Easy White Bread
The best easy white bread recipe that delivers soft, fluffy and absolutely delicious bread every time. 5 ingredients and minimal prep are all that’s needed.
Making homemade bread is so much easier than you think and is so much better than any store-bought bread. Using only a handful of pantry staple ingredients means you can whip up a loaf any time. This homemade white bread recipe delivers a perfectly soft and fluffy loaf, every time.
Ingredients Needed
- Instant yeast.
- Sugar.
- Warm water. When you put your finger in the water, it should feel like nothing. This is called blood temperature. (98.6°F or 37°C) If the water is too warm, it will kill the yeast.
- Flour. Any type of flour will work for this bread. All purpose flour gives a very soft loaf while bread flour will need a little extra time while proofing. 00-flour will also work perfectly. Whole wheat flour can be used but will need longer proofing time.
- Salt.
- Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be substituted.
How to make soft and fluffy white bread
- Make the dough: Combine warm water with instant yeast and sugar. Allow this mixture to stand for approximately 10 minutes until frothy. Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. You can absolutely make this recipe by hand using a large bowl, a mixer just makes it a little easier. With the mixer running, pour the water into the bowl and allow the dough to come together. Add the room temperature butter and allow the dough to knead until the butter is incorporated. If the dough looks greasy or the butter isn’t incorporating properly, add the rest of the flour one third cup at a time and allow to mix in. You might not need all the flour. Allow to knead until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft and smooth.
- Proof the dough: Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot in your kitchen until doubled in size (approximately 1 hour). Transfer the proofed dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a rectangle the same width as your loaf pan. Roll the dough onto its self, pinch the seam and transfer to a lightly greased loaf pan, seam side down. Cover loosely then allow to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Bake the bread: Place the bread into the oven and allow to bake for 35-45 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Allow to cool: Remove the bread from the oven, tip the bread out onto a wire cooling rack. For a softer crust, brush the outside of the loaf with melted butter. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. If you slice into the bread too quickly, the interior can be gummy instead of soft and fluffy.
Can I make this ahead?
- Make ahead: The dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge before baking. Allow to come to room temperature before placing in the loaf pan and following baking directions. Baked bread will last for up to 3 days if kept covered.
- Freezing: Freeze slices of bread in a single layer on a sheetpan then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. This is a great way to preserve fresh bread and makes delicious toast.
Serving Suggestions
This white bread recipe is perfect to make sandwiches with but we also love it used in French Toast or toasted and slathered with butter.
FAQ
What is in white bread?
White bread consists of flour, yeast, water (sometimes milk) and salt. Adding a fat like oil or butter will result in an enriched dough that delivers a delicious loaf of bread.
Does white bread contain egg?
White bread doesn’t typically contain egg. Breads made with eggs (enriched dough) include brioche, Italian Easter bread and Challah.
What makes bread soft and fluffy?
Allowing sufficient time for the dough to rise will result in a soft, fluffy loaf of of bread. I also like brushing the top of the bread with melted butter as I take it out of the oven to soften the crust.
Easy bread recipes
Servings: 8 (Makes 1 loaf)
Calories: 256kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ cups warm water
- 10 g (2tsp) instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3-4 cups flour (any white flour can be used: Cake, all purpose or bread)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup butter / oil (room temperature butter)
Instructions
- Whisk water, sugar and yeast together. Allow to stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour and salt.
- With the mixer running, add the water and allow to knead in.
- Add the butter or oil, allow to knead in then add more flour, one third cup at a time until the dough is smooth.
- Knead for another minuted until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- If the dough is still very sticky, add more flour and knead in.
- The dough should be smooth and soft and only a slight bit sticky.
- Cover with plastic or a damp tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Once the dough has proofed, press it into rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll onto its self into a log, pinch the seam then transfer to a loaf pan that has been lightly greased.
- Covere again and allow to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Place in the oven and allow to bake for 30-45 minutes until golden brown and risen. Once baked the bread will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove, brush with a little butter and allow to cool before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
good bread
This bread is wonderful! Easy to make and you eat it all in the same day!
This is the 4th time I’ve tried to make bread with the first 3 being failures.
This was easy, rose fast and baked perfect.
I will use this recipe again and again.
Thank you.
Excellent bread recipe. Simple and delicious!
Many thanks!
made this at 4pm- it was gone by 6pm
That’s awesome to hear – thanks Sam!
Does this recipe make one, or two standard loafs of bread?
This makes 1 standard loaf.
i will try this never made bread
Hello, can this recipe be doubled? I’m new to bread baking. Also could I use milk instead of water? Thanks!
You could double up, yes and milk will be a great addition.
Is this for a 2 lb. loaf? Also, are you saying you can use anywhere from 3 to 4 cups of flour without adjusting any of the other ingredients? I want to try the recipe, but I use a bread machine so I need to select the correct size. Thanks!
I don’t know the weight of the baked bread, unfortunately. I would say between 1 and 2lbs. I always start with 3 cups of flour and add more if the dough is too sticky.
Is this bread stong enough for grilled cheese sandwiches?
Yup!
The beginning text says to bake 25-30 minutes. The recipe card says 30-45. Which is it? Thanks
I updated the post, thanks for notifying me of my error.
I love this recipe its been my go to for years I always love the loaf.
Was wondering how much loaf the nutrient sheet is? Either in grams or average sliced bread size. :^)
I sent you a comment earlier that I was rising the dough right then, Well, I baked the bread and it is the best loaf I have EVER made, ( since mid 80’s). I have your site bookmarked and I WILL be back! Thank you for the wonderful bread!
This has become my go to bread recipe. It makes perfect loaves every time I bake. I just realized I have been forgetting to knead the dough. I combine the ingredients and let it rise. Punch it down, shape and put it in the pan. Let it rise again and bake. It still comes out perfect!
Thanks.
So glad you like this recipe Dave. It really is so easy.
The best white bread recipe ever !!! I followed the recipe exactly, and the bread came out perfectly !!! Thank you for sharing this great recipe !!
I followed your revipe to the tee, including the water temperature and it turned out dense.
That’s very strange – I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times and I’ve never had a density issue. It is possible that you didn’t knead the dough long enough or that you introduced the salt to the yeast directly and therefore hindered its growth.
Wow!!! This was my first bread I’ve ever baked. And it came out perfectly… so soft and fluffy on the inside. I was super impressed with myself. Thanks Alida for the easy recipe and instructions. I will definitely bake this bread more often.
Yay! Thanks Alphia!
This recipe looks so wonderful. What size is your loaf tin please. Thank you
Approximately 13cmx20cm.
I love this bread recipe. During the lockdown I have tried numerous bread recipes without much success. I should have just come to you from the start!
This bread was light and fluffy and looked absolutely beautiful when it came out of the oven. It was a struggle not to carve into it as soon as it came out of the oven, but it was worth the wait.
Going to try the bread rolls and brioche loaf next. Seeing as we have the time 🙂
Amazing! Thanks so much for your comment Christelle.
I loved making this bread. I didn’t have a loaf pan on hand so I just winged it on a sheet pan! But boy was she a beaut, and if I may say so, Simply Delicious!!!! Perfect recipe for fresh bread during a lockdown.
I’m so happy to hear it turned out well. 🙂
So simple and quick. I love baking bread and this recipe is definitely a keeper. It was perfect on the first try. Hubby loves it, toddler loves it, thank you! Such a comforting recipe that we all need right now!
So happy to hear that T! Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
What a wonderfully easy recipe. Easy to memorise as well as instructions are so clear and measurements are basic enough. Made a loaf in a sheet pan instead of a bread pan but it came out perfect. the crust is so crispy and the bread so soft and fluffy, we had it with smashed avocado. Will be making another one to go with dinner tonight.
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Mariska. 🙂