Learn exactly how to make homemade bread from scratch — soft, fluffy, and perfect every time. Just 5 ingredients, beginner-friendly instructions, and done in about 2 hours. Thousands of raving comments & 5-star reviews!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT60M
Rating
4.82 stars (903 reviews)
Keywords
homemade bread, white bread
Ingredients
2 cups warm water (105° F)
¼ cup white sugar
1 ½ TBSP active dry yeast
5-6 cups flour (all-purpose flour OR bread flour)
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
Categories
bread
Cuisine
American
Steps
In a large bowl, or a stand mixer, dissolve 2 TBSP of the sugar in the warm water. I just combine the two and whisk slightly to dissolve the sugar. Stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
Add in remaining sugar, salt, oil and 1 cup of the flour. Begin to mix, using a rubber scraper or the dough hook on your stand mixer. Add the remaining flour one cup at a time, reserving the last cup of flour to see if you need it. You might not use all of the flour. The dough should pull away and clean the bowl, sticking on the bottom in a small circle about the size of a quarter. If your dough does this with just 5 cups of flour, do not add more. However, if your dough still sticks to the bowl, add more a couple tablespoons at a time until it cleans the bowl, sticking in just a small circle on the bottom.
Now knead dough for 7 minutes. Set a timer as a full knead is important! Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm area until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for 1 minute and divide dough in half. Shape into loaves and place into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30-40 minutes. Cool, brush with butter and enjoy!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 131 kcal
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 2 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 147 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Karen on 2026-10-31 (5 stars): I love this bread recipe! The only thing I change is that I use butter instead of oil. The bread always come out super tasty and it is very easy to make. We don’t purchase bread at the store anymore.
PicVane on 2026-10-23 (5 stars): Five ingredients and a clear beginner path to a real homemade loaf in about two hours is exactly the kind of bread recipe that builds confidence. The five-star notes make it feel like a dependable first bake rather than a gamble.
Maureen Dial on 2026-10-20 (5 stars): Thank you! Posted literally days before I started looking for a recipe. I made this past weekend and absolutely loved! I only have one bread pan (it's a stone pan) so I had to reserve half to bake the next day. First loaf came out delicious but crust was very crunchy and thick. The reserved dough rose again (doubled) in the refrigerator, so I punched and kneaded... used a meat thermometer this time and let the second rise until the temperature of the dough reached 65 degrees (heating pad and sunlight). I reduced the oven temp to 335 and let the thermometer tell me when it was 185 degrees (since the stone will keep cooking the bread while cooling enough to remove from the pan). It came out perfectly!!! Beginner with bread, but not with baking in general so that helped greatly!
Lauren on 2026-10-12 (5 stars): I used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. Everything seems the same. Waiting for it to come out of oven now. 🤞🏼
Paula Brigida on 2026-10-12 (5 stars): Just tried a slice after baking this bread and it's delicious! Directions were easy to follow and I will definitely keep this recipe.
Ivy on 2026-10-11 (5 stars): Made this today. Not much ingredients and tastes great!! Will be making this again!!
Dixie on 2026-10-11 (5 stars): I tried your basic bread recipe with my new dough machine. It was Ann expensive one from China. I followed the recipe and the directions that came with the machine. My bread came our ubelieveable tall and tasty.
Susan McClung on 2026-10-08 (5 stars): Can you use avocado oil and do you cover the last rise in the pans. I am very happy with this recipe and it freezes very well. Husband loves a slice with his eggs in the mornings,,
