Easy Homemade Bread

Want to make amazing bread? This homemade bread is easy to make and very versatile: it works for sandwiches, toast, and more!

Want a go-to easy homemade bread recipe? Here’s ours! This recipe works for just about anything. It’s perfect for sandwiches, making toast, or serving with soup. Even better, it really is easy compared to other breads you’ll bake. (It’s loads simpler than sourdough bread.) You don’t need specialized equipment, and it bakes right in a 9-inch loaf pan. It’s got a little whole wheat flour, oats, and seeds on the top for added nutrients and flavor. You’ll never need to buy bread again! We think you’re going to love it…because our family is obsessed.

How to make homemade bread: an overview

Here’s an overview of how to make homemade bread! Here’s the basic outline of what you’re getting yourself into. What’s the total time? Baking this homemade bread takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours total, then 1.5 hours to cool it. It’s a project you’ll want to save for days off of work like weekends. (Or if you’re feeling ambitious, start early on a weeknight.) Here are the basic steps:

Mix & knead the dough	15 minutes active time
Proof 1	45 to 60 minutes, hands off
Shape	10 minutes active time
Proof 2	40 to 50 minutes, hands off
Bake	30 minutes, hands off
Cool	90 minutes, hands off

Equipment list: what you need!

One of the great things about this homemade bread is that you need minimal equipment! Sourdough bread requires lots of specialized equipment, and our favorite artisan bread recipe requires a Dutch oven. But this one? You only really need a loaf pan! There are 2 items that are optional:

Required tools for homemade bread (really, only one thing!)

8 or 9-inch loaf pan
Kitchen scale (optional) for measuring the ingredients by weight
Instant read thermometer (optional) for measuring the internal temperature

Why use a kitchen scale when baking homemade bread? Weighing out ingredients is the most accurate way to measure flour. Its volume varies based on the environment! But for this homemade bread recipe, exact precision is not as important as something like sourdough. So you can get away with cup measures!

Why use an instant read thermometer? Reading the bread’s internal temperature is the best way to determine whether the bread is fully baked. But you can get away with baking without it! Just judge whether the top is nicely golden brown.

What’s in this this homemade bread?

This homemade bread recipe is technically a white bread, but Alex and I wanted to infuse it with more nutrients and flavor. So it’s also got whole wheat flour and oats in the bread dough! This adds great flavor and helps to make it more filling. You can also add optional seeds to the top to get a nice contrasting texture.

Whole wheat flour and all purpose flour
Oats
Butter
Milk
Maple syrup
Yeast
Optional seed topping: poppy seeds, sunflower seeds

What is proofing bread?

This homemade bread recipe calls for two proofs. If you don’t watch the Great British Baking Show like we do, you might wonder: What is proofing? Proofing is letting the bread dough rest so that it rises. This creates the desired fluffy texture of the bread (also called the crumbe).

What temperature should bread be proofed at?

Warm place: For best results, the proofing temperature should be between 80°F and 90°F. Many ovens have a proofing setting you can use for this step. (Just don’t forget about your proofing bread and accidentally turn on the oven to make something else!)
Room temperature: With this homemade bread, you can also proof at room temperature. The proofing temperature for sourdough bread is much more important since it’s a little more touchy. The bread can be proofed at either temperature.

How to store homemade bread

Another important thing about homemade bread is storage instructions! Because it doesn’t have preservatives like store-bought bread, the storage will be different than you might expect. Alex and I were thrilled when we tested this bread and it held up very well with both methods.

Room temperature: Store the bread at room temperature wrapped in plastic for 2 to 3 days
Refrigerator: Store refrigerated wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week (this bread stores refrigerated much better than an artisan loaf)
Freeze: Slice the bread into pieces, wrap in plastic, and it can freeze for 3 months

Toast with nut butter — This homemade bread is perfect with a slather of nut butter and drizzle of honey

Serving this bread!

This bread works wonderfully for so many things! Here’s what we like to use it for:

Sandwiches: Use it for any of our vegetarian sandwiches like chickpea salad sandwich! Perfect for office desk lunches or school lunches.
Toast: Spread with nut butter and a drizzle of honey, or make a fancy toast like avocado toast.
Soup: Serve with any of our vegetarian soup or vegan soup recipes.

Make sure to check out our other Homemade Bread Recipes and top Baking Recipes You Should Know.

This homemade bread recipe is…

Vegetarian. Vegan bread coming soon!