This recipe for homemade white bread bakes one soft 9×5-inch loaf with a tender crumb and a golden, lightly crisp top.
You want a loaf that slices clean, toasts evenly, and won’t crumble into confetti in a sandwich. This one does that.
A single loaf costs less than store bread, and you control the salt and sweetness too.
Recipe For Homemade White Bread Step By Step
This is a classic pan loaf made with flour, liquid, yeast, salt, and a small dose of sugar and fat. You’ll mix, knead, rise, shape, proof, then bake. Watch the dough more than the clock.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes For Results |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 360 g (3 cups) | Strong rise and springy chew; all-purpose works with a slightly shorter loaf. |
| Warm milk or water | 240 g (1 cup) | Milk turns out softer; water tastes a bit cleaner. |
| Instant yeast | 7 g (2¼ tsp) | Mix straight into flour; active dry yeast works with a longer rise. |
| Granulated sugar | 18 g (1½ tbsp) | Helps browning and softness; honey works at the same weight. |
| Fine salt | 7 g (1¼ tsp) | Seasons the crumb and controls rise. |
| Unsalted butter, softened | 28 g (2 tbsp) | Tender crumb; neutral oil works at the same weight. |
| Optional egg | 50 g (1 large) | Richer crumb; reduce liquid by 30 g if you add it. |
| Pan grease | — | Butter or oil the pan so the sides release without tearing. |
What Makes This Loaf Work
The formula sits in a sweet spot: enough liquid for a soft crumb, enough salt for taste and strength, and enough fat to slow staling. If you can, weigh your flour. Cup measures swing a lot, and this dough reacts fast to extra flour.
Yeast Notes
Instant yeast can go right into the flour. If you use active dry yeast, stir it into the warm liquid with the sugar and wait for a light foam, 5–10 minutes, then mix as written.
Mix And Knead The Dough
- Stir dry items. In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Add liquid and fat. Pour in warm milk or water and add the softened butter. Add the egg now if you’re using it.
- Bring it together. Stir until no dry pockets remain, then scrape the bowl into one rough mass.
- Knead. Knead 8–10 minutes by hand, or 6–8 minutes with a mixer on low. The dough should feel smooth and elastic, with a tacky touch that doesn’t smear like paste. If it sticks hard, dust in 1 teaspoon flour at a time.
Quick Knead Check
Stretch a walnut-size piece. You’re aiming for a thin sheet that stretches before it tears. If it rips fast, knead a bit longer.
First Rise
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Loosely top the bowl with a lid or wrap and let it rise until doubled, often 60–90 minutes.
Shape For A Tall, Even Loaf
Turn the dough onto a clean counter. Press it into a rectangle roughly as wide as your pan. Roll it up tightly, pinch the seam closed, then tuck the ends under so the roll matches the pan length.
Set it seam-side down in the greased pan and nudge the dough into the corners.
Second Rise And Oven Setup
Loosely top the pan and let the dough rise until the crown sits about 1 inch above the rim, often 35–60 minutes.
During the last 20 minutes, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower-middle spot.
Safe Dough Handling
Raw flour can carry germs, so skip tasting raw dough and wash hands, bowls, and counters after mixing. The FDA’s guidance on handling flour safely lays out the habits. The CDC also sums up risks tied to raw flour and dough.
Bake Times And Doneness
Bake for 28–35 minutes. Start checking at 28 minutes if your pan is dark metal or your oven runs hot.
- Color cue: The top should be deep golden brown.
- Sound cue: Tap the loaf; it should sound hollow.
- Temperature cue: The center should read 195–205°F (90–96°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
If the top browns early, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Cooling And Slicing
Turn the bread out onto a rack within 5 minutes so the sides don’t steam. Let it cool at least 45 minutes before slicing. Warm bread feels ready, yet the crumb is still setting, and early slicing can leave a sticky line through the center.
Use a serrated knife and short sawing strokes.
Small Tweaks That Change The Texture
If you want to tune the loaf without reworking the method, these swaps stay stable:
- Softer crust: Brush the hot top with a little butter.
- Finer crumb: Use milk plus the optional egg, and reduce liquid by 30 g.
- More chew: Stick with bread flour and keep the dough on the slightly tacky side.
Dough Feel Cues While You Work
Flour brands soak up liquid differently, so the dough’s feel matters more than a perfect-looking ball. After kneading, you want a surface that’s smooth, with a light tack that lets the dough grip the counter for shaping. If the dough smears and leaves paste on your fingers, it’s too wet. Dust in flour by teaspoons, knead for a minute, then check again. If the dough feels stiff, resists stretching, and looks dull, it’s too dry. Wet your hands, knead in 1 teaspoon of water, then pause and let the dough sit for 5 minutes. That short rest lets the flour drink and can turn a shaggy mass into a workable dough.
During the rises, check the dough with a gentle poke. If the dent springs back right away, it needs more time. If it fills in slowly and still leaves a shallow mark, it’s ready. If it collapses and stays sunken, it went too far and may bake up flat. If that happens, press it down, reshape, and give it a shorter second rise.
Pan Choices And Simple Adjustments
A 9×5-inch pan makes a wider loaf with a lower dome. An 8½×4½-inch pan makes a taller loaf with a higher crown. If you only have the smaller pan, bake the full dough in it and watch the rise line: stop the second rise when the dough sits about ¾ inch above the rim, then bake. If you only have a larger pan, the loaf may look squat. You can still bake it, or make dinner rolls by cutting the shaped log into 10–12 pieces and setting them in a greased dish.
Ovens also differ. If your tops brown fast, keep the rack lower-middle and tent with foil near the end. If the loaf stays pale, move the rack up one notch and brush the risen dough with milk right before it goes in. If you want a softer side crust, rub a little butter on the sides right after you turn the loaf out.
Fixes For Common Bread Problems
Most “bad loaf” moments come from flour measurement, yeast strength, rise timing, shaping tension, or oven heat. Use the table below to narrow it down fast.
| What You See | Likely Cause | Next Bake Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Loaf is short and dense | Under-proofed or yeast was weak | Let rises go by volume, not minutes; replace yeast if it’s old. |
| Top caves in | Over-proofed | Bake sooner; stop when the crown sits 1 inch above the rim. |
| Crumb is dry | Too much flour or over-baked | Weigh flour; pull the loaf near 200°F in the center. |
| Crust is thick | Oven too hot or baked too long | Check oven temp with a thermometer; tent with foil near the end. |
| Big tunnels inside | Loose shaping or trapped air | Roll tighter; press out large bubbles before rolling. |
| Sides tear or split | Pan wasn’t greased well or proof was too fast | Grease the pan well; proof at a gentler pace. |
| Bottom burns | Rack too low or dark pan | Move rack up one level; bake at 365°F next time. |
| Bread sticks | Pan has worn spots | Grease corners; add a parchment sling strip if needed. |
Storage And Freezer Tips
Once fully cool, store the loaf at room temperature in a bread bag or a clean plastic bag with the air pressed out. Expect 3–4 good days.
A fridge dries bread faster. If you won’t finish it soon, slice and freeze.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 360 g bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 240 g warm milk or warm water
- 7 g instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 18 g sugar
- 7 g fine salt
- 28 g unsalted butter, softened (or neutral oil)
- 1 large egg (optional; reduce liquid by 30 g if used)
Directions
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
- Add warm milk or water and butter (and egg, if using). Stir until no dry pockets remain.
- Knead until smooth and elastic.
- Place in an oiled bowl, loosely top with a lid or wrap, and rise until doubled.
- Shape into a tight log and place seam-side down in the pan.
- Loosely top the pan and rise until the crown sits about 1 inch above the rim. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake 28–35 minutes, until deep golden and 195–205°F (90–96°C) in the center.
- Cool on a rack before slicing.
If you’re saving this recipe for homemade white bread, jot down your rise times, pan color, and flour brand. Two quick notes make the next bake even smoother.
Notes pay off on the next bake too.
