This is the best homemade bread recipe! The bread is soft and airy with a buttery crust. With only 5 ingredients, it will turn out every time you make it.

I’ve told you before that baking bread is my all-time favorite. I have tried and tested many, many bread recipes over the last couple of years trying to find one that I absolutely love. Finally, I just created this recipe because I could never find one I liked, ha! It’s really the best homemade bread recipe. I promise!

I wanted the bread to have minimal ingredients, two proofing steps, yield 2 large loaves, and have a perfectly crispy crust. Tall order? Nah. Turns out simple, as usual, is best. I should have started there in the first place!

I love this bread and I actually do think it’s the best homemade bread recipe. I love it so much I’ve made it every week since I developed the recipe. I’ve tweaked it a few times to makes sure it was perfect for you!

I love the texture and flavor of the bread, and it stays good in the pantry for a few days which is always a challenge with homemade breads.

Additionally, it has the best crust ever! Crispy and buttery and just the right thickness. The secret? I take the bread out 10 minutes before it’s finished baking and brush it with melted butter, being sure to let some drip down inside of the pan. Then I let it finish baking – it brings a whole new level of delicious!

What type of yeast do I use for homemade bread?

I also need to make a note about the type of yeast I use. This is one of the most common questions I get about this recipe and the answer is super simple!

I use instant yeast when I make this recipe, which is more potent than active dry yeast and doesn’t need to be bloomed in the water like active dry yeast does.

If you’re using active dry, don’t worry, just put it in with your water for a few minutes instead of the flour. If you forget which kind of yeast you have, it really won’t make too big of a difference in this recipe.

Mixing active dry yeast into the flour instead of water in this case just means the bread will take longer to rise and may not rise quite as much.

Why are the ingredients for this homemade bread recipe so simple?

That is another question I get all the time with this recipe! I tested close to 100 bread recipes trying to get this just right. One of my goals was to not include butter, milk, or eggs in the dough because I wanted to bread to stay moist but be able to stay in the cupboard without getting dry for a few days.

Butter, milk, and eggs make a bread dough richer, but that wasn’t what I was going for here. I wanted a simple bread recipe that would be easy and inexpensive to make often. I actually have an entire cookbook about making bread that I used to learn more about different styles of bread and hone in what I wanted in this simple, everyday loaf.

While butter, milk, and eggs can lend some flavor to a dough, the real flavor comes from rising time. Again, this is a quick, simple, inexpensive daily loaf. If you are interested in making artisan-style bread, I highly recommend the bread baking cookbook I have: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread {affiliate link}.

Not only are all the recipes awesome, but it is also full of really great and helpful information about baking bread. It really helped me understand the science behind it, what creates a flavorful bread, and all sorts of fun bread baking techniques.

Can I make this homemade bread in a bread machine?

While I don’t have a bread machine myself, I have some amazing readers who have tested this out for everyone! Most readers recommend halving the recipe if you want to make it in a bread machine or just letting the bread machine mix and raise the dough and then baking it in the oven.

Can I make this homemade bread with gluten-free flour?

Unfortunately, this recipe will not work with gluten-free flour. The reason most yeast bread requires intense kneading steps {like this one} is to develop gluten – which is just a protein found in wheat.

The gluten develops as the dough is kneaded and that is what provides the structure of the bread, all those little air pockets, the texture of the dough, and the rise the loaf gets is due to yeast, kneading, and gluten development.

That is why most gluten-free bread is flatter, crumbly, and denser. They also require an additional leavener like baking soda or baking powder.

I don’t have a stand mixer, can I still make this homemade bread?

Yes, yes, yes!! Most definitely. I make this in both my stand mixer as well as by hand. I have instructions for both methods in the recipe card.

I have heard that the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixers can struggle a little kneading this much dough at once, so be sure to follow the recommendation for only using speed 1 or 2 for kneading bread, and maybe knead half the dough at a time in the stand mixer if yours seems to be struggling.

Can I use fresh yeast in this Homemade Bread Recipe?

I have not tried using fresh yeast in this homemade bread recipe, but again some of my amazing readers have. They used a 2:1 ratio for the measurement conversion from dry yeast and reported fantastic results. They also recommend shopping for fresh yeast at a specialty baking store.

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour in this homemade bread recipe?

Bread flour will change the density and texture of this homemade bread. It has a higher protein content, which will lead to more gluten development. Gluten is what gives bread its structure so increasing that could make the bread denser and less soft.

However, the change may not be something you are worried about or mind! Give it a try and see if you like the way it turns out.

Can I freeze homemade bread?

Yes, definitely! I freeze whole, baked loaves as well as the dough. I actually have a very detailed blog post about prepping and freezing bread. I talk about freezing bread dough, rolls, and roll dough in the breads section. Click here to read it!

I hope you enjoy the best homemade bread recipe! Let me know if you try it and what you thought – or if you have an additional question! If you want something delicious to spread on your bread, use my recipe to make some homemade freezer jam!

Still have questions?

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Print Pin 4.83 from 29 votes The Best Homemade Bread Recipe This is the best homemade bread recipe! The bread is soft and airy with a buttery crust. With only 5 ingredients, it will turn out every time you make it. Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes Servings 30 slices Calories 137 kcal Author Longbourn Farm • Alli Kelley Equipment Redmond Real Salt

ThermoPop

Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen Ingredients 8 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1/4 cup honey

3 1/2 cups water see note

2 tablespoons butter melted – use at the very end! NOT with the wet ingredients. Instructions Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer.

Add honey and 2 cups water with the mixer on. Let it mix together for a about 1 minute.

Gradually add the final cup of water and add more if necessary. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but clean the sides and be sticky to the touch. If you add too much water, don’t worry! Just add a bit more flour to get it back to the right consistency.

Knead 6-8 minutes in a mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Don’t skimp on the kneading! This helps create the structure of the bread.

Let the dough raise (covered, room temperature) in the same bowl you mixed it in for 1 hour or until doubled.

Remove from bowl gently and form into 2 loaves. This is most easily done by creating a crease in the middle of the piece of dough with your palm and then folding the dough over the crease and pinching it together at the bottom, just imagine folding a piece of paper in half and gluing the bottom shut. Repeat this a few times until you have a smooth loaf shape. You may have to tuck the long ends in a few times as well.

Place in greased bread loaf pans and raise (covered, room temperature) 1 hour or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, remove from oven and brush each loaf with a tablespoon of butter.

Return to oven and bake 5-10 more minutes, or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should read right around 200 degrees F. Follow me on YouTube! Watch more videos and subscribe Notes I use standard size loaf pans, either 9×4 inches or 10×5 inches. I use instant yeast which is more potent than active dry yeast and doesn’t need to be bloomed in water like active dry yeast does. If you’re using active dry, don’t worry, just put it in with your water for a few minutes instead of straight into the flour. If you forget which kind of yeast you have, it really won’t make too big of a difference in this recipe. The exact amount of water you will need for this recipe (or any baking recipe) can vary quite a bit. This is due to altitude, humidity, and weather. I live in an arid high-desert mountain climate, so often my readers need to less water if they live at a lower elevation with more humidity. If too much water is added, simply add more flour gradually until the proper consistency is reached. Nutrition Calories: 137 kcal | Carbohydrates: 27 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 2 mg | Sodium: 164 mg | Potassium: 39 mg | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 25 IU | Calcium: 6 mg | Iron: 1.6 mg Tried this recipe? Mention @longbournfarm or tag #longbournfarm

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