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Homemade Bread
A simple recipe for making homemade bread from scratch. If this is your first time making bread, it may be helpful for you to read through the post and/or watch the video below the recipe before beginning.This recipe makes one loaf of bread but may be doubled.
Prep
30 min
Cook
25 min
Total
2h 55m
Serves
12
Instructions
- 01
Combine milk and water and heat in the microwave (or on the stovetop) until it reaches a temperature between 105-115F (40-46C). Make sure to stir the liquid before measuring the temperature to make sure it is heated evenly.
- 02
Pour warm milk/water mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and stir to combine. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy (if yeast does not foam there is something wrong with it, it is likely dead. You will have to throw this out and start over).
- 03
Once yeast is foamy, add remaining 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, salt, butter, and 2 cups (250g) of your flour mixture. Stir well until completely combined (the butter may not be completely combined at this point but as you add more flour it should mix into the dough completely).
- 04
Gradually add additional flour, stirring well after each addition (if you are using a stand mixer, stir on low-speed with a dough hook attachment), until dough clings together and forms a ball that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Dough should be slightly tacky to the touch but should not be sticky.
- 05
Transfer to a clean surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic (or continue to stir with mixer on low-speed with dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes).
- 06
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn dough to coat the surface lightly with oil, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
- 07
Once dough has doubled, transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface and use your hands to deflate the dough. Use lightly floured hands or a lightly floured rolling pin to form into an 8x12” rectangle. Starting with one 8” end, roll dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal the log and tuck the ends of the dough under to form a loaf (see my video below the recipe for a visual).
- 08
Transfer to a lightly greased (I use shortening) 9x5” bread pan. If desired, use a serrated knife to score the bread lengthwise across the top. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size and loaf has risen about .5-1” above the edge of the loaf pan. While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 400F (200C).
- 09
Once dough has risen and oven is preheated, oncover loaf and transfer to 400F (200C) oven and bake for 25 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped,
- 10
Immediately invert onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool a bit before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
per serving · 1 slice
- Calories
- 373
- Protein
- 12g
- Carbs
- 71g
- Fat
- 4g
- Fiber
- 3g
- Sugar
- 3g
- Sat. fat
- 2g
- Sodium
- 411mg
- Cholesterol
- 6mg
Variations & swaps
Ingredients and Substitutions
- The ingredients needed for today’s bread recipe are very basic: yeast, flour, salt, sugar, butter, water, and milk. I’ve specified my preferences for ingredients that I prefer for best results in the recipe, but I completely understand that right now you may not have exactly the ingredients I’ve called for in your pantry. To help with that, I tested this homemade bread recipe with several subst…
- Flour. I recommend bread flour. All-purpose (plain) flour will work, but the bread is a bit less sturdy and is fluffier with all-purpose. Bread flour is more ideal for a sturdier, chewier bread, so if you plan to use this for sandwiches bread flour is your best bet. You can also substitute a bit of the flour (about 1- 1 1/2 cups/125-190g) for wheat flour to make wheat bread, but I don’t recomme…
- Yeast. This bread recipe will work with active dry yeast or with instant yeast. No changes are required if you use one or the other. Craving bread but don’t have yeast at home? Try my biscuit recipe instead.
- Milk. Whole milk is my preferences for the softest, most tender bread. However, 2% milk or skim milk will work in a pinch. If you don’t have any milk on hand, you may substitute the milk for additional water.
- Butter. Butter is my preference for the best flavor, but if you don’t happen to have any you can substitute oil. Olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil… just about any cooking oil will work.
- Sugar. If you don’t happen to have sugar on hand you can substitute an equal amount of honey. You may need to use a bit more flour if you make this substitution.
- Hopefully these substitutions are helpful!
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