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This bread machine bread recipe is the foolproof method for getting perfect white bread every time! Just dump in all the ingredients and let the bread maker do all the work! With about 5 minutes of minimal effort you can have soft, warm bread in just a couple of hours!
The Best Bread Machine Bread Recipe
My good friend Abby makes THE BEST bread. A few years ago I convinced her to let me in on her secret, and to my surprise, she simply stated that the secret is that she uses her bread machine. Seriously!? I honestly didn’t believe her at first, because bread machine bread just isn’t usually good (compared to the classic, manual-rising, oven-baked variety)! I’ve attempted making bread in a bread machine at least a dozen times and it always came out dry and hard, and just not quite right. Well, she proved me wrong. Now making bread/dough in the bread machine is my VERY favorite way to make homemade bread. Trust me, you are going to love how easy and delicious this recipe is!
The Secret to Bread Maker Bread
Bread machines are SO convenient. You just put everything right in, push go, and they do all the work for you! The mixing, the kneading, the rising, the baking – everything! Where a bread machine falls short is in the “baking” part. When it comes to baking bread, the bread machine is not your friend. So what is to be done? Shhh.. I’m going to let you in on the secret. Here’s what you do: Let the bread machine do all the mixing, kneading, and rising. Then dump the dough in a bread pan, put it in a COLD oven (no preheating, YAY!), turn the oven on and bake. It’s THAT easy. Just these few little steps make a world of difference!
How to Make Bread using a Bread Machine (Step by Step)
- First, place 1 cup VERY hot water, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons cold butter, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt in the bread machine. No need to mix or anything, just put it all straight in.
- Next, Add 3 cups flour directly to the bread maker. Make a small well in the flour with your hand and add yeast to the well.
- Set bread machine to “dough” for 90 minutes (it should default to 1 hour 30 minutes) and press “start”.
- When your dough is finished, pour it straight into a greased bread pan. If you want to make it look pretty, you can turn it so a smooth side is facing up. Then just tuck down any unruly edges.
- Place the bread pan in the COLD oven. No preheating necessary!
- Set temperature to 350-degrees and set timer for 30 minutes. The bread will rise and bake in this time.
- Remove baked bread from the oven and remove quickly from pan. Place on a cooling rack and brush with butter. Cover with a towel or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
What Bread Maker is Best?
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what kind of bread machine you have. We got the cheapest bread maker on Amazon that had decent reviews. I think it was under $100. Any basic bread maker will do the trick. Just make sure it has a “dough” option so it will stop once the dough is done.
Adapting to Make More Bread Machine Recipes:
We have used this exact dough recipe for all sorts of recipes. Sometimes you have to knead it with some flour to get the right consistency depending on what you are making, but it works like a charm in these recipes:
Gino’s Deep Dish Pizza
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Parmesan Pull Apart Bread
Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Rolls)
BBQ Cilantro Pizza
Quick and Easy Calzones
Caramel Monkey Bread
Pesto Rolls
Fry Bread
Bread Twists
Read more: 35+ Dinner Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions
Bread machines usually call for ‘bread flour’. The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is the gluten content (bread flour has more gluten). All-purpose flour is absolutely fine to use! Your loaf of bread may not rise as spectacularly as it would with the bread flour, but there really isn’t much of a difference.
YES! Not only is it cheaper, but you know exactly what is going into it! No mystery ingredients in your sandwich bread.
Broken down, the savings look like this: The average cost of a loaf of basic white bread is around $4 (more or less), making it yourself costs about $1.
(It also tastes better!)
Nope! Just make sure you are using a quick-rise yeast for it to work best. In this recipe, we just use all-purpose flour. No need to spend extra getting special ingredients.
Bread Machine Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, (very hot)
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons butter, (cold- not softened)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups flour, (you can use either all-purpose or bread flour)
- 1 tablespoon quick-rise yeast
Instructions
- Place hot water, egg, butter, sugar, and salt in bread machine.
- Add 3 cups flour. Make a small well in the flour and add yeast.
- Set bread machine to "dough" for 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) and start.
- When dough is finished. Pour directly into a greased bread pan. If needed, gently turn the bread or tuck in the edges so the top is smooth (it's ok if it is sticky).
- Place bread in COLD oven and set oven to 350 degrees. Set timer for 30 minutes.
- When finished baking, remove from oven and carefully remove bread from the pan.
- Place on a baking rack to cool and brush the top with butter. Place a towel over the bread or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
- Serve immediately or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
If Making Rolls:
- Remove dough from bread machine and place on a floured surface.
- Knead in a little flour if dough is too sticky to handle.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Fold and pinch into dough balls and place in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Place in a COLD oven and set to 350 degrees. Set timer for 25 minutes.
- Remove rolls from oven and brush with butter.
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Notes
- using as a crust to spread with jams, from raspberry to fig to cherry, and drizzled with honey
- toasting and slathering with garlic and cheese, and pairing with soups, salads, and vegetables
- your favorite new sandwich
- French toast, a morning staple
- and finally, the classic bread and butter, not to be overlooked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
Does the dough have to be baked in the oven? Or can it continue to bake in the bread machine?
You can do either, we just prefer oven.
I was blown away! So easy and delicious. Like everyone else the bread is always so dense.
Question:
How would I adjust the recipe to use wheat bread flour?
I would recommend using our wheat bread recipe: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/honey-whole-wheat-bread/
Not really “bread machine bread” when you don’t bake it in the bread machine. This just saves kneading by hand. Ugh,
True. But on the plus side there’s less to clean up, especially in a small kitchen: counter top, floor, etc. (Or maybe I’m just a bit messier than most. Lol!)
Wow, so easy & so good! Used it to make pepperoni bread, instead of the frozen white bread dough it called for, and it was a perfectly delicious New Year’s Eve hit, can’t wait to use this recipe again!
So glad it was a hit!
I keep making ridiculously dense bread and thought it has to be me! I tried this recipe and OH MY GOODNESS, it’s fluffy on the inside NOT dense! And crunchy crust and tastes so good! I am so happy I tripped and fell on this recipe! I do wonder what would happen if I cooked it in the maker, have you? Was it dense? Thank you so much!
So glad you found us! We usually don’t, but if you try it let us know how it turns out.
This was pretty easy and the dough came out silky smooth! The taste is nice and a little sweet! This is definitely a hit in my house!
So glad you liked it!
Im going to try it now. If the dust will wipe off the machine. My grandson is coming for our xmas and should go nicely with prime rib homemade noodle strohgaoff. I do not know how to spell that…🤔 Ill let you know. Ho Ho Ho 💃💚❤️☃️
How did it go?
I’m newer to break making and didn’t pay attention to the yeast amount of 1 T and just used a regular packet. The bread turned out great. What would be different with one T of yeast?
Also, is there a way I can use my active yeast that I store in my fridge with this recipe? I found I like the taste better but still not sure how to use it unless told (lol).
Great questions, and I’m glad the bread turned out well!
A standard yeast packet contains about 2¼ teaspoons, while 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, so you used slightly less yeast than the recipe calls for. Using a full tablespoon helps the dough rise a little faster and more reliably, especially with the cold oven method, but since your bread turned out great, the packet worked just fine.
You can use the active yeast you keep in the fridge. Use the same amount, 1 tablespoon total, but dissolve it first in warm water, about 105 to 110 degrees, with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes until foamy, then add it to the bread machine with the other ingredients. Active yeast does have a slightly better flavor, so it is a great option once you are comfortable using it. Hope this helps!
I am going to try using honey instead of sugar & make into rolls. I hope they turn out okay since I’m taking them for Xmas dinner. 🤷♀️
Let us know how it goes!
Did they work?
Hi Erica
I am wanting to add in cheese and jalapeños. Do I add with the rest of the ingredients or after it has started mixing.
Thanks
I would do it after the dough has started mixing.
Oh my gosh…this is fabulous and so soft. I did as you suggested and chopped up Trader Joe’s hot and spiced jalapeños ( about 3 tbsp) and 1 cup of shredded cheese and it came out wonderful. So much better baking in oven. Third time is a charm
How do you keep the egg from cooking in the hot water?
You don’t want the water to be boiling, just as hot as the tap will get. I have never had the egg cook in it before.
Well let me tell y’all, I’m a 73 year old grandpa and I can fix most anything around the house but not so good around the kitchen and that’s why my wife is the kitchen mgr! Well I decided to grab our bread maker that’s been idle for awhile and give this recipe a whirl. I literally threw the ingredients in the basket according to the directions and my wife out shopping and made the best dang bread ya ever tasted! My wife liked it too!! So if you excuse me I’m gonna whoop up a batch of soup beans and slather up a heel or two with butter and enjoy!!! If I did it, you can too! 5 star as far as I’m concerned!❤️
Hi Grandpa Rick! I am so glad you took the time to come back and leave such a thoughtful comment. You totally made my day! Way to go trying something new and getting out of your comfort zone! I am thrilled that you liked this recipe so much and that it was easy for you. You might be the official family bread maker now! 😆
Thats awesome grandpa.
No exaggeration, this IS the best bread machine recipe. The texture and flavour are wonderful. I am not going to lie, I was skeptical when I read that I had to add an egg but now it is a reason to have eggs in my fridge. This bread freezes well, and as a person who lives alone this is an imperative. This is my 2nd time making it and I am going to use it for cinnamon buns the next time I make it.
Wow, thank you so much for this kind comment! I am so glad this was a hit for you, let me know how the cinnamon buns turn out!
I have tried numerous bread machine recipes and almost gave up hope on finding one that resembled a normal white loaf that wasn’t too dense. This one is AWESOME! Super easy, and came out great first try!
Yay! I am so glad you found a recipe that will work for you! I am so happy you liked it!
my bread machine will not let me set the timer. it’s programed for 1hr 40min. is this ok?
The dough setting is set for 1 hour? That should be fine, all machines are different, so if that’s how long the dough setting takes on yours I think it should be just fine as-is. Hope this helps!
My machine has a two hour dough setting and wouldn’t let me set a timer, it’s super old though.
I’m new at this so I just took it out after 90 minutes. Still worked beautifully