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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.
Can I freeze this bread for later use?
Yes, you can, in a freezer bag. Maybe, even slice it in 3 parts before freezing, so that you can thaw only what you're going to use.
My husband is on a low sodium diet, this has more than store bought. Is it necessary to add salt to bread?
Salt is not necessary, if you don't want to use it. Just omit it.
Hi Julia,
I am completely new to making bread at home. Your recipe calls for active dry yeast. Is that the same as the rapid rise yeast for bread machines?
You can use either rapid rise yeast for bread machines or active dry yeast. Either one will work!
Fianlly have found a breadmaker recipie that is easy and delicous, I added some seseame seeds on top (5mins before end of baking) for a perfect loave of bread everytime, have made 5 times, even shared this recipe with others
Your comment made my day! So happy you found this recipe useful! Sesame seeds on top sound delicious!
This is perfection. I’ve made it three times in the past week and it works every time. Thank you.
Thank you, Chris, for your kind comment! So glad you found this recipe useful!
I followed the receipe . My bread turned out perfect. I would like to add different grains as well.
I am very happy to hear that!
Thank you so much! I was experimenting with seitan recipes, so I pulled down the old bread machine to do the kneading. Then I figured, what the heck, let's make some bread while we're at it. Found your recipe and it turned out perfectly without any muss or fuss. Thanks again!
You are very welcome! I am so glad my recipe was useful for you!
I’ve been making bread all week in my old bread machine I forgot I had. One of the tricks I’ve learned is to mix the salt and sugar up at the bottom in the water so it doesn’t clump before you add the flour so it distributed evenly when it kneeds in to the dough. Then make sure you pull the bread out exactly the time it’s done. If you let it sit and cool in the machine it gets over baked. Let it cool on the counter.
My bread machine only has 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 pound settings. Can I double the recipe for a 3 pound loaf?
Yes, double the recipe for a 3-pound loaf.
Best Bread ever! It wasn't a bit dense and the next day it was so fluffy . I recommend this recipe to everyone. I have tried many before stumbling across your blog. Thank you! Do you have one for rolls?
So happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for such a wonderful comment! No, unfortunately, I don't have a recipe for rolls.
I made this recipe and it was the best bread recipe I have ever tried!!! It was delicious! My other recipe from the bread maker book was dense, but this bread was light and airy. I cannot wait to make another loaf!!
So happy to read comments like yours! Glad you found my recipe useful! And thank you for stopping by to leave such a kind comment!
Hi Julia, I tried another recipe but it was not as successful as yours. I'll stick with yours the next time round. Lesson learned!
Thanks, Walter
Thank you, Walter, for your loyalty! 🙂 And, I am glad my recipe worked for you!
Made this bread today and it was the best recipe I have tried. Rises up and tastes wonderful. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Just made this recipe and it turned out great! Flavor, color, crust were all spot on. However, it is a little too soft for our preference -- we like a little more body. Any ideas on firming it up a little?
Thank you, Chris! I am glad you liked this recipe!
Wow! I just made this loaf and I can honestly say it is THE BEST bread machine recipe I've ever used. Like the article/recipe says, you'll get a nice light airy loaf instead of that dense loaf you usually get. My bread machine is old....got it as a gift in 1992 and it's still going strong. With this recipe, I may never put it back in the cabinet! Thank you!
Thank you for such an amazing comment! I am glad the recipe worked for you!