that you should use less instant yeast than active dry, but others say that you can replace the active dry 1 for 1. So you could make this with instant yeast, but I haven’t done so myself.
Instant yeast is more active than active dry, and proofing times will be shorter. You can add it along with dry or wet ingredients as long as it doesn’t directly come into contact with the salt at the start 🙂
Hope that helps!
Dora Okon says
I love this recipe.
Please what make bread not to be soft? And
please what are the reactions of to much yeast in bread?
Please can you give me the recipe for one kg of flour in kilo gramm measurement.
Thank you
Dora
Dini says
Hi Dora,
There can be a few reasons as to why a bread may not be soft.
The yeast wasn’t active,
Dough was under-proofed,
Too much flour,
Too little water,
Not kneaded enough.
If there is too much yeast in the bread then,
you can have a bread that tastes too yeasty (or beer-like),
And it may rise too much.
You can also find the gram measurements already in the recipe. Just below the ingredient list there is a US / Metric toggle button. Just click on metric, and the measurements will be in kilograms.
I hope that helps!
Dane Vartabedian says
Very good recipe! My first try it came out great with a little(or a lot of) room for improvement. Just getting used to shaping the dough and folding will only improve over time but a very good recipe for beginners that allows for improvement over time.
Whit says
I was pretty happy with this recipe for the most part. I made sourdough for about 4-5 years and am looking for a white bread recipe. Either I like bread way more fluffy or maybe it’s because I used a glass pyrex loaf pan and it may have been small than what was used here but my loaves are huge! I think next time I try this I might do 2 loaves with 1 recipe. My guess is the loaf pan is the culprit Other than that great recipe!
Malini Nayak says
A very well explained recipe. Did not have a bread tin so made the dough into buns and baked for about 15 min. Came out soft and delicious. Thankyou.
Norma says
This recipe was amazing and easy followed. I never had any citric aside so I used what I had it had and it was lemon juice from a lemon 1/4 teaspoon it seems to have turned out okay. I hade a slice and it is soft it’s now in a metal bread bin how long will it last for
Dini says
Hi Norma!
Homemade bread won’t keep as long as store bought bread because it doesn’t have preservatives. The type of bread bin won’t really increase the shelf life of bread unfortunately. If I am looking to keep bread for longer than 3 days, then I slice the bread, wrap it with plastic wrap and foil and then freeze it. Then I can keep it for weeks and just take out slices that I need.
It also prevents the bread from going stale too.
I hope that helps!
Norma says
Thank you I still have it wrapped in a tea towel that is used for drying glasses only and the bread is still soft and still smell nice I still put it in the metal bread bin. It certainly works for me I will be making another one this weekend
Connie Farrance says
I just made this and the texture was fantastic! The top of my loaf got a tad burnt however but that’s probably due to differences in ovens. I’m definitely going to use this recipe again. Thank you!
Barbara Schneider says
Easy and delicious.
Jack Chandler says
I can’t believe how delicious this bread is. And so easy to make.
I quadrupled the recipe and made 4 2 pound loaves. I used 9″ bread pans, which is what I use for 2 pounds of dough.
Tina says
Can you tell me why the KitchenAid site says to only knead your dough for 2 minutes total and your recipe says for 12-15 minutes? I have made other recipes that sometimes come out pretty dense and I’m confused.
Dini says
Hi Tina,
I’m not sure which KitchenAid recipe you’re referring to, but the kneading time indicated for my recipe here is accurate, and it never comes out dense. I hope that helps!
Amelia hendrick says
This is so amazing thank you so much
Angel says
I can bake but never made any bread. Since I don’t have an microwave or convenient oven, how to bake the bread? Steam ? Grill?
Also I want to know why you can put breads into freezer and take them out later to eat either steam or fry them? Doesn’t this have germs or food poison and give you painful stomach or headache and later perhaps affected your health?
Dini says
Hi Angel
I have never made bread without an oven, so I might not be very helpful with this. I like steamed “bread” when it’s sometime like bao buns, and I like to grill breads like naan breads. But I haven’t tried either of those methods for sandwich bread. All these methods provide very different results with bread dough, and likely will need a recipe specifically designed for that method of cooking.
As for storing bread in the freezer. I store mine in the freezer all the time. I slice and freeze my bread loaves to make them last for a few weeks. I take the slices I need and let it thaw out for a few hours and then would eat them like normal. I sometimes toast them as well.
However, I do not store my bread in the fridge because this makes bread go stale faster.
I hope that helps!
Ann Baker says
I have made bread from lots of different recipes. This one exceeds any that I have had before.
GSmith says
Simple and amazing. its a good start in making bread.