Simple White Bread
This is the same recipe as my simple whole wheat bread but it's made with white flour. Be sure your egg and oil are at room temperature and be sure to aerate your flour before measuring. No mixer? Just mix it in a bowl by hand but knead longer, about 150 turns. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Makes: One loaf
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet/7 grams) instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (use 1 Tbsp. for less sweetness)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk (low fat or whole milk), heated to 120-130° F for instant yeast (or 110-120°F for active dry)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
- 1 egg
- about 1/4 cup additional flour
Instructions:
- Place flour, yeast, sugar & salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in milk, followed by oil and egg.
- Beat on high for 2 minutes.
- On low speed add about 1/4 cup flour until dough forms a mass.
- Place dough on floured surface and knead 50 turns.
- Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Shape dough into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until it’s one inch taller than the pan, about 35 minutes.
- Meantime, preheat oven to 375° F.
- Bake for 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, I cover the top of the loaf with a foil tent to prevent over-browning.
Note: Check your package of yeast for the proper temperature. My brands require the liquid to be 120° F for instant yeast and 110° for dry active yeast. With dry active yeast the bread may take longer to rise.
Incredibly good and very easy bread recipe. I used 4% milk and a high protein bread flour (Bob’s Red Mill). I will definitely be making this loaf again and will try yiur whole wheat recipe. Thank you Jenny for making the process so easy abd quick.
Dear Penny,
Have you heard the phrase “If you do not have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all” ? Jenny is a great person that is generous with her time and all of her recipes. Snarky is not an adjective i would ever use to describe Jenny.
Please be careful before commenting. This world needs more kindness. Best to you in your baking adventures.
I just came to say I don’t know why Jenny allows comments. Most people are either saying the recipe was great, or they are asking a question. Jenny will not answer questions. She will only refer you to her FAQ page or link to something else. I find her recipes pretty easy, but I find her to be pretty snarky.
Penny, my recipes are more popular than I ever expected since I only post them as a hobby. Questions come in every day. I answer as many as I can but sometimes I don’t know the answer so I depend on the kindness of other cooks to answer, which they often do. Other times, when I’m asked the same question over and over, I refer them to my FAQs. I’ve answered thousand of questions so maybe you didn’t check. I answered the one right below yours. This is not a business which is why you don’t see ads or product endorsements with links. It’s a hobby. I’m just sharing my love of cooking. I’m glad you find my recipes easy but I encourage you to look through the site or read my bio before you make uninformed statements. I’d rather hear how your bread turned out.
When making bread , there are no fast and hard rules about the amount of flour. Just see how it comes together and add more or less as needed. Using Bobs Red Mill Bread Flour seems to take about 3 cups total per loaf and about 1 cup of liquid, however,don’t add either ingredients all at once and you can adjust as you go to have a nice consistent dough to wok with- not too sticky and not too firm.
Jenny – Thanks for caring to share your love of cooking and desire to make it accessible for those tired of paying retail prices for lesser quality and nutrition. Your fun-filled videos and recipes simplify processes, ease fear of failure, and dare us to keep rolling when it happens. It’s inspired me to tackle bread making successfully and boldly experiment with variations. Comments show your efforts help conquer many cooking challenges. Hope you’re inspired to continue sharing your joy of cooking. Watching your videos certainly brighten my kitchen adventures.
On your Simple White Bread recipe, I need clarification on the total flour amount. Is it a total of 2 1/2 cups PLUS 1/4 cup, or 2 1/2 cups total.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Nadine
It’s 2 1/2 plus 1/4 for a total of 2 3/4 cups.
Thanks for the clarification. Will my loaf ber okay as I only used a total of 2 1/2 cups of flour?
Took a bit of a break from traditional bread baking and have been consternating more on sourdough bread. Just this morning started on simple white bread with egg and wound up using 3 1/2 cups + of flour rather than the 2 1/2 cups + that Jennies recipe calls for (the rest of the recipe unchanged) and I’m wondering why. Could the humidity today a count for a full cup of flour more? One thought I have is the egg, and I’m wondering what the total liquid volume of the milk and the egg combined is supposed to be. Any idea?
I was making this bread this morning following the recipe to a “T”. Using a fresh bag of King Arthur all purpose. I use the dough cycle only in my bread maker. I had to add at least another 1/2-3/4 cup of flour. Bread turned out great.
Love the recipes. I am baking these breads and rolls all the time, there is right now a bread in the oven. We quit buying bread, as homemade bread or rolls tastes so much better.
Just made my first loaf with this recipe. It is a perfect loaf and tastes just as
good as it looks. Thank your for the recipe.
What kind of kitchen aid mixer do you use?
You can see it in the whole wheat version video:
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/simple-whole-wheat-bread/
I just made this bread recipe today and I almost cried because I’ve been looking for a simple recipe like this for a couple years now. My son has epilepsy and I just don’t have hours to make things. My family says this is the best bread they’ve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Awesome!! I made 1 loaf of whole wheat and 1 loaf white. I have to say the whole wheat was my favorite. Thanks so much for sharing!
Love making Jennys bread recipes. They are easy to follow.
I have lost count on how many times I have made the white bread as well as the wheat bread. I have never had any issues, and get requests from family to make extra loaves! I use the King Arthur bread flour both white and whole wheat. I am fortunate to have a Wolf steam oven with an auto stream bake setting with great results. I proof it in my oven that has a proofing option so I think this helps. Thank you Jenny!!!
Can I use cube yeast in this recipe?
I make this all the time, Louise, with a fresh cube of yeast when I can find it. No problem.
I have lost count on how many times I have made the white bread as well as the wheat bread. I have never had any issues, and get requests from family to make extra loaves! I use the King Arthur bread flour both white and whole wheat. I am fortunate to have a Wolf steam oven with an auto stream bake setting with great results. I proof it in my oven that has a proofing option so I think this helps. Thank you Jenny!!!
I am so pleased and proud of my accomplishing such a great recipe from Jenny. The whole wheat simple method is just that . But the bread itself is delicious. The crust is perfect not to hard not to soft. Cuts into a beautiful store bought bread . Meaning the slices cut perfectly with ease. No tearing or smashing it just slices into a professional looking slice of bread. Had everything to do with the recipe. It will be my go to wheat bread . It is a nice soft but firm bread. Great appetizing and delicious. Also great for toast. Thank you Jenny
I made this bread and my family LOVED it! It was easy to follow your instructions. My oldest niece, who doesn’t give out compliments often, raved over it. She took my sister’s (her Mom’s ) loaf home with her also. LOL! Her family ate theirs in 1 day. The younger niece wants to try making it for her family of five. Their loaf lasted 1 half of a day. And.. I don’t have a stand mixer. (Getting a KitchenAid this week) I made 5 loaves by hand and they were beautiful and delicious! I adore your artisan bread and had to try the loaf style bread. So glad I did. It has been like therapy for me to make it. Such a great feeling to be able to share something delicious with loved ones. Thanks, Jenny!
Made this single loaf bread with egg today, the family truly enjoyed it. Did, however, cut back the sugar to 1 tablespoon. This will be my go to recipe for bread. Followed the tip to make a foil tent and cover top of bread for the last 15 minutes of baking. In all the years I have baked bread never before had a recipe called for making a tent over the bread for the last 15 minutes of baking. Worked out wonderfully, the crust is perfect.
I never get it to rise enough. I use all fresh ingredients. What’s the trick.
I like to place my loosely covered bread pan in a warmed up oven that has been turned off, It rises very quickly within half hour or so. Remove from the oven after 20 minutes so you can preheat the oven before baking. This method has always cut my rising time in almost half!
I turn the oven light on an hour or so before the dough needs to rise and put the dough in the oven-covered. Leave the light on. Shut the door.
I’ve seen recipes on bread making where the dough rises in microwave oven (door closed)
Alongside a mug of hot steaming mug of water.
I’ve baked this before-but never had an issue. Now 3 times in a row I’m getting a “flatness” when it bakes, even when it proofed higher. What am I doing wrong. Bought new yeast and temperature checked the milk.
I have heard that if the dough proofs “higher” that can mean it over proofed and lead to the bread deflating. I don’t know if that helps. Maybe someone with more experience can weigh in.
The other commenter is right- its more than likely overproofed. It over proofs and then collapses. Try proofing for slightly less time.
Also be very careful handling a proofed pan of dough as it is easily deflated if bumped around while placing it in the oven for baking.
I just made a loaf following the recipe. The recipe said 2 1/2 cups flour and also said you may need an extra 1/2 cup, i used 2 3/4 cups flour. I did not use a kitchen aide mixer…..instead I used a Black & Decker bread machine, however I did not use it to bake the bread. I put the machine on the dough setting and it mixed, kneaded and rose the loaf. I then removed the dough from the machine, punched it down, kneaded it a few minutes and then shaped and put it in a loaf pan. I then put it in the oven on bread proof setting until it rose approximately 1 inch above the loaf pan. Let it rest on the stove while the oven heated to 375° F. Baked it for 15 minutes, tented it with tinfoil and baked a further 15 minutes. Turned out beautifully. There’s more than one way to produce Jenny’s wonderful recipes.
Works great..let the bread machine mix the dough….then did what you did.
Great ideas!
Do you ever scald the milk when you use it in bread making. Another FB Page I have seen recommends always scalding the milk (170°F).
This is my first time watching your videos, they are very enjoying and interesting. Easy recipes to make and with the instructions in detail. Today I made the sliced bread and it came out perfect. I have tried other recipes and this is the easiest to achieve. Congratulations, I love your cordiality and humor.
I didn’t have a loaf pan, so used my 4 piece mini loaf pan for meatloaf 🤣 i cut in 4 pieces before rising, and cut bake time by 10 minutes. Other than that Follower step by step, and they came out beautifully!
Hi Jen
I have been making your whole wheat bread for a while now..and just make your white bread..beautiful!!!..after I take it out of the oven.. it bubbles on the top..can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong here?..Its still amazing bread..I just want it to look perfect also:)
Need to degas more air out of dough and form your loaf by rolling your dough up into shape. Plenty of videos online
Jenny your generosity of spirit is awe inspiring not to mention the incredible life you’ve lived!
I’ve made several of your recipes and my favorite so far is the white bread. I’m also a big fan of the blueberry coffee cake:)
Thank you again for sharing all your recipes for free.
I just love this simple, easy to follow, recipe, I use the one with egg. For some reason my bread takes a full hour to rise enough for my taste. My family are pure foodies, this loaf only lasts a few hours!
I made one loaf today, and wish I made two—it’s delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe! I followed the recipe exactly, no changes, and it came out perfectly! I wonder how it would work if I added some cheese…?
I made this bread yesterday, and also made it artisan. I made 2 loaves and 1 i added mozzarella cheese putting on the sides folding the dough over and adding some to the center. It turned out yummy.. try it!
You never mention adding the water in the instructions😃
Just wanted to add that you can also use almond or coconut milk and substitute in butter instead of oil. Also, half cup of potato flake & 1.5 tbs of apple cider vinegar will also condition the dough and give you an even bigger rise and softer bread.
There is no water in this recipe.
I just made this with my Kitchen Aid mixer.. Kneaded 50 times. I noticed really getting brown on top so I added the foil tent. Out of the oven and cooled. Delicious.
I was making the round artisan bread, but my family ate it so fast I was making bread constantly. I needed a different method. So I doubled this to make 2 loaves with this recipe. Worked perfect.
Any suggestions on slicing your bread? Even after making sure it’s no longer warm, I always feel like the bread is collapsing as I try to “saw” a slice.😋
The best way to slice homemade bread that I have found is to use a very sharp serrated knife that is dedicated only to the bread. I also have a small serrated paring knife that I rarely use so it’s always sharp and I sometimes use that to start the slice. Once I make that small first cut, it’s easier to switch to the large serrated knife. The knife does not have to be expensive, as long as it’s used only for bread.
I used to have an Amazon account, one of the last items I purchased was a bread slice r? ing? I can’t remember… stand… with the knife included. Life got a lot easier after I purchased it.
I’m baking bread right now with my usual recipe but I am going to try this one because I have lots of laying hens now and I need places for the eggs! Ha ha Ha it sounds like a great recipe and I am going to try it.
When I made this it turned out to make 2 loaves. Too soft to knead so I glopped it in my loaf pans and put one loaf in the fridge. Sliced great !
Try using a sharper knife. A properly sharpened blade doesn’t crush the bread, but instead cuts it cleanly. A bread knife, with a wavy seration works for me.
I don’t have a mixer so can this be done by hand?
Before everyone had mixers, all bread was kneaded by hand! No need for the gym when we “kneaded”!! (Pun intended. ☺️)
Why add an egg? What does it do for the bread?
Hi Joline,
I don’t know the original purpose of the egg but can tell you that I’ve made this recipe many times and always get compliments. I wouldn’t hesitate to try it without the egg, though, just to discover what kind of difference the change makes.
Hi, the egg is because this recipe is using an “enriched” dough – that’s also why it uses milk instead of water. The fats in the milk and egg yolk make the final bread extra soft and tender, and the egg white helps with the dough’s rise.
Added twist Added apple cider vinegar to milk buttermilk
Two separate batches for two loafs
Using cast iron loafs pans
Outdoors 14 inch Dutch oven on high grill trivet place meat trivet in oven when loafs are ready and oven is hot place both loaf pans in cover lid with hot coals bake turning oven and lid several times for hot spots brushing melted butter several times while baking
Hmmm. I’m making this now, and reading the comments, I should have kneaded it more, since I mixed it by hand. It’s resting now, so I’ll just let it rise and bake and see what happens.
Ok I made bread tonight but it’s not thicking very frustrated
You may find a solution in the FAQs: https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
It was great. I do think the texture would have been a little better if I had kneaded a little more, but it’s delicious. I love using an egg for color and a bit of protein.
I don’t have a mixer either so am wondering how yours turned out doing it by hand.
I love love love your bread recipes!! But, recently I decided to try and eliminate dairy from my diet. My question is…do you think I could use OatMilk instead of regular milk? Thank you.
I use oat milk all the time and it works fine for me.
I love the recipe. Today I added 2 egg whites and I made bread and hamburger buns. Love ya Jenny
How was the final product with 2 eggs??
Wow just added 1/2 cup fresh jalapeño peppers x didn’t change the recipe. Delicious
I have added 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 cup raisins, delicious.
I don’t have a stand mixer but I just got a food processor. Can I use the food processor to mix my ingredients?
Thanks so much!
I cannot wait to try this out!
I think it’s better to do it by hand.
Wow! So so so good! I’m so grateful to make great food! You are raising everyone’s esteem Jenny. Feels good when you make something impressively good. Your recipes are making everyone happy. Delicious! THANK YOU!
Can you use butter instead of oil?
Does this recipe translate well using gluten free flour? Any other ingredients needed? Xanthan gum?
Can anyone tell me if using a dark pan if I should adjust oven temperature.
Well when you use a dark or glass pan you should reduce oven temp 25 degrees. This bread is the best white bread ever.
I’ve had no problems with time.I’m using a cast iron loaf pan. You can always check temp of bread ,usually around 200 degrees bread is done.
Jenny, Made this yesterday. The best white bread recipe ever. Can’t thank you enough. You are a wonder Jenny. And love your sense of humor.
Tried this recipe with fast rising yeast and less sugar. It didn’t rise as quickly as the recipe states. After baking it was a bit heavy but airy. So not sure what happened. Will try again with normal yeast and see how it turns out.
Can you use a regular hand mixer? I don’t have a standing mixer.
Yes, you can or you can mix it entirely by hand. In both cases, you will have to knead longer, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Have had great success with both the white bread as well as the brown. Taken a few loaves to get the hang of it.
Thank you 🙂
The best bread I made. Thanks
This is my second attempt at making this loaf. After my first try, I made cinnamon rolls (a different recipe than this loaf) since this loaf turned out so well. I had previously tried to work with eggs in my dough, and I always had it too hot before. So thank you for having this recipe as it increased my ability to bake more sweet treats from scratch.
Jenny, i just made this recipe with the following changes………I used 2 3/4 cups of white flour. Instead of 1 cup of 1% or 2% milk, I used 1 cup of 3 1/4% buttermilk. Everything else remained unchanged. You don’t state small, medium or large eggs, so I used 1 medium egg. I then cut the dough into 16 equal pieces and made them into small dinner buns, baking them for 12 minutes at 375*. They are the BEST yet. Unbelievably soft and light. So for those people who have asked if you can use buttermilk, the answer is a resounding YES. Jenny’s recipe is very forgiving.
I love this recipe. After many attempts at whole wheat bread this has never failed me. Easy, quick and delicious.
Sorry I commented on the wrong recipe. However I am going to make this recipe next
I always do a new recipe as written the first time, but I am already suspicious of this first attempt. You say add the yeast into the bowl with the other dry ingredients, but as I was kneading it I realized all my active dry yeast particles are in the dough like dots. They didn’t dissolve at all. I’m going to keep moving forward with this loaf, but I think I’m going to try this again (I always make two loaves anyway) and dissolve my yeast in the warm milk before I add it to the dry ingredients.
Hi, which method worked best for you?
Karyl, sorry to hear that has happened to you. I have made this recipe many times and it always turns out perfect and I never see undisolved yeast grains in my dough. If anything, like another commenter has said, I find i need to add more flour as the dough mixes and is kneaded. I do that because I took a class once and learned (the only thing I learned) how a bread dough should feel to the touch.
I haven’t made this particular recipe, but I make the whole wheat version weekly. I always buy active dry yeast and proof it for around 10 minutes ( with the milk and sugar) while I’m getting all my other ingredients together. Works great! Just thought I’d share just in case others buy active dry yeast too!
Your recipes are all so delicious and easy to make. Loved making and eating this bread!!!!
I baked this bread one day this week and was amazed at how well it turned out, thank you so much! The dough ran up the beaters of my hand mixer and made a mess so I continued by following your instructions to mix by hand and knead for a longer time.
Hi. When oi make the white bread of Jenny’s I always mix it in.my elec mixer..I always have to keep adding more flour till it forms a ball.. otherwise it’s too funny n sticky yu can do nothing with it like that..love her receipes!! Rose
I read here that if you rub some oil on your mixer attachments, the dough will not stick and ride up the attachments. I tried it, and it works, good luck ;0).
Hi Jenny,
Just made the bread and it turned out perfect, its so good and easy to make. Thank you Jenny! love the videos.
Can your yeast dough be frozen, if yes, at what point would the dough go to the freezer? What is the process for thawing and baking frozen dough . Thank you for all your recipes 🙂
Can your dough be frozen, if yes, at what point would the dough go to the freezer? What is the process for thawing and baking frozen dough . Thank you for all your recipes 🙂
I made your Gluten Free Bread using 1-1 Baking Flour purchased from Bulk Barn and added some chia and Hemp seeds. After 4 years of searching for a Gluten Free bread I came across your amazing simple recipe and worked out wonders for me. Ye sterday, baked my 2nd loaf. It is delicious and no hard labour and very quick.
Today, baked Sandwich White Bread for my daughter it is in the oven my 2nd one for her she loves it.
Thanks again
I made this bread and will be making it again. Great for sandwiches, toast and French toast. Thank You so much.
Love your bread recipe. When you double do you double beat time and knead time ? Txs
I substituted 22 grams of fresh “cake” yeast for the dry yeast. The directions did not state how long to mix until the dough forms a “mass” (step 4). Not sure what a mass should look like. So I ended up mixing with a Kitchen Aid on speed #2 with a dough hook for 10 minutes until the dough started to leave the sides of the bowl.
The dough was too sticky and did not look like the video for Jenny’s wheat bread.
After the 10 min rest, the dough was still sticky. It looked liked the center had a big ball inside. I was not able to roll it up. So I plopped the ball of dough into the rectangular pan and surprisingly, the dough filled into the edges and had a nice rise over the top of the pan. The bread ended up looking and tasting good. The inside was more yellow that white, though. Is that normal?
The bread has a yellow color due to the egg yolk.
This recipe worked great for me I would categorize it as a white sandwich bread. I like that the recipe makes one loaf. There are so many recipes out there that make 2 or 3 loaves at one time. With my small family of 3, one loaf is perfect for us.
I just took my second loaf of your white bread out of the oven. You would think it came out of a bakery it was shaped soooo perfect. (First time for me shaping bread). And you know what my kitchen smell like right now too! We’ve been looking for an alternative to the so-called bread from the stores and we finally found one. Thank you.
Awesome simple recipe I’m going to try to make this today.
Jenny,
I have made over a dozen loaves of this bread, the cinnamon raisin, and your wheat bread recipes. All of my children love helping me do these, and with 5 kids under 10, we go through a LOT of bread. I just want to thank you for putting these recipes up. During these crazy times, we have turned to your site and found comfort foods and family fun. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
The Loftus Family
I made this! Thank you … so easy and turned out perfect! I didn’t have quite enough flour for the last quarter cup so it was a bit wet and sticky ?. No flour to dust the surface while kneading so it stuck to everything but I just carried on and kneaded as much as I could but not as much as you recommended and I let it rise longer the first time while I ran out to find more flour ?. It had risen nicely by the time I got home so I shaped it as best I could and let it rise in loaf tin …. baked it and was utterly amazed how it turned out! I’ve devoured half of it already!