Homemade bread is fluffy, tender, and way better than store-bought loaves. It’s remarkably easy – and fun! – to make with only a few simple ingredients. Try this foolproof white bread recipe with step-by-step instructions and video and you’ll likely never want to buy package bread again.
Table of Contents
Why this Bread Recipe Works
I love baking breads at home. The whole process – from making the dough from scratch, kneading with your hands, patiently letting it rise and baking – is terrifically relaxing yet exciting at the same time.
Each loaf is slightly different but brings such joy, both to bake and to eat. And there’s just nothing better than sharing warm, soft slices of homemade bread with your family and friends…Like handing them a piece of your love!
This easy lean bread recipe is great for customizing with additional ingredients. If you want you can add some milk for a softer bread (details in the recipe).
You can also make it into sweet bread by adding extra sugar; or bakes a savory white bread by adding herbs and spices.
Below are steps and photos for making a perfectly fluffy and tender basic loaf of white bread. Give this simple homemade bread recipe a try and you’ll likely fall in love, too.
Essential Tips For Any Bread Recipe
While it is a very simple process to make bread from scratch, there are a few key points to keep in mind when you make any bread recipe. You need to follow these pro tips to ensure your loaf is perfect in every way, every time:
- Buy quality ingredients. The best, most delicious bread is made with the best ingredients available. Opt for high-quality flour and yeast, and make sure all ingredients are within the expiration dates. For white breads like these, I recommend unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour, preferably organic.
- Use warm water. The dry active yeast needs to be treated just rise for the perfect rise. That means it needs to be dissolved in water that is neither hot nor cold but is somewhere in the warm 110-115 degree Fahrenheit (43-46 degrees Celsius). If the water is too cold it won’t activate the yeast, and if it is too hot it will cook the yeast and leave it inactive.
- Kneading: Remember to knead your dough well. If kneading by hand, then spend at-least 10 minutes doing so. The dough has to pass the windowpane test. Take a small portion of the dough and flatten, stretch, spread it into a thin layer. It should not tear or break. You should be able to see through it much like you see through a windowpane.
- Be patient. There will be some periods of resting and waiting while the dough rises and the loaf bakes. Avoid the urge to rush and you will be rewarded with the fluffiest and most tender homemade bread.
- Have fun. Baking bread is all about bringing some warmth and happiness to the house. Bread made with love – or any dishes made with love – simply tastes the best.
See? Simple. Once you perfect the easy, joyful art of baking fresh white bread at home I promise you won’t want store bought loaves again!
How to make Homemade Bread
Proofing the yeast
1. Take 1 teaspoon instant yeast (rapid rise yeast) or 1.5 teaspoons dry active yeast or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl.
Note: I have used instant yeast which can be directly added to the flour. But I am activating it in warm water just to illustrate to you the method of using dry active yeast or fresh yeast – which always needs to be activated.
2. Add 1 cup of lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is not hot or cold. The temperature of water should be 41 degrees Celsius (105 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit). Mix it well.
3. Keep in a warm place until the yeast becomes frothy. For instant yeast keep for 5 minutes and for dry active yeast keep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Forming Dough
4. In the meantime take 3 cups of all-purpose flour or bread flour – unbleached or organic (360 grams) and 1 teaspoon salt in a large tray or board or a large bowl. You can also use a stand mixer for kneading dough.
5. Mix well. You can sift the flour with salt if you prefer.
6. Add 1 tablespoon oil – any neutral oil or olive oil. Oil can be swapped for 1 tablespoon butter (dairy or vegan).
7. Add the frothy bubbly yeast mixture to the flour.
8. Mix with a wooden spoon and you will see that the dough becoming sticky.
9. Now start kneading the dough for atleast 8 to 10 minutes or until you get a soft smooth, pliable and light consistency.
Tip: If the dough becomes sticky add some flour – mix and knead. If the dough looks floury or dry add a few tablespoons of lukewarm water and knead. Bread flour will need a bit more water than all-purpose flour.
Leavening Dough (First Rise)
10. Cover your bread dough loosely with a large bowl or a kitchen napkin and keep at room temperature to leaven. I used the same plate in which I kneaded the dough. You can brush some oil on the dough prior to leavening it.
- For instant yeast – leaven dough for 45 mins to 1 hour.
- For dry active yeast or fresh yeast– keep for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Tip: A great idea which I follow very often is to leaven the dough using the yogurt settings of your Instant Pot. It works like a charm and so helpful on colder days.
11. After 45 minutes my dough has doubled beautifully.
12. Now grease or brush a 9 x 5 inches loaf pan with oil. On a lightly floured surface, lightly knead the dough. This will deflate the dough.
Shaping into a Loaf
13. Flatten the dough with your fingers to a round or square shape. Then begin to roll it.
14. Make a neat rolled dough.
15. The place where the edges meet, join them first. Then press, flatten and smoothen them with your fingers. Smoothen the sides of the loaf as well.
16. Your loaf is ready for the second rise.
Second Rise
17. Place it in the greased 9 x 5 inches loaf pan with the seamed joined edges touching the bottom of the pan.
18. Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel. Keep it in a warm place.
- If you have used instant yeast – leaven for 20 to 30 minutes.
- For dry active yeast or fresh yeast – set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
19. The loaf will rise in volume. Remember to preheat your oven 20 minutes prior to baking. Preheat at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit).
Scoring
20. With a small serrated knife or any sharp knife or a lame, make one long slash or two slashes lengthwise on the center of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
21. Brush the surface with some milk (dairy or vegan). This is an optional step.
Baking
22. Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until the loaf is golden brown. You will also see the sides slightly separated from the pan.
23. In the photo below, you see a lovely loaf of a well baked homemade bread. If your oven browns the surface very quickly, place a parchment paper or aluminium foil on the top of the loaf halfway through the baking – so as to avoid more browning.
24. Wait for 3 to 4 minutes after the bread is out of the oven. Firstly tap the bread and it should sound hollow – which means that the bread is baked well.
If the bread does not sound hollow, keep it back in the oven to bake for some more minutes.
This is an optional step and you can give it a miss. Remember the bread is hot and so is the pan. Use oven gloves or thick kitchen towels to remove the bread from the pan.
Lift one end of the white bread to check for an even browning at the bottom. If the bottom of the loaf is pale, then keep it directly in the oven (without the pan) for 5 more minutes and bake.
25. Transfer the loaf from the pan immediately and keep it on a wired rack. If you keep it inside the pan, the bottom will get soggy. Let the loaf cool at room temperature on the wired rack or tray.
26. Enjoy homemade bread with your favorite curry or soup or just making one of your favorite sandwiches or toast.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy slices of warm, freshly baked white bread plain or with a smear of soft butter or lightly toasted in ghee.
Serve toasted bread with jams or topped with slices of avocado, or a tablespoon of peanut butter or preferred nut butter for a yummy snack.
Homemade bread is great for making sandwiches – the only limit is your imagination! Check out my collection of 40 Best Sandwich Recipes for some ideas to get started.
Storage
Place the bread in a bread box or a covered box and refrigerate for a week. At room temperature, it keeps well for 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze it for a couple of months. Thaw before using or defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Expert Tips
- Variations: You can divide the dough into parts and make dinner rolls. Add some herbs (fresh or dried) to make a fragrant herb bread. Replace water with milk (dairy or vegan) for a milk bread. Include some more sugar or nuts, berries, dry fruits for a sweet bread.
- Kneading: You can knead the dough with hands as I have done. If you have a food processor or a stand mixer, then knead the dough in these.
- Baking: Since no two ovens are the same, it can take less or more time for the bread to bake in your oven. If the top surface of the bread browns quickly in your oven then place an aluminum foil or parchment paper on the top. This stops the bread from getting browned more.
- Yeast conversion: Make this bread recipe easily with any kind of baking yeast that you have. Follow this yeast conversion: 1 teaspoon instant yeast = 1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast = 1 tablespoon fresh yeast.
- Scalable recipe: Make a large batch of 2 to 3 loaves by easily scaling this recipe.
FAQs
To keep the bread soft I recommend that you store in an airtight bag or a bread box and keep at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days.
Yes, white bread is great for freezing. Place in an airtight bag or a covered container and store in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months. Allow the bread to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
Divide the dough into equal parts and bake for individual dinner rolls or Pav.
Substitute all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten free substitute for an easy GF-friendly white bread recipe.
More Bread Recipes You Can Try!
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Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Bread Recipe | White Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (preferably unbleached), 360 grams
- 1 cup water (lukewarm)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1.5 teaspoon dry active yeast or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil neutral flavored oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk (dairy or vegan) – for brushing, optional
Instructions
Proofing yeast
- In a small bowl take the instant yeast or dry active yeast and sugar. Add lukewarm water.
- Mix well and set aside until the yeast activates. For instant yeast keep for 5 minutes and for dry active yeast keep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Preparing dough
- While the proofing is happening, sieve or mix the flour with salt.
- Add the oil and the frothy yeast mixture to the flour.
- With a wooden spoon mix everything.
- Now use your hands and knead the dough for about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough has to be smooth, soft and light.
- If the dough looks sticky, then add a few tablespoons of flour and knead. If the dough looks dry or floury, add a few tablespoons of lukewarm water and continue to knead.
- Keep in a large bowl and cover loosely with kitchen napkin.
First Rise
- Set aside until the dough doubles up.
- For instant yeast – leaven dough for 45 mins to 1 hour. For dry active yeast or fresh yeast – keep for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- If needed set aside for some more minutes until the dough has doubled up nicely.
Shaping into a loaf
- Grease or brush a 9 x 5 inches loaf pan with oil.
- Take the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead. This will deflate the dough.
- Flatten the dough with your fingers to a round or square shape. Then begin to roll it neatly.
- The place where the edges meet, join them first. Then press, flatten and smoothen them with your fingers. Smoothen the sides of the loaf as well.
- Place in the loaf pan with the seamed joined edges touching the bottom of the pan.
Second rise
- Cover again loosely with the kitchen napkin and let it rise again for until fully doubled.
- If you have used instant yeast – leaven for 20 to 30 minutes. For dry active yeast or fresh yeast – set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes prior to baking.
- With a small serrated knife or any sharp knife or a lame, make one or two long slashes lengthwise on the center of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
- Brush the surface with some milk – dairy or vegan. This is an optional step.
Baking
- Place the loaf pan in the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until you see a golden crust.
- If your oven browns the surface very quickly, place a parchment paper or aluminium foil on the top of the loaf halfway through the baking – so as to avoid more browning.
- Wait for 3 to 4 minutes after the bread is out of the oven. Tap the bread and it should sound hollow – which means that the bread is baked well. If the bread does not sound hollow, keep it back in the oven to bake for some more minutes.
- Transfer the loaf from the pan immediately and keep it on a wired rack. If you keep it inside the pan, the bottom gets soggy. Let the loaf cool at room temperature on the wired rack or tray.
- Now enjoy your homemade bread with your favorite curry or soup or just making one of your favorite sandwiches or toast.
Storage
- Place the bread in a bread box or a covered box and refrigerate for a week. Or you can freeze it for a couple of months. Allow the bread to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Video
Notes
- Variations: You can divide the dough into parts and make dinner rolls. Add some herbs (fresh or dried) to make a fragrant herb bread. Replace water with milk (dairy or vegan) for a milk bread. Include some more sugar or nuts, berries, dry fruits for a sweet bread.
- Kneading: You can knead the dough with hands as I have done. If you have a food processor or a stand mixer, then knead the dough in these.
- Baking: Since on two ovens are the same, it can take less or more time for the bread to bake in your oven. If the top surface of the bread browns quickly then place an aluminum foil or parchment paper on the top. This will avoid further browning while baking.
- Yeast conversion: Make this bread recipe easily with any kind of baking yeast that you have. Follow this yeast conversion: 1 teaspoon instant yeast = 1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast = 1 tablespoon fresh yeast.
- Scaling: You can halve or double the recipe and make a small or large batch of homemade bread.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Bread recipe from the blog archives first published in April 2012 has been updated and republished on April 2023.
Hi Dassanaji
I have been wanting to bake my own bread for the longest time. I have never used yeast before. Could you please recommend the brand name of the yeast that needs to bought for this. I would love to try out this bread recipe.
Regards
Shivani
thanks shivani. i purchase instant yeast from amazon. this is the link – https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00K5IJIMS
I tried the recipe today and it came out well..I have tried many recipes before but without any success..this time it was really good.. thanks so much
thanks for letting me know this bharti. i am glad that this white bread recipe worked for you. if you are fond of baking like me, you can try some bread recipes as well as cake recipes from the blog. welcome and happy baking.
Thanks a lot for all your recipes I love the way it’s explained step by step. I have one question. When I baked the bread I did it in my microwave oven in the convection mode and I baked it for 40 minutes in 190° C everything came out very well but the outer most part of the bread was very hard like a biscuit. What is the problem in the process I followed
thanks pawan. when baking in the convection mode of microwave oven, the outer crust gets baked quickly as compared to the inside dough. the reason is that convection ovens bake faster than regular ovens or OTG. even i would face this problem. so either you can bake at a lower temperature, say 170 or 175 degrees celsius or bake for less time. another tip is to cover the pan with an aluminium foil or parchment paper. but only use this aluminium foil or parchment paper in the convection mode. please do not use them in microwave mode. hope these suggestions help.
I tried whole wheat bread as per ur instructions. It came out very well. I must really thank and appreciate you for a very detailed and minute instructions.
Welcome R Srinivasan. Thanks for your positive feedback and appreciation on Bread Recipe.
Hello madam
I have tried many recipes of yours & it turned out really well thanks for sharing !!! Once I baked bread n pauv referring some other recipe it was a disaster???? but this time I will try once again using ur recipe method ….
Welcome Heena. Thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes. Do try the bread and pav recipe as all recipes posted on the blog are tried and tested.
Hi Amit,
I tried your white bread recipe. I baked it using the convection mode of microwave oven at 200c for 40mins. The only change I did was adding milk powder into the flour and giving a egg wash just before baking. Though the bread turned out soft inside, the crust was hard. Can you please tell me how can we have a soft crust. Thank you so much for this overall full proof recipe.
Madhuri, the crust turned out hard, if it gets baked too much. Oven temperature varies with different types of oven. So next time you can bake white bread for less time.
Hi Dassana I am planning to make this today so should i follow the same baking method in convection mode also
yes the same method as in the post i have also used convection mode of microwave oven.
HI DASSANA AMIT JI
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE.. I AM RIGHT NOW TRYING IT. BUT AS DIRECTED HERE, DRY ACTIVE YEAST STIRRED WITH WATER DN’T BECAME THICK EVEN AFTER MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AS SHOWN IN PICTURE NO. 3. KINDLY SUGGEST.
madhuri, the dry active yeast has not get activated. it should become bubbly and frothy. discard and make the solution again. if the water is slightly cold or hot, then yeast cells do not get activated.
Hi Dassana
Big fan of your blog.. yours is like a go to blog for any of my cooking expeditions.. I have tried the white bread recipes for 3 times now with great success and the taste of this plain white bread is also exceptional. I just love the way you write your blog with so much personal touch.. applaud your effort.
thanks a lot shraddha. homemade white bread tastes much better than store brought ones. in facts its better to use homemade white bread in recipes that call for it instead of getting bread from outside. happy baking.
Hi Dasanna, today I baked white bread , and am very happy with the result but outer crust very crunchy.. but taste very satisfied… Before this I tried and failed but your recipe just full proof … Step to step followed instructions and result am very happy other than outer layer crunchy…
Welcome Jyothi. Glad to know that you liked the bread. I think the outer top of bread has got baked little too much.
Hi Dassana,
I have tried both the wheat and white bread recipe. Wheat was a little dense however the white bread came fine. The only problem was that the crust was a little hard. How can this be rectified? I had kept in the oven with the top and bottom heating element on. Also in order to make the bread a little more sweeter, do I need to substitute milk as you have mentioned in the recipe. I had used water while baking.
thanks remya. for wheat bread, while baking just use the bottom heating element. this will ensure that the top crust does not become hard. too much heat or the pan kept closer to the top heating element, can create a hard or overdone crust.
to make the bread sweeter, you can add some sugar or jaggery in it. avoid adding honey as honey gets toxic when cooked or baked. you can add milk if you want. but milk won’t make the bread sweeter. it will make the bread rich in taste and flavor. for a sweeter taste, you can add sugar or jaggery.
I baked this bread exactly how you have written..The bread has great pores..Tastes awesome..But the only problem is the crust…Mine is 33 ltr otg from Croma… I baked at 190C for 45 minutes, placed the baking tray in the middle and turned both top and bottom rods on…Which led the crust was almost like a French baguette’s- very crisp. Though I love the hard crunchy burnt taste of the crust… People in my house don’t. Is there a way to ensure I can have a beautifully browned perfectly baked bread?
fine. whenever you bake bread and its get browned from the top and sides faster, then cover it with aluminium foil. thats why i do. so after 15 to 20 minutes of the baking, you can remove the pan and cover the top with an aluminium foil. due to this covering, the top does not get crusty or burned. alternatively, you can also use loaf pans which have lids.
Hi Dassana,
In OTG while baking bread do we need to bake with both upper and lower rods on?
Please explain. In Which temperature it needs to be baked?
Thanks in advance.
swetha, first i would keep both the heating elements on. but lately, when i had made whole wheat sandwich bread, i kept only the bottom heating element on and it worked very well for me. even the top was browned.
bake at 200 degrees celsius. preheat oven for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.
Firstly both rods on for pre heating and then below rod on for baking. I followed this but I dint get that golden colour on top of d bread. Mine is Morphy Richards 52 ltr otg.
okay. 52 litres is a big oven. i have 35 litre bajaj oven. so i think it depends on the size of the oven. to get the golden color on top, just keep the top rod on or both the top and bottom rods on. if keeping the top rod on, then you have to be careful as within minutes, the top layer gets browned.
thank you for the recipe. I tried it but my crust was very hard. any tips fr
the outer crust had got baked too much. since the timing varies from oven to oven, it could be that the time taken to bake is faster in your oven. so whenever baking, always check the time as per the oven you have. no two oven bakes at the same time. next time you can reduce the time for baking. also if the pan is kept close to the top heating element, the the outer crust will get hard. in this case, covering the pan with a foil helps the crust not to get overdone.
Hi,
I tried this bread today.my 1 cup measures 200ml.i followed the recipe as given but used instant yeast 1 tsp.
Dough rised well both the time .i baked for 30 min. but the outer part was hard inside seemed ok.
I really wanted to know that I baked for too long so is the outcome.?
Should i have reduced the baking time as my cup measures smaller than you (200ml)?
Before this i have tried twice , those times they were like hard stone.my hubby made fun of me saying whom you are going attack using this stone like that….:-)
Jokes apart, really need to know pls help
revathy, 200 ml cup gives less proportions of flour, water and other ingredients as compared with 250 ml. the time will reduce for baking, if using 200 ml cup. usually when the bread becomes hard, then the culprit most of the times is yeast proofing not gone well. the yeast mixture should bubble and become frothy. if you bake for too long, the top becomes crusty and hard, but the texture of the bread will have some softness. so here in this case, its the prolonged baking time. also you can try using a good brand of yeast. also the temp of water should not be hot or on the cooler side.
Actually i used recently bought instant yeast from the local bakery only.
I should try again again…
revathy, was it instant yeast or fresh yeast. usually bakeries sell fresh yeast. instant yeast comes in the form of fine granules which look similar to poppy seeds. fresh yeast is in a form of a solid block and is soft. if using fresh yeast, the amount will increase for any recipe that calls for dry active yeast. in this recipe, if using fresh yeast, you will need to add 1 tablespoon of it.