This Farmhouse White Bread is a delicious homemade bread recipe perfect for beginners. It's made without any special pans or mixers and is made with simple ingredients with detailed instructions. There really is nothing quite like a warm slice of fresh bread served with a thick pat of butter on top!
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Check out my Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cookies and my Orange Cranberry Muffins for more great baked recipes!
Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this homemade farmhouse white bread is for you. No need to buy store bought, or spend all your money on expensive bakery bread, you can make this recipe at home any time you want! There is nothing quite as amazing as homemade bread.
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This rustic bread is a perfect versatile loaf for dinner, sandwiches and more!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This is a basic bread recipe that even beginner bakers can bake!
- It’s free of all the sodium and preservatives of store bought bread, and it’s made with simple ingredients.
- No special pans, mixers, or dough starter required.
- It's chewy with a crisp crust.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Buttermilk: Gives the bread a softer texture and more body. Plus, it helps the breads rise.
- Honey: Adds moisture to the dough.
- Active Dry Yeast: Serves as a leavening agent which is essential in the making of bread.
- Egg: Provides color, volume and also binds the ingredients together.
- Canola Oil: Has a neutral and light flavor.
- Kosher Salt: Table salt or fine sea salt will work too.
- Bread Flour: Has a higher protein content for more stability, and helps form and rise the dough.
- Cornmeal: Helps prevent the bread from sticking to the surface by acting as little ball bearings.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Enhances the browning of the crust color.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, honey and yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand about 30 minutes.
Step 2: Add egg, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture; stir to combine. Add enough remaining flour to create a firm dough. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Return the dough to the bowl, dust the top lightly with flour and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Rise at room temperature about 3 hours.
Step 4: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with cornmeal. Shape dough into a smooth round ball. Place onto baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
Step 5: Brush cream lightly over risen dough loaf. Using a serrated knife, slash a crosshatch design into the top of the dough, about an inch deep. Place a pan of cold water at the bottom of the oven to create steam. Bake until the bread is brown, about 30-40 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Make sure to always use fresh yeast. Check the expiration date on the package. 1 package of instant dry yeast usually contains 2 ¼ tsp.
- The dough should be sticky and not dry. Start with the lowest amount of flour and add gradually. The amount of flour you need depends on the moisture and temperature in your house.
- Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which gives the bread a better structure and texture.
- Be sure to fully preheat the oven before baking the bread and bake bread in the center of the oven.
- After the bread is done cooking, remove it from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Then let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Variations
- Garlic Herb: Add chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano, and minced garlic to the dough during kneading.
- Honey Walnut: Add chopped walnuts and a little more honey to the dough during kneading for a nutty and slightly sweet bread.
- Everything Bagel: Mix together sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, and garlic powder, and sprinkle on top of the loaf before baking for a savory and flavorful bread.
- Cheesy: Add shredded cheddar cheese to the dough during kneading, and sprinkle more cheese on top of the loaf before baking for a deliciously cheesy bread.
- Whole Wheat: Substitute half of the bread flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier and heartier bread.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Storing your loaf in a bread box will give it the best odds of staying fresh as long as possible. If you want to leave it out on the counter, instead of in a bread box, you’ll need to cover the loaf with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. It will last for a couple days at room temperature.
Freezing: Let the bread cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring that the bread is completely sealed. Place the wrapped bread in a zip top plastic freezer bag and seal the bag shut. Store the bread in the freezer for up to two months.
To thaw, take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight, still wrapped in plastic. It may take up to 24 hours for the bread to fully thaw.
Recipe FAQ's
This recipe works with all-purpose and bread flour. The bread flour will give it a slightly chewier and a bit more elastic crumb.
Possible culprits are too much salt in the dough, dough needs more time to rise, need to knead it longer or the yeast was bad or dough was left to rise in a spot that was too hot.
Most likely there was an issue with the yeast or the dough was either not kneaded enough or was kneaded too much.
Dip in olive oil and fresh herbs, tear a piece and spread butter on top, or slice and make sandwiches!
More Recipes You'll Love
Farmhouse White Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, honey and yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand about 30 minutes.
- Add egg, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture; stir to combine. Add enough remaining flour to create a firm dough. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
- Return the dough to the bowl, dust the top lightly with flour and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Rise at room temperature about 3 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with cornmeal. Shape dough into a smooth round ball. Place onto baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brush cream lightly over risen dough loaf. Using a serrated knife, slash a crosshatch design into the top of the dough, about an inch deep.
- Place a pan of cold water at the bottom of the oven to create steam. Bake bread until brown, about 30-40 minutes. Remove baked bread to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure to always use fresh yeast. Check the expiration date on the package. 1 package of instant dry yeast usually contains 2 ¼ tsp.
- The dough should be sticky and not dry. Start with the lowest amount of flour and add gradually. The amount of flour you need depends on the moisture and temperature in your house.
- Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which gives the bread a better structure and texture.
- Be sure to fully preheat the oven before baking the bread and bake bread in the center of the oven.
- After the bread is done cooking, remove it from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Then let the bread cool completely before slicing.
- Storing: Storing your loaf in a bread box will give it the best odds of staying fresh as long as possible. If you want to leave it out on the counter, instead of in a bread box, you’ll need to cover the loaf with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. It will last for a couple days at room temperature.
- Freezing: Let the bread cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring that the bread is completely sealed. Place the wrapped bread in a zip top plastic freezer bag and seal the bag shut. Store the bread in the freezer for up to two months.
- To thaw, take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight, still wrapped in plastic. It may take up to 24 hours for the bread to fully thaw.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Enjoy!
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