Soft Amish white bread is a soft, slightly rich loaf that's great for beginners.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT170M
Rating
4.94 stars (65 reviews)
Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water ((216 grams) )
1 package active dry yeast ((7 grams) )
3 tablespoons sugar ((50 grams))
1 egg
2 tablespoons flavorless oil ((20 grams) I use avocado oil)
3 1/2 cups bread flour ((470 grams) all purpose will work)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt ((6 grams) )
Steps
In a large bowl where you will be making your bread, add the water and yeast. Stir gently to combine and let it sit until you see some foam coming to the surface. This may take 5-15 minutes.
Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the oil and egg and use a fork to break the egg up.
Add the flour and salt and stir to combine with a fork. Once it starts coming together, use your hands to work it in to a shaggy ball.
Drizzle over a teaspoon of oil and pat it evenly over the surface. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size. Just watch the dough and be patient but about an hour should do it.
After the dough doubles, sprinkle the counter with a couple of tablespoons of flour and transfer the dough to it by using closed fingers like a scoop to scrape it from the bowl.
Dust the top with another tablespoon of flour and knead the dough, sprinking the top and bottom with no more than 1/3 cup of flour until it is stretchy and you can see a bit of light through the dough when it's stretched--about 10 to 15 minutes of kneading.
Let the dough rest five minutes then use your fingers to form it into a rectangle about as wide as your loaf pan. Roll it up like a sausage and pinch the seam closed. Place it seam side down in a greased and parchment paper lined loaf pan.
Let the dough rise uncovered (see note 1) until it rises 1- 1 1/2 inches above the rim of the pan. About 45 mintues to an hour.
15 to 20 minutes before the bread is finished rising, preheat the oven to 400.
Bake the bread on the center rack in the middle of the oven (not in the back, and not up near the door) 25-30 minutes. Tent with foil for the last 10 minutes if your bread starts to get too dark. You can take the temperature of your bread--it should be about 190 in the center when it's done.
Transfer to a rack to cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn it out and brush the top with butter for a softer crust. (Optional)
Let the bread cool before slicing for the best texture inside.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 331 kcal
Carbohydrates: 59 g
Protein: 9 g
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 295 mg
Sugar: 6 g
Reviews
ShiNi on 2026-06-16 (5 stars): I tried this recipe and it turned out way better than I was expecting. I have been having the worst of luck with my bread maker, so I am so glad this worked out from start to finish! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, the simplicity of the steps without the bread machine and the richness of the outcome was amazing! Thank you! Will try this again and perhaps do the cinnamon roll recipe with it :)
John on 2026-06-07 (4 stars): 1cup of water does not weight 216 grams...
Patricia on 2026-04-26 (5 stars): Thank you!!!
This recipe is great and makes me feel like I know what I’m doing, lol!
I’ve made a loaf for home and for work. My co workers made a deal with me. You bring the bread and we got the butter a jam! Best compliment for a beginner.💕
Nikki on 2026-04-24 (4 stars): I made your bread and it is delicious. A note on refrigeration: I live in tropical heat where it’s absolutely necessary to refrigerate or freeze bread.
Jessica on 2026-03-17 (5 stars): Hello Rachel I love this recipe made it several times fellowing the steps. My questions are can I make this in a bread machine? If so does the amount of ingredients change?
