This easy Homemade Bread Recipe uses a plastic ziplock bag to make perfect, extra soft, white sandwich bread every time. It is so simple to make, even the kids will love helping!
An Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
Let’s be honest – fresh baked bread has a smell that can win over just about anyone’s grumbling stomach! With more time on their hands, many people have taken to making more homemade foods during these crazy times. Fresh home, baked bread has been one recipe that many people have had their hand in. However, you need the right recipe to make it happen!
With this simple recipe for easy homemade bread in a bag, you will be wondering why you haven’t made bread at home before! This recipe is so easy, that even my kids love to help with making it. We used this perfect homemade bread recipe to make the best PB&J sandwiches and now it’s a staple we have been making every week.
Why I Love This Bread Recipe
Warm homemade bread is definitely a comfort food for many! Whether you’re wanting a nice slice of bread to go with dinner, or something to welcome in visitors, this easy bread recipe doesn’t require a lot of work and creates perfect soft sandwich bread without a bread maker!
- So easy kids can help. I love that this recipe is so easy my little kids can almost make it themselves. Of course I help with warming up the milk on the stove, but overall they can do most of the steps by themselves.
- Very little clean up. Since this recipe does not require any special machines (bread maker, stand mixer, hand mixer, etc), there is very little clean up needed. If you use the ziplock bag instead of a bowl, there is even less to clean!
- Milk instead of water. This bread recipe uses milk instead of water. The fat in the milk makes the bread more tender and gives the bread a better flavor than using just water. Milk also has natural sugar in it, which helps the yeast grow and makes the bread a perfect after school snack bread – tasty, warm and homemade!
- Customizable. This bread is a great base recipe for different flavors of bread. If you wanted to, you could add raisins and cinnamon when you roll the bread before the final rise. Or how about some fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
What Equipment Do I Need?
This is an easy bread recipe that doesn’t require any fancy or massive equipment – no need for a stand mixer with special attachments! This just requires a few basic ingredients and a resealable gallon plastic bag.
- Gallon Size Resealable Plastic Bag: If you don’t have a ziplock bag, you can use a bowl if you prefer.
- Rolling Pin
- Loaf Pan: You will need a 9×5 loaf pan for baking the bread.
- Tea Towel: A thin/light weight kitchen towel to cover the bread while it rises.
- Thermometer: I use a candy thermometer that clips to the side of the pan, to make sure you heat your milk and oil to the correct temperature.
You will also need a place to roll out the dough, like on your counter top or a cutting board.
Simple Ingredients
Thankfully making homemade bread doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. In fact, most of the ingredients you need are pantry staples!
- Flour: For this recipe I use regular all purpose flour. If you want, you can also use bread flour. Bread flour has a higher percentage of protein which makes the crumb a little tighter. All purpose flour will create a softer bread.
- Yeast: Yeast can get a bit confusing with all the different names. For this recipe, I recommend using an instant yeast. Depending on the brand, it can be labeled as fast rising, instant yeast, rapid rise yeast, or fast acting yeast. Your yeast will need to be fresh, because the recipe below does not call for proofing the yeast. You add it straight from the package to keep things easy.
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Whole Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the higher fat content, which in turn creates a richer taste and softer crumb. However, you can use 2% or fat free milk.
- Vegetable Oil
Why Use Milk Instead Of Water
This easy bread recipe uses milk instead of water. The fat in the milk makes the bread more tender, with a softer crumb, and I think it gives the bread a better flavor than using just water. However, if you only have water, you can use it instead.
How To Make Homemade Bread
If this is your first time making bread, don’t be nervous! I promise this recipe is super simple and I will walk you through it step by step.
Dry Ingredients: In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of flour. Seal bag and shake to combine.
Warm: In a small saucepan, heat the milk and oil over medium-high heat, until it reaches 110°F to 115°F degrees. It should NOT boil – you can touch the liquid at this point, but it should be warm to the touch. You do not want to kill the yeast with too hot of liquid.
Combine: Open the zip-top bag and pour the warmed milk and oil into the bag. Reseal the bag and use your hands to work the bag to combine the ingredients.
Add Flour: Add the flour, about ½ cup at a time, working the bag with your hands between each addition, until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bag.
Knead Dough: Sprinkle a clean countertop generously with extra flour and remove the dough from the bag. Knead the dough on the counter for 5 minutes, with your hands. Add additional flour as you knead, just until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Rest: Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Roll: Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×7-inch rectangle. Beginning from one short end, roll the dough up tightly into a log.
Rise: Place the dough into a 8.5 x 4.4 inch loaf pan that has been greased with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake: Bake the bread at 375°F for 30 minutes or until done. Cool the bread for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Tips For Success
- Milk vs Water: Use whole milk instead of water. As I mentioned, the fat in the milk makes the homemade bread more tender and gives it a better overall flavor.
- Fresh Yeast: Make sure your yeast is fresh. This homemade bread recipe does not call for proofing the yeast. You add it straight from the package, so your yeast needs to be fresh.
- Warm Space For Rising: The best place to let dough rise is a warm area in your home. On a warm day, your kitchen counter will probably work just fine. My mom used to let our bread dough rise in the laundry room when the dryer was going to help warm the room. If your kitchen is cold, your oven is actually a great place. Preheat your oven to 200°F for 1-2 minutes to get it nice and toasty, then turn it off and add your dough to rise inside the oven.
- Butter The Top: While it is still warm, allow a tablespoon of butter to melt over the top of the crust. Do this before cutting the homemade bread and you will barely need any butter when you slice into it! It will absorb a little and the taste goes a long way.
How To Store Homemade Bread
Homemade bread is best that first day, with a crispy crust and perfectly soft center. However, if stored properly, it will stay delicious for 3 to 4 days.
To store your homemade bread, wrap it in foil, in an airtight container, or in a plastic bag, and store it at room temperature. It’s important to store your bread in something air tight to maintain the moisture in your bread.
Once stored, the bread will lose the crisp outside and become softer as the moisture in the bread moves towards the surface. If you like the crisp edges, you can always toast it lightly before serving.
Can I Freeze This Bread?
If you won’t eat your bread within those first few days, your best option is to freeze it.
Make sure the bread is completely cooked and that you wrap the bread completely air tight before freezing it. I personally like to wrap my bread with saran wrap and then place it in a freezer friendly ziploc bag.
Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw by placing on the counter at room temperature or by warming in the oven or toaster. If you slice your bread before freezing it, you can easily grab out exactly how many slices you need.
More Easy Yeast Recipes
- Homemade Hot Dog Buns
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Brioche Buns
- Homemade Hawaiian Rolls
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
Easy Homemade Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope, .25 ounce or 2 ½ teaspoons fast acting dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of flour. Seal bag and shake to combine.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and oil over medium-high heat, until it reaches 110°F to 115°F degrees on a thermometer. It should NOT boil – you can touch the liquid at this point, but it should be warm to the touch. You do not want to kill the yeast with too hot of liquid.
- Open the zip-top bag and pour the warmed milk and oil into the bag. Reseal the bag and use your hands to work the bag to combine the ingredients.
- Add the flour, about ½ cup at a time, working the bag with your hands between each addition, until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bag.
- Sprinkle a clean countertop generously with extra flour and remove the dough from the bag. Knead the dough on the counter for 5 minutes, with your hands. Add additional flour as you knead, just until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×7-inch rectangle. Beginning from one short end, roll the dough up tightly into a log.
- Place the dough into a 9×5 inch loaf pan that has been greased with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Bake the bread at 375°F for 30 minutes or until done. Cool the bread for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
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