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Soft Bread Machine Bread Recipe Loaf

Bread Machine Bread Recipe

An easy, hands-off recipe for a classic white loaf with a soft, airy crumb and a satisfyingly chewy crust, all made effortlessly in your bread machine.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 181
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 300 ml lukewarm water
  • 500 g strong white bread flour
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp skimmed milk powder
  • 25 g unsalted butter softened and cubed
  • 1 ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
  • Authentic Homemade Flavour: This loaf has a genuine wholesome taste that you just don't get from shop-bought bread. The crumb is soft and airy, perfect for soaking up butter, and the crust has a satisfying, gentle chew.
  • Only 10 Minutes of Prep: The hands-on time is minimal. Simply measure your ingredients add them to the pan in the correct order, and the machine handles the mixing, kneading, rising, and baking.
  • A Versatile Loaf: While this recipe is for a classic white loaf it’s a wonderful base for experimentation. Try adding a tablespoon of mixed seeds or swapping 100g of the white flour for wholemeal for a nuttier taste.
  • Great for Daily Use: This bread works beautifully for everything. It makes superb toast for breakfast builds a fantastic sandwich for lunch, and is brilliant for dipping into a warm bowl of soup for dinner.
  • Family Tested: This recipe always gets compliments in my house. My husband who's usually picky about homemade bread, asked for a second warm slice slathered in butter the first time I made this exact version!

Method
 

  1. Take the bread pan out of your machine. It’s much easier to add ingredients accurately this way. Ensure the paddle is correctly fitted at the bottom.
  2. Pour the 300ml of lukewarm water directly into the bread pan.
  3. Next, carefully spoon the 500g of strong white bread flour on top of the water. The goal is to create a layer of flour that completely covers the water below.
  4. Add the salt and the caster sugar into separate corners of the pan, on top of the flour. Doing this prevents the salt from coming into direct contact with the yeast too early, which could inhibit its activity.
  5. Add the skimmed milk powder and the cubes of softened butter into the other two corners.
  6. With the back of a spoon, make a small, shallow well in the very centre of the flour. Be careful not to dig so deep that you reach the water.
  7. Carefully pour the 1 ½ tsp of fast-action yeast into this well. What works best for me is to keep the yeast completely isolated on its little island of flour until the mixing begins.
  8. Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and click it securely into place. Close the lid.
  9. Select the program for a basic white loaf. On most machines, this will be called 'Basic' or 'White'. Choose your loaf size (this recipe is for a 750g or 1.5lb loaf) and your desired crust colour – I find 'medium' gives a lovely golden finish.
  10. Press the 'Start' button and let the machine work its magic. Resist the urge to open the lid while it's working!
  11. Once the baking cycle is complete, use oven gloves to carefully remove the hot bread pan. Tip the loaf out onto a wire cooling rack straight away. If you leave it in the pan, the steam will make the crust soggy. Let it cool completely before slicing with a serrated bread knife.

Notes

For a crisp crust, remove the loaf from the pan immediately after baking and cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing for the best texture.