The Best Homemade Bread Recipe
User Reviews
4.8
The Best Homemade Bread Recipe
Description
The Best Homemade Bread Recipe starts with mixing all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, honey, and water, gradually creating a sticky dough that is kneaded until smooth and elastic. The kneading step is crucial for developing gluten for the bread's structure. After a covered rise at room temperature until doubled, the dough is formed into two loaves and baked. Melted butter is applied at the end for richness and softness in the crust.
Flavor and texture hinge on the honey for mild sweetness and yeast activity, with a tender crumb expected from sufficient kneading and proper hydration. The recipe notes that water quantity may need adjustment depending on local humidity and altitude, with additional flour added if the dough is too wet.
This bread suits everyday sandwiches, toast, and a versatile addition to meals. Using instant yeast simplifies preparation, but active dry yeast may require an extra activation step. A slower overnight rise in the fridge is suggested for deeper flavor development.
Use standard loaf pans around 9x4 or 10x5 inches. If the dough appears too sticky, additional flour can be kneaded in gradually without compromising the final loaf quality. Butter is added only at the end to enhance the crust without interfering with the dough rise.
Ingredients
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons yeast
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 ½ cups water see note
- 2 tablespoons butter melted - use at the very end! NOT with the wet ingredients.
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer.
- Add honey and 2 cups water with the mixer on. Let it mix together for a about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the final cup of water and add more if necessary. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but clean the sides and be sticky to the touch. If you add too much water, don't worry! Just add a bit more flour to get it back to the right consistency.
- Knead 6-8 minutes in a mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Don't skimp on the kneading! This helps create the structure of the bread.
- Let the dough raise (covered, room temperature) in the same bowl you mixed it in for 1 hour or until doubled.
- Remove from bowl gently and form into 2 loaves. This is most easily done by creating a crease in the middle of the piece of dough with your palm and then folding the dough over the crease and pinching it together at the bottom, just imagine folding a piece of paper in half and gluing the bottom shut. Repeat this a few times until you have a smooth loaf shape. You may have to tuck the long ends in a few times as well.
- Place in greased bread loaf pans and raise (covered, room temperature) 1 hour or until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, remove from oven and brush each loaf with a tablespoon of butter.
- Return to oven and bake 5-10 more minutes, or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should read right around 200 degrees F.
Notes
- Standard loaf pans around 9x4 or 10x5 inches work best for shaping and baking the loaves.
- Instant yeast can be added directly to the flour; active dry yeast should be dissolved in water briefly before use.
- Adjust water quantity based on local conditions like humidity and altitude by adding flour if dough is too wet.
- Allowing a slow overnight rise in the refrigerator enhances the bread's flavor complexity.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 30slices
Amount Per Serving
Calories 137 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 137kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 27g | 9% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Cholesterol | 2mg | 1% |
| Sodium | 164mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 39mg | 1% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 25IU | 1% |
| Calcium | 6mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.6mg | 9% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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