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There are many bread machine recipes out there, but if you're looking for just basic and simple homemade white bread - this is the perfect recipe for you!
This is my reliable, "boring", proven recipe for a basic white bread. And, I also provide tips on how to make a homemade white bread less dense in a bread maker. In this recipe, all you do is spend 5 minutes to add ingredients to the bread pan and the bread machine does all the work, on an automatic cycle that is already programmed. That's the whole purpose of the bread maker, right? The end result is a tasty loaf of white bread just of the right density.
I do believe that the day will come when I will use a bread machine for something more sophisticated, but for once this week I am sharing the recipe that doesn't require too much thinking or meddling. Sometimes it's just nice to make certain foods almost on auto-pilot, especially for basic stuff, like white bread.
In the last 3 months I hardly bought any store-made bread, baking about a loaf every week at home, using bread machine recipes. And, I've noticed a couple of trends/issues when making bread: sometimes the bread comes out way too dense, or the loaf does not rise enough and, as a result, comes out even denser. So, here I will describe the homemade bread recipe that works for me to produce a less dense bread in a bread maker, using a basic cycle.
While making bread in a bread machine, make sure to consider these points:
- When you measure flour using cups, make sure not to pack flour too dense in a measuring cup, otherwise you will end up with much more flour than you need, and, therefore, the bread will come out denser. Measuring flour correctly will solve a lot of "dense" issues. The trick that works for me is that I use ⅓ measuring cup to carefully scoop all flour I need into the bread machine (usually about 3 cups), without over-packing it. Another way would be to weigh flour, which I don't do, but it's a solution.
- Use bread flour, not regular all-purpose flour for all bread machine recipes. Bread flour contains a higher percentage of gluten than regular all-purpose flour. Using bread flour will produce taller, less dense loaves. If you use all-purpose flour (which has smaller percentage of gluten than bread flour), your loaves will be flatter and denser.
- When adding yeast, make sure you add it last, and add it on top of dry ingredients (flour). Make sure the yeast does not reach wet ingredients. Basically, make a small indentation on top of flour and add the yeast to the indentation, just like this:
And here is the simple white bread recipe. I started with the recipe that came in a little booklet together with my Williams-Sonoma bread machine, and I tweaked the ingredient measurements based on my preferences. It takes 10 minutes to prepare all ingredients together, and then it takes 3 hours and 15 minutes to bake the bread in a bread machine.
Bread Machine Recipe: How to make homemade white bread less dense
Ingredients
- 1 cup and 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 ¼ cups white bread flour
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
Important note about properly measuring flour using measuring cups:
- The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour, or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough!
How to make bread in a bread machine:
- Add water and oil into the bread pan. Add salt, sugar. Add flour.
- Make a small indentation on top of flour and make sure it does not reach wet ingredients. Add the yeast to the indentation.
- Keep yeast away from the salt.
- Insert the bread pan into the bread machine, press it down to snap. Close the lid.
- Use Basic bread, 1.5 lb loaf, medium crust cycle (3 hrs 15 minutes)
- When bread is done, remove the bread pan using oven mitts. Turn over the bread pan and shake it to release the loaf. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
Notes
- The recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma bread machine booklet.
- I have recently tweaked this recipe and made a delicious rustic Bread Machine Garlic & Herb Bread (with fresh rosemary and thyme) - worth checking out!
My Other Bread Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
I tried your recipe and served to company. My 89 year old friend said it was the best bread he ever had! The bread was wonderful and the crust was perfect. I used Canadian bread flour which I aerated with a whisk as you suggested. I made the 1 1/2 pound size.
Sue, I am so happy to hear the bread turned out well! Thank you for the 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂
Can you use self rising flour?
no. use bread flour.
This recipe works best with bread flour!
Can this recipe be used in the oven instead of bread machine
I never bake bread in the bread machine. I set my machine to the Dough setting always. Then I take dough out and bake in the oven on my stove. Because I like the shape of oven baked bread better than the shape of the loaf baked in the machine.
I use the bread machine to make the dough only. I can’t knead bread with my hands. (Arthritis from YEARS of doing it myself.). I have never had a problem with doing this. And everyone thinks I did it myself.
Ruth, thank you so much for such helpful feedback about baking the bread in the oven but kneading the dough in the bread machine. So helpful!
I go by weight instead of cups to make sure everything is it's proper measurement. Do you have a weight version of this recipe?
I just added this functionality. If you review the ingredients list, you will see the 2 options below: US Customary and Metric. Click on the Metric version to see measurements in grams.
Mine fell can u give me a clue why. Followed the recipe to the T.
I have a 2 to 3lb bread machine. How do I measure for that
Hi, is this recipe for 1 lb or 2 lb bread?
Vivien, this is a recipe for 1.5 lb loaf.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe! I was trying all different recipes in my new bread maker, but none of them where working out quite right. Yours has worked every time! Thank you again!
Jenni, you are very welcome! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
I'm a first timer on my 2nd loaf . 1st was better than 2nd and both were good but I just dont think it rose enough. Texture was doable but i think it needs to be a bit lighter. I measured , sifted etc precisely . Also , tell me why the recipes are all 2 tsp of yeast when the packet is 2 1/4 ? What do you w 1/4 left ? I'm 66 making my first bread..yeehaw
57 yo male, widowed, my wife always made the bread, so I am also a first timer & used active dry yeast turned out nice.
As for the extra yeast, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until you get enough 1/4 tsp to make the 2! 🙂
My trick is that I let the yeast bloom. Mix it with the warm water and sugar and let it sit 5 minutes. Then pile in the rest.
First timer here! FANTASTIC recipe! Easy, delicious and fail-proof! I substituted 1.5t Instant Yeast for the 2t Active Dry Yeast and it worked like a charm! MUST TRY THIS RECIPE!
Amanda, I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your comment! 🙂
I was ready to throw my machine in the garbage lo then I tried your recipe, it was wonderful thank you so much I was wondering if you had a cinnamon, raisin recipe?
Sharon, so glad you found this recipe helpful. No, I don't have recipe for a cinnamon, raisin bread, unfortunately.
After several fails I found this recipe. Wow!! It turned out so good it reminded me of my grandmother's homemade bread. Thank you for sharing!
Kate, your comment made my day! So glad you found my recipe and tried it!
Hi can you help with a way for less dense fruit bread?.
I tried your bread recipe with organic sprouted hard red wheat and used 1 tabsp+ 2 teasp of honey. This was the best bread I have ever made. It turn out perfect even though my bread machine took 4 hours to do the loaf. Thank you for your recipe.
Angie, you are very welcome! Glad you liked the recipe!
Hello Julia,
Thank you for the recipe. May i know if I can replace water with fresh milk please?
Cheers!
Oh my god. After so many failed attempts, I finally made such a soft and fluffy loaf. Thanks to you.
Thank you so much for a positive review - I really appreciate it!!!! 🙂
I tried it and it was so good! My family loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You are very welcome! 🙂