This Bread Machine White Bread is the recipe that beginner bread machine users save first and experienced bakers make on repeat. With just 7 simple pantry ingredients and a bread machine, you'll have a tall, fluffy and golden loaf with a light and springy texture. It makes a 1.5 pound loaf, but I include ingredient amounts for both 1 and 2 pound loaves below too.
This versatile recipe works in every brand bread machine and is perfect for beginners and makes a great everyday bread for sandwiches, toast and more. And if something goes wrong, the troubleshooting section below has everything you need to know to fix it. You can also check out my complete guide to using a bread machine, and if this is your first loaf, my quick guide to using your machine for the first time has lots of helpful tips and troubleshooting info!
Table Of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
This white bread recipe is beginner-friendly and uses basic pantry ingredients. It's effortless and foolproof-the machine does all the heavy lifting and about 3 hours later you have a perfect loaf that's better than store bought bread. I make it on repeat because it's so versatile.
Stock it in your freezer for quick meals, like grilled cheese or toast. It's a great snacking spread with roasted tomatoes or roasted garlic. Once you master this easy recipe, you can add in things like cheese and herbs. I do this to make cheese bread and rosemary parmesan bread- both also big hits with my family and stocked in my freezer at all times.
Why This Recipe Works
- Uses simple pantry ingredients
- Most white bread recipes use only water as the liquid, but this one uses olive oil and butter too which makes a soft and chewy crumb.
- The ratio of flour to yeast creates a strong rise without a collapsed loaf- a common problem for bread machine breads.
- Reliable results, even for beginners
Ingredients For Bread Machine White Bread
This recipe makes a 1.5 pound loaf. For other loaf sizes, see the notes in the recipe card below.
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoon yeast
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast - you can use instant yeast, bread machine yeast or active dry yeast in bread maker recipes. I like the outcome of my bread machine recipes most when I use instant dry yeast, so I stick with this. Do not proof yeast before putting into the bread pan.
- Bread flour: with it's relatively high protein content, bread flour is preferred for making light, fluffy and airy bread recipes. King Arthur bread flour is my preferred brand. You can use all-purpose flour as well, but the texture may be a little less soft and springy.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil. Substitute with vegetable oil if preferred.
- Water: water should be warmed to between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use warm milk for a slightly different flavor.
- Sugar: you can simply omit the sugar for a sugar-free white bread loaf.
How To Make Bread Machine White Bread
- Add all ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed (or follow your machine's recommended order).
- Select the Basic or White Bread cycle. Choose 1.5 lb loaf size and desired crust color.
- After 10-15 minutes, check the dough. If sticky add 1 tablespoon flour as needed. If dry add 1 teaspoon water as needed.
- Let the cycle finish. Remove bread and cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips For Perfect Bread Machine Bread
- Use fresh yeast for the best rise.
- Keep salt and yeast separate until mixing begins.
- Check the dough early in the kneading stage. If it looks too wet add more flour in small increments until a tacky ball forms. If it's too dry add more water in small amounts.
- Measure flour correctly. Either spoon and level or weigh it.
Troubleshooting Bread Machine Bread
Why Did My Bread Collapse?
A sunken or collapsed top is usually caused by one of three things: too much liquid, too much yeast, or overproofing. If the loaf collapses, it means that the dose rose too fast for the structure to support and then fell under it's own weight while baking. Humidity in the room could play a factor here- on humid days, you may need to use less liquid. Next time, try reducing the liquid by a few tablespoons, cutting the yeast back by ¼ teaspoon at a time, or reducing the sugar by ½ tablespoon at a time. I recommend trying one of these fixes at a time, so you know which causes the top to collapse initially.
Overproofing usually isn't the reason loaves collapse in a bread machine, as the machine functions to control the length of time that dough is proofed.
Why Is My Bread Dense And Heavy?
Dense bread usually means that the yeast didn't completely do it's job. Expired yeast is the most common cause, so always check the expiration date. Yeast can be stored in the freezer to expand it's life.
Water temperature can contribute to dense loaves, too. Always check the temperature- anything over 120 degrees Fahrenheit will kill and inactivate yeast and anything below 100 degrees Fahrenheit won't activate it.
And last, using too much flour is another common cause. Always scoop and level the flour. If you're just beginning or using a new recipe, keep an eye on the dough in the first 5-10 minutes and add more flour or liquid if needed, until you have a springy, tacky ball of dough instead of one that is too wet or crumbly.
Why Didn't My Bread Rise?
If the loaf didn't rise much or at all, the yeast was likely dead, killed by water that was too hot, or not activated by water that was too cold. To check if your yeast is good, do a yeast test by mixing ½ teaspoon with ¼ cup of water. Wait 10 minutes to see if a foamy liquid forms. If not, the yeast is dead and you'll need new. You always want to make sure the salt was not added where it could make contact with the yeast. Salt kills yeast immediately.
Why Did My Bread Overflow The Pan?
If the dough rose over the top of the bread pan touching the window, you likely used too much yeast or sugar. However, humidity can play a factor here too, as on humid days the dough will rise a little quicker and higher. On humid days, use a little less sugar and/or yeast. Also check that you've set the machine to the correct loaf size, which is an overlooked problem we sometimes accidentally make, but it's any easy fix.
How To Store Bread Machine Bread
- Room temperature: up to 3 days in an airtight bread storage bag or plastic bag.
- Freezer: up to 6 months. Slice the entire loaf and lay slices flat in freezer safe storage bags. Pull out individual slices as needed. They can go straight from the freezer to the toaster!
- Thawing: frozen slices can go straight from the freezer to the toaster or oven. Or, let thaw at room temperature for about 60 minutes. Avoid heating in the microwave as it can make the slices rubbery.
What To Use White Bread For
- Sandwiches
- Toast with butter or jam (or a simple nutella toast, strawberry toast or peanut butter toast)
- French toast
- Garlic bread
- Dipping into soups
Along with bread machine garlic bread, white bread is also delicious as a side with Moroccan chicken stew, turned into pepperoni toast or meatball toast, and dipped into slow cooker potato soup.
Recipe FAQs
Bread flour is best because it creates a lighter, more elastic texture. You can use all-purpose flour but the loaf may not be as light and springy.
Add liquids first, followed by sugar, salt, flour and yeast. The salt and yeast should never directly touch. I recommend checking your manufacturer's booklet to see if they have a specific way to add ingredients. Otherwise, this is the basic rule to follow to get a great loaf
Bread machine yeast or instant yeast gives the most reliable results.
Recipe
Best Bread Machine White Bread Recipe (Soft, Fluffy & Foolproof)
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water approximately 110°F
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter room temperature and sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 ¾ tsp yeast instant, active dry, or bread machine
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed (or your manufacturer's recommended order if different).
- MACHINE BAKE: Select the basic/white bread setting. Choose the 1.5 lb loaf size and your preferred crust color. At the end of the last kneading cycle, remove the kneading paddle. If you miss this step, remove the paddle using oven mitts after the bread cools. When baking is complete, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the bread pan.
- OVEN BAKE: Select the dough cycle and 1.5 lb loaf. When done, remove the dough ball from the pan, punch down a few times and shape as desired (or split into 2 balls and place in 2 loaf pans). Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reached 190 degrees.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Slice with a serrated bread knife and enjoy. Store sliced bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon white sugar
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoon yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon white sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon yeast
Happy Girl says
Ive been hand making bread for a long time now but only just got my 1st beadmaker yesterday. The manual, at the time, didn't seem overly clear on bread making instructions so on the internet I got and found this recipe. I made the 1.5lb recipe, medium crust and substituted the 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar for the same of melted honey and the water for warm milk. Unbelievably delicious. Super soft and tasty as it gets. Using organic stoneground white flour which is more like a wholemeal really because it still has all the germ and fiber in. Using a Panasonic SD-R2530 breadmaker. going to try sunflower seeds next. Loving it. Thank you heaps
Janet says
Hello! We made this today and when I got home my Mom said it “fell” halfway thru baking! The taste is AWESOME but any idea what would cause the bread to fall? We used the 2 lb recipe and basic bread/medium crust setting.
Kristina says
Hi Janet- there are a few reasons why this could happen. The bread may have risen too quickly and the yeast exhausted itself, causing it to fall. I would use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp less yeast next time. Or, if the flour you used was beyond it's life (flour does go bad), the gluten in it could not have been sufficient for a lasting rise. Most likely it's the yeast, so I would try a little less next time. Please let me know if this helps!
Karen says
This was really good! Found this recipe when I noticed bread shortages at the store and I can’t tell you how much I love having truly fresh bread at the house! Will make again!
Kristina says
I am glad you're enjoying it!
Madonna Essing says
Recently started to make bread again, your recipe for white bread went over Like it was something new, best ever. Thank you I'm 87 yrs old just getting back to having fun baking.
Kristina says
I am glad you started baking bread again and have enjoyed this recipe!! This is one of my favorites, and you're right- the loaf never dissapoints!
Tena says
I tried the recipe for basic white bread that came with my Cuisinart and it did not impress. Then I found yours! So far so good. However the crust seems tough. Any idea why?
Kristina says
Which crest setting did you choose? Most machines have a light, medium and dark setting. I find that anything other than the light setting makes the crust too crispy for my liking.
Carol M. says
Love this bread machine recipe. Nice and fluffy compared to the dense brick recipe from my bread machine.
Lisa S says
Wow ! Just wow ! I made the 1.5 pound loaf in my Black and Decker bread maker, which makes up to a 2 lb loaf. The 1.5 pound loaf ingredients - this was just the right size of ingredients for my machine. The bread touched the top window a couple times while baking, perhaps because of altitude (I'm at 1045 metres = 3428 feet above sea level). Wow, light and fluffy and delicious bread with a nice, consistent texture. I went with the ‘light’ crust setting and the basic program (1). Excellent.
Kristina says
Hi Lisa! Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite bread machine breads. It is likely that your high altitude caused it to touch the top. If that becomes a problem, try reducing the yeast by 1/4 tsp at a time, until you find the perfect amount for your altitude. If the high rise doesn't cause any baking issues, then you don't have to worry about it though. Enjoy!
Lisa S says
OK, thanks, Kristina ! The rise height seemed to be OK, just ! I just lifted the lid a little bit a couple times to get the rising bread off of the glass top surface, to make sure it wasn't sticking and it turned out fine, with nothing on the lid at the finish. This was pretty perfect. This is also meant as a note to others who also may be at some altitude ! 🙂 I wanted a smaller loaf, too, so it was good that I chose the 1.5 lb loaf ingredients, even though my bread machine can handle up to a 2 lb loaf. Now... if you just had a gluten-free bread recipe that was as good (probably not likely !). 😉 I try to eat gluten free the majority of the time.
Kristina says
I do have 1 gluten free bread recipe for breadmakers, but it is quite different than this one!
Tanya says
I haven't tried this recipe, but have similar recipes. But, I live in Texas and found I have to adjust the amount of flour and water when it's hot and humid here. My bread was too dense when I baked it using the Hamilton Beach bread machine recipe for white bread in the included recipes. So afte reading up on my problems for suggestions I added 1/4 cup water to the 1 and 1/3 cup in the recipe and I also reduced the amount of bread flour from 4 1/2 cups to 4 1/4 cups. I also sometimes need to use cold water instead of room temp or slightly warm.
Angela says
I just put this all in my bread maker. I actually weighed all ingredients. It was so dry that it would not form a ball. I ended up adding a little more water and just a pinch more oil. I hope it turns out. Can’t figure out why it was so dry when I was so careful to weigh out all ingredients.
Kristina says
The recipe is not in weighted measurements, so it's possible an ingredient or 2 was off when you converted it to such.
Phyl says
I made this today and it turned out really good. First loaf I've ever made in a breadmaker. Thanks for the recipe. I want to try adding some raisins and cinnamon next time or maybe some Italian herbs and garlic (of course with Parmesan as well). Looking forward to experimenting soon.
Sherry says
I just made this but I found it to be very dense. Tasty but crust too crusty and bread was very dense. Any ideas to “lighten “ it up? I did use bread flour. Thank you.
Dee says
I think someone mentioned that they replaced olive oil with butter. If you do, make sure the butter is unsalted. I used salted butter and it didn't work out well.
Karolyn says
What color setting did you use?
Kristina says
Hi Karolyn,
I like my breads using either the light or medium setting. The pictures here are for light.
-Kristina
Karolyn says
Thank you. The bread is delicious and super fluffy. What makes it so? All other recipes I’ve tried have been a bit dense. Def keeping this recipe and be repeated often.
Kristina says
I am glad you're enjoying this white bread! It could be for a few reasons- first is due to the bread flour. It has a higher protein content than all purpose and whole wheat flour so naturally bread made with it will be fluffier and softer. The ratio of ingredients is important too and this recipe has just the right amount of flour to water and yeast and sugar to let the gases in the yeast (which make it airy) release what they need to in the right amounts. I think that the combo of butter and oil makes a big difference too! Many other white breads only call for oil. But I am noticing that when I make my breads with a butter and olive oil combination, they tend to turn out a bit softer and fluffier- more like the store bought breads. Another trick to getting soft and fluffy bread is to use milk instead of water, which I don't do here. But I do this in my cinnamon raisin bread now and it turns out less dense than when I was using water. 🙂
Cassie says
Unfortunately didn't work for my machine. Hoping it's not the machine. Added ingredients in order and double checked them. Bread was extremely undercooked and had not risen.
Kristina says
Oh no! It could be an issue with your breadmaker, especially since it was undercooked. With how the machines are programmed, they should cook the bread perfectly, even if it didn't rise, as these are 2 sets of issues. If it didn't rise, this usually means the yeast was bad. I would do a test proof of the yeast by mixing some with warm water and a little sugar. If it becomes foamy after 5 minutes, then the yeast is good. If not, the yeast is bad. I would also try a recipe that you know turns out good in your machine to test if the bread maker is working properly.
-Kristina
Erin says
This is perfect for making lunches for my kids! Back to school we go!