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This Homemade White Bread Recipe is simply the best and my family devours it. Luckily this recipe makes 2 large loaves and costs $2.34 to make. That’s just 7¢ per serving!
For another homemade bread recipe try our Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe.
If you had to live on one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Hands down, it would be homemade bread for us. There is literally nothing better than a warm slice of homemade bread with butter slathered on it.
Jill whipped up her grandma’s vintage recipe to share with you today and man is this the best homemade white bread recipe we’ve ever tasted! Thank you, grandma Jankowski! 🙏
Grandma would put some butter and jam on a slice for me and it was like a little slice of heaven! When I have a slice of this bread it takes me right back to my childhood.
There is no need to rush out to your local bakery to get some fresh bread when you have this recipe in your repertoire! We’ve got the best recipe to share with you today.
Our white bread recipe is truly the best. It is made with just 6 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. With just a little time you will have 2 loaves of the Best White Bread in your kitchen for a fraction of the cost!
Recipe Questions Answered:
Which is worse bread or rice?
What are the basic ingredients of bread?
The main ingredients of bread are yeast, flour, and water. Our recipe also calls for small amounts of salt, sugar, and butter.
Why is my homemade bread so dense?
- There could be too much salt in the dough.
- You probably need to knead it longer.
- The dough needs more time to rise
- The yeast could have been killed because the dough was left to rise in a spot that was too hot, or your water ould have been too hot.
How do you make homemade white bread from scratch?
- First, make the dough and then let it rise until it is double in size.
- Next, place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently punch down to deflate the dough.
- Divide into two equal portions and form into two logs. Place the logs into prepared loaf pans and cover with a towel to rise again.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and brush the loaves with some melted butter and bake. Let the bread cool completely before serving.
How to get the kids involved with this recipe:
- Ages 2-3: Let them help measure out the ingredients to make the dough.
- Ages 4-5: Teach them how to turn on the mix to knead the dough. Teach them how to use a ruler and have them measure the 9×15-inch rectangle of dough. Let them brush the loaves with the melted butter before baking.
- Ages 6-8: Have your kiddo help divide the dough into two equal parts and teach them how to form the dough into logs.
- Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
- Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!
Discover why we love getting the kids involved in the kitchen and more tips in our How to Get Kids Involved In Cooking article.
The flavor and Recipe Variations:
- Instead of melted butter, add honey into the dough.
- For homemade wheat bread, make this recipe with half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Add 1/4 cup of honey to the liquid ingredients.
More Recipes to Make with Pantry Ingredients:
- Dry Roasted Chickpeas
- Easy Chana Masala
- Homemade Granola
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Tomato Chicken Alfredo
How long is this good for:
- Serve: Serve the bread warm or at room temperature. To heat the bread, wrap it in foil and heat in a 200 degree F oven for about 15-20 minutes.
- Store: Store the bread at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in foil.
- Freeze: Wrap the bread in 2 layers of foil and 2 layers of plastic wrap and freeze for 3-6 months.
How much will this Homemade White Bread cost:
RECIPE COST: $2.34
COST PER LOAF: $1.17
PRICE PER SERVING: $0.07/slice
- 4½ teaspoons instant (rapid rise) yeast – $0.14
- ¾ cup plus 2 2/3 cup warm water – $0
- ¼ cup granulated sugar – $0.06
- 1 Tablespoon salt – $0.03
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter – $0.30
- 9 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – $1.81
To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.
Cook’s Tools:
- stand mixer
- measuring cup
- large mixing bowl
- pastry brush
- measuring spoons
- 9×5 loaf pans
- instant-read thermometer
- wooden ruler
More Bread Recipes:
The Best Homemade White Bread
Equipment
- stand mixer
- measuring cup
- large mixing bowl
- pastry brush
- Measuring spoons
- 9x5 loaf pans
- instant-read thermometer
- wooden ruler
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups warm water 105-115˚ F
- 4½ teaspoons instant rapid rise yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 9-10 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter melted (for brushing, optional)
Instructions
MIXING BY HAND:
- Add warm water to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the yeast and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast looks creamy and a bit frothy.
- Whisk in the sugar, salt, and melted butter.
- Add 5 cups of the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Gradually add the remaining 4-5 cups of flour, ½ cup-fulls at a time, until the dough is slightly tacky and smooth.
- Flour a clean work surface and knead the bread by hand for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, you should have a smooth ball of dough.
- Continue with the “FIRST RISE” instructions below.
MIXING IN STAND MIXER:
- Add warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the yeast and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast looks creamy and a bit frothy.
- Whisk in the sugar, salt, and melted butter.
- Attach the dough hook and add 5 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
- Gradually add the remaining 4-5 cups of flour, ½ cup-fulls at a time, until the dough is slightly tacky and smooth.
- Knead the bread on medium speed for 6-7 minutes, or until you have a smooth ball of dough.
FIRST RISE:
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place the smooth dough ball in the bowl. Turn the dough once to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
SHAPE LOAVES & RISE AGAIN:
- Lightly spray 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Punch the dough down and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Return one piece to the bowl and cover with the kitchen towel.
- Use your fingers and hands to gently press and stretch the dough into a 9x15-inch rectangle.
- Roll the dough into a tight log by starting on one of the short ends and roll tightly (this will ensure that your loaves don’t have any air bubbles). Pinch the seam shut.
- Transfer the dough to one of the prepared pans. Gently stretch and press the dough into the pan so it reaches all of the sides.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it’s almost doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
- While the dough rises, move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees F.
BAKE BREAD:
- Bake the bread for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Then, rotate the bread and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.
COOL AND FINISH BREAD:
- Move the pans to a wite rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then, remove the bread from the pans and return them to the wire racks to cool completely for about 2 hours.
- Brush each of the tops of bread with 1 Tablespoon of melted butter (optional). Slice and serve.
Nutrition
This Homemade White Bread Recipe is simply the best and my family devours it. Luckily this recipe makes 2 large loaves and costs $2.34 to make. That’s just 7¢ per serving!
Lori R says
I will have to try this recipe.
Jess Jankowski says
Please do!
Noelle says
This was so simple to make, homemade bread I always better too! Love this, thank you for sharing. Off to make more bread now <3
Jess Jankowski says
Noelle, SO happy you loved it. We agree, homemade bread is always better!
Nellie Tracy says
Great recipe for this crazy time! Love it! Thank you
Jess Jankowski says
Agreed! Thanks for the review!
Kay Thompson says
Looks great. Can’t wait to try it.
Jess Jankowski says
Let us know how it goes!
Elizabeth COMPANION says
Might try this today!
Jess Jankowski says
You will love it! Let us know how it goes!
Calvin says
Lovely simple b read recipe.
Jess Jankowski says
This one is so simple and the smell in your kitchen is amazing!
Kakhaber Khmelidze says
My beloved thing, MIracle thing, with life-giving flavor. Bring to the nose and inhale its aroma, and you will understand what I mean.
Jess Jankowski says
The aroma is pretty Heavenly!
Tamara Luan says
I never rate recipes! I’ve made lots of bread and have always had trouble with simple white bread. It’s either too hard or doughy in the middle. This came out PERFECT! Thank you thank you!
Jess Jankowski says
Tamara, we are SO happy to hear this. Thank you so much for letting us know and rating our recipe! You should check out our 1-hour french bread recipe. It is another super easy bread recipe that is super good. I make it weekly.
Susan says
Can less salt be used for a low sodium diet and how many servings are in each loaf?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Susan, yes you can use less salt, just note it will alter the taste of the recipe slightly. Each loaf has 16 slices.
Bill Burns says
This bread tasted very good with a nice texture. However, the measures are a bit too generous! I used a standard size KitchenAid stand mixer and there was too much dough – it crawled up the hook and into the mechanism; I had to finish kneading by hand. Then when it came to the pans, I had to discard almost 1/3 of the dough to fit into two pans of the size specified and then it still rose well above the pan.
So – unless you have a large capacity mixer and three pans you may want to scale this down.
Deanna says
This is my favorite bread recipe — it’s versatile and really easy to make (and I’m the kind of person who finds most bread recipes impossible, so I mean it when I say easy). I’ve made it with whatever wheat flours I have on hand (bread, white, whole wheat, etc), and it turns out delicious every time (the flour changes the density slightly, but it’s still good). I use a Kitchen Aid mixer up to the first rise. . .and just transfer it to a big bowl. I have been making it weekly for the last year and it’s replaced loaf bread in our house because everyone loves it for sandwiches and toast.
Jess Jankowski says
Deanna, thank you so much for your informative review. Love that you have tried different flours and had so much success!