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Want to make bread at home? Here are all the best homemade bread recipes, from sourdough to crusty artisan bread to cornbread.
Making homemade bread sounds complicated and time consuming, right? But with the right recipes and skills, you can be making bread in no time! There’s truly nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. And making bread at home can be cheaper and tastier than the loaves from you local grocery store, without all the additives and preservatives. But the best part? You’ll have that satisfying feeling that you made it all with your own two hands.
Here are a few of our favorite bread recipes, with varying skill levels! The easiest is our homemade sandwich loaf and no knead bread, and the most advanced is our sourdough bread. It’s not hard, but it’s a multi-day process that requires some special equipment. Where necessary, we’ve got videos to help you through the process. Whatever recipe you choose, we guarantee: you’ll want to make this bread again and again.
And now…the homemade bread recipes you should know!
Easy Homemade Bread
Want a go-to easy homemade bread recipe? This recipe works for just about anything. It’s perfect for sandwiches, making toast, or serving with soup. Even better, it really iseasycompared to other breads you’ll bake. You don’t need specialized equipment, and it bakes right in a 9-inch loaf pan.
It’s got a little whole wheat flour, oats, and seeds on the top for added nutrients and flavor. You’ll never need to buy bread again!
Plant based variation:Go toVegan Bread.
Skill level: Easy
Easy No Knead Bread
Want to bake easy homemade bread, but not sure where to start? Try thisbest no knead breadrecipe! Your friends and family will sing your praises. This bread is life changing! It’s got the best flavor: lightly tangy and robust. The exterior is the perfect crisp crust, and the interior has the perfect moist chewiness. If you’re a bread baking beginner, this is the place to start.
Skill level: Easy
Perfect Focaccia Bread
Did you know it’s easy to make bakery-style focaccia bread at home? Introducing the perfectfocaccia recipe! No need to shop around. Make this simple bread once, and we guarantee you’ll find it’s the best focaccia bread you’ve made at home. It’s thick and airy, crispy on the outside with beautiful pillowy air pockets on the interior.
Welcome to Artisan Bread 101! Want to make beautiful artisan bread but don’t want the commitment level for sourdough? This artisan bread recipe is the perfect place to start.
Our Simple Sourdough (above) is one of the best resources on the internet for how to make sourdough bread. But to start with something a little more accessible, we created this recipe.This artisan bread recipe teaches you the skills of sourdough but with a simpler and faster method!
Skill level: Medium
Baguette Recipe
What’s better than a crunchy fresh French artisan baguette? (Almost nothing.) Well, here’s aneasy baguette recipeyou can make at home! It’s simple to make: there’s no special equipment required! The only ingredients you need are all-purpose flour, yeast and salt. You will be absolutely amazed at the crunchy texture, tangy flavor, and beautiful long loaf.
Skill level: Medium
Best Sourdough Bread
This homemade sourdough bread recipe is the best resource on the internet! Easy to follow instructions, a printable checklist, and a step-by-step video help you master that tangy flavor, chewy crust, and perfect texture.
In our Sourdough Bread Recipe video, Alex shows you exactly what it looks like on the steps for each day. Since it's a multi-day process, we also created a printable checklist so you can remember which step you’re on.
Resources
The Recipe: Best Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Bread for Beginners
How to Make Sourdough Starter
How to Feed Sourdough Starter
Sourdough Bread FAQ
Skill level: Advanced
Easy Flatbread
Here’s our new favorite bread trick:flatbread! This traditional bread is so easy to make, nothing likesourdoughorartisan bread. Just mix up the dough, then cook it until golden and charred in a skillet! You need no yeast, no special flours, and no special equipment. You’ll be surprised at how soft and chewy it is, with the perfect flavor. Try it with falafelto make a killer sandwich, a wrap with hummus andgrilled veggies, a flatbread pizza, or as a side with soup.
Skill level: Easy
Easy Whole Wheat Bread
Here’s our verybestwhole wheat bread! Like our homemade bread above, it's perfect for sandwiches and toast, made with your own two hands and no store-bought preservatives! It’s so easy to make: with no special equipment needed. All you need is a loaf pan and a passion for homemade bread. This version of the classic recipe uses more whole wheat flour for a more robust flavor and increased nutrients.
Skill level: Easy
Dutch Oven Artisan Bread
Looking for an artisan bread recipe that’s easy to makeandhas that perfect crusty bread texture? Meet our homemade artisan bread recipe! It’s got a beautiful crust and artisan bread appearance, but it takes only about 30 minutes of active time. It’s baked in a Dutch oven to get that crispy crunchy exterior.
And the flavor? It’s got a very light tang from some Greek yogurt, and it’s the perfect texture for making sandwiches. I like to call it “cheater’s sourdough” because it’swayless work than sourdough and just as delicious. It's got a video tutorial to show you exactly how it's done. Bring on the bread!
Skill level: Medium
Garlic Naan Bread
Bread recipes don't have to be baked! This Indian flatbread is cooked in a skillet, and it's always a crowd pleaser: soft, supple, warm and garlic-scented. There’s not much better to sop up a savory curry. There are all sorts of creative ways to turn naan into dinner too: like naan pizza! It’s easy to find this famous bread at the store, but the very best way to eat it:homemade, right off the skillet.
Plant based variation: Vegan Naan Bread
Skill level: Medium
Artisan Multigrain Bread
What if we told you you could make a fresh, artisan bread recipe at home, with minimal active time and a fraction of the cost of store-bought bread? Most bread recipes require many hours of labor. But there’s a type of bread making called no knead bread, where you can mix up a batch and throw it in the refrigerator for a few hours or for up to 2 weeks! Then you shape and bake it the day you want to eat it.
It’s truly easy compared to other bread recipes! This multigrain bread is made with some rye flour and has tasty mix-ins like oatmeal, sunflower seeds, and quinoa.
Skill level: Easy
Quick Breads
A quick bread is any bread that uses baking soda and baking powder for leavening, instead of yeast. Yeast breads require a bit more technique, including proofing and shaping the dough.Quick breads, on the other hand, can be baked right away (hence the “quick”) and require no special techniques. Pick a few from below!
Quick Bread Recipes
Homemade Cornbread or Vegan Cornbread
Healthy Banana Bread or Vegan Banana BreadChocolate Banana Bread
Best Zucchini Bread, Vegan Zucchini Bread, or Easy Zucchini Bread
Easy Cranberry Bread
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Skill level: Very Easy
Recipes that use stale bread
When you make homemade bread recipes: what happens if you don’t eat it all? Because there are no preservatives, after a few days you’ll end up with some ends of stale bread. But never fear, there are lots of creative ways to use up those crusty ends. Here are some of our favorite ways to use stale bread:
- Homemade Croutons Homemade croutons are WAY tastier than store bought, and they’re easy to make at home.
- How to Make Breadcrumbs They’re easy to make and a great way to use up stale bread—use them on pasta, mac and cheese or salads.
- Ribollita (Italian Bread Soup) A hearty Tuscan vegetable stew, loaded with veggies and thickened with bread.
- Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) This classic Italian bread salad features crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, and basil.
Homemade Bread Recipe
- Author: Sonja Overhiser
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (12 to 14 slices) 1x
Description
Want to make amazing bread? This homemade bread is easy to make and very versatile: it works for sandwiches, toast, and more!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (20 grams)
- ½ cup milk (118 grams)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (15 grams)
- ¾ cups warm water (177 grams)
- 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (8 grams)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (125 grams)
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (280 grams)
- ½ cup rolled oats (45 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoonskosher salt(8 grams)
- 2 tablespoons seeds: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, etc (optional)
Instructions
- Make the dough:In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the milk so it is just warm.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and milk with the maple syrup, warm water, and yeast and mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until just combined. In a separate bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oats andkosher salt. Add the flours and oats to the bowl and stir with the spoon until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured countertop and form the dough into a ball.
- Knead the dough:Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm, then reforming it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes until the dough feels pillowy and has a smooth, stretchy exterior. If the dough is very sticky, add a small amount of flour while kneading. Alternatively: attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes.
- Proof 1:Place the dough ball in a clean bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow the dough to stand in a warm place (proof) until it rises to double in size, about 45 minutes to an 1 hour.
- Shape the dough:Once proofed, grease an 8 to 9-inch loaf pan. Turn the dough onto a counter and gently press the dough into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. The short side of the rectangle should be about the width of the long edge of the loaf pan. Roll the dough into a log (the width of the loaf pan). Pinch the seams on the sides and bottom of the roll and then place it into the greased pan seam-side down. Gently press the dough to fill the bottom of the pan.
- Proof 2:Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to proof for 40 to 50 minutes until the dough rises about 1 inch above the rim.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the bread:Once proofed, brush with the top of the loaf with water. If desired, sprinkle the seeds on the top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and the inside of the bread reaches 190°F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the bread to a cooling on a rack and cool completely, at least 90 minutes. (However tempting, cutting the bread while warm will ruin its texture!)
- Serve (+ storage info):Slice the bread and serve. Store the bread at room temperature for 2 to 3 days wrapped in plastic, or refrigerator for up to a week. The bread can also be frozen, sliced into pieces and wrapped in plastic, for 3 months.
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Bread
Keywords: Bread Recipes, Homemade Bread Recipe
Last updated: April 2020
Published on / Last updated on
Categorized In:
- Recipe Collections
Tagged with:
- Bread
- Roundup
About the authors
Sonja & Alex
Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes for memorable kitchen moments! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.
About Us
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