Tired of bread machine bread recipes coming out dry and hard? This is a foolproof method for getting perfect bread every time! 
The Best Bread Machine Bread Recipe
My good friend, Abby, has always made THE best bread. A few years ago I asked her what her secret is and she told me she always does her bread in a bread machine. I honestly didn’t believe her at first because bread machine bread just isn’t good. I had attempted bread machine bread at least a dozen times and I could never make it taste right. She proved me wrong. Now making bread/dough in the bread machine is my VERY favorite way to make homemade bread. A special thanks to her for sharing this recipe with us (and allowing me to share it now with you)!
Why Use a Bread Maker/Machine?
Bread machines are SO convenient. You just put everything right in, push go, and it does all the work for you! The mixing, the kneading, the rising, the baking… everything! Where the 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.. it’s a secret. Here’s what you do: 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.
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. Just make sure it has a “dough” option so it will stop once the dough is done.
Do I Need to use Bread Machine Flour/Yeast?
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.
How to Bake After Mixing
- When your dough is finished, pour it straight into a greased bread pan. If you are wanting 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.
Bread Machine Rolls
The bread machine method of making homemade rolls couldn’t be easier (or more delicious). It is even easier than using frozen rolls because you don’t have to wait for them to thaw! Here’s how you do it:
- Remove dough from bread machine and place on a floured surface (knead in a little extra flour if it is too sticky to handle)
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Fold and pinch into balls and place in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Place in COLD oven and set to 350-degrees. Set timer for 25 minutes.
- Remove rolls from oven and brush with butter.
Other Things You Can Use The Dough For:
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:
- Deep Dish Pizza
- The BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- BBQ Cilantro Pizza
- Quick and Easy Calzones
- Parmesan Pull Apart Bread
- Monkey Bread
- Pesto Rolls
- Samoan Coconut Rolls (Pani Popo)
- Fry Bread
- Breadsticks
Ingredients
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.
- 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 (it's ok if it is sticky).
- 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 9x13 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
Nutrition
Susan says
This bread turned out delicious!!!! Perfect taste, beautiful crust and so easy using the bread machine for the dough. Only had active dry so used 1/4 more yeast and activated it fully before adding all ingredients. Made french toast with it the next day and it was perfect!
Thank you, I have found my go to bread recipe! 🤗
Jakin Thomas says
The bread came out great! But the dough did not come out the way it does in your pictures…it was really wet and I scraped out the pan with a spatula…any idea why? Too much water?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Huh, that’s strange! I haven’t had it turn out wet like that before. Did the bread come out dense?
Judi says
I just made the best bread I’ve ever made and this was the recipe. I love the sweet, buttery taste and it was so easy. I’m going to start making bread for family and friends. I can’t tell you how happy I am and how much I enjoyed this bread recipe…Thanks so much
Echo Blickenstaff says
I’m thrilled you loved this recipe! Thank you for your comment!
GretaSouthDakota says
I have always had problems making bread in my bread machine. It never bakes long enough. This recipe was just great! From now on will be my go to bread recipe!
Tennersee56 says
I made this recipe exactly as written even though I was skeptical about the baking instructions. It came out perfectly. My husband and I both feel this this is the best bread I have ever made. It is easy to make, the texture is not too heavy and crust was perfect. Thank you for sharing. #1 on our list.