Homemade Amish White Bread
Amish White Bread is a no-fail homemade bread recipe with a soft, fluffy texture thatโs beloved by kids and adults alike. Use it for grilled cheese, French toast, sandwiches, and more!
This recipe was updated in September, 2021 to include step by step photos, tips, and a video!
Almost Famous Easy White Bread Recipe
I donโt remember ever having sourdough or wheat or brioche bread when I was a kid. It was always Amish White Bread, bought from one of the farmerโs markets near our house.
It was our everyday, use-it-for-everything loaf.
Slathered with butter and jam, it was the perfect side dish for Momโs Meatloaf. On Sunday afternoons, it made the best Scrambled Egg Sandwiches.
And in summertime, weโd smear it with salted butter and stack it with radishes or tomatoes or make crisp, refreshing Cucumber Sandwiches.
The bread was so good, I smuggled boxes of it from home to college, where it had quite the following among my friends and roommates, who lovingly referred to it as, โTHE Breadโ.
It never occurred to me to make it myself, until one day my friend showed up to church with a homemade loaf that tasted eerily similar to the bread of my childhood. I begged her for the recipe, and low and behold, what did she send me in return? A recipe for โAmish White Bread.โ Of course.
Whether youโre a pro bread baker or a novice, youโre going to LOVE this easy white bread recipe. Itโs:
- Practically fool proof. Seriously. Iโve fudged the timing or the rolling more than once, and still managed to turn out a darn good loaf.
- Made with just 5 ingredients (and you probably already have them on hand!).
- Enough for two loaves. That means you can down half a loaf while itโs still warm from the oven (something thatโs nearly impossible not to do), and still have plenty left for all your sandwich and toast needs.
Ingredients in Amish White Bread
Hereโs what youโll need to make this loaf:
- Active Dry Yeast (not rapid rise)- I use two of the .25 ounce packets, or 1.5 Tablespoons.
- Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Salt– I prefer Kosher salt, but you can use table salt. Reduce the amount by ยผ teaspoon.
- All purpose flour– This is another reason I LOVE this recipe. It doesnโt require bread flour, which I donโt always have on hand.
How to Make Amish White Bread (with step by step photos)
Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and frothy, like the photo on the left.
TIP: I use a thermometer to test the temperature of the water. Aim for between 110 and 115 degrees. If your mixture doesn’t froth, it’s likely that the yeast is expired or no longer good. Get new yeast and start over. Trust me, it’s much better than going through the whole process only to discover your bread won’t rise!
Stir in the salt, vegetable oil, and half the flour, then add the remaining flour.
Switch to the dough hook, and slowly incorporate the remaining flour. Then switch to high speed and allow the dough hook to beat the heck out of the dough for several minutes, until it begins to pull away from the edges.
How to Knead Dough
Kneading sounds intimidating, but itโs really not. Watch the video, and try these tips to make it go smoothly.
- Flour your countertop AND hands generously.
- Turn your dough out onto the floured surface. Use your hands to fold the upper half of the dough over the lower half, and then press the heels of your hands into the dough. Do this a few times, then rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat.
- Repeat for several minutes, adding flour as needed if the dough is sticking to the counter. A bench scraper can also be handy for scraping up sticky dough AND cleaning up flour.
- Enjoy the process! Experience the feel of the squishy dough in your hands. Get out some rage energy. Keep going until the dough feels smooth and elastic, then move on.
Proofing the dough
Once youโve kneaded the dough, youโll need to proof it, or let it rise.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, and cover it loosely with saran wrap.
Place it in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
What is “a warm place”? On a mild summer day, place the dough outside. In the winter, turn on your oven for a few minutes, then turn it off, and place your bowl inside or on top of the oven, where the warm air vents.
Shaping the dough into loaves
Once the dough is risen, you get to do the really fun part! Punch it down to release the air bubbles.
Then, turn out the dough onto a floured surface (again). Press it out into a roughly 9 x 13 inch rectangle. If the dough keeps springing back on you, let it rest for a few minutes before trying again.
Starting on the short side, roll the dough into a log. Then tuck the ends under and use your finger to press and seal the edges.
You can see in my video that this particular loaf was a little wonky, and bigger on one side than the other. You can kind of pat it to more evenly distribute the dough, but as you can see in the photos, this loaf still turned out beautiful! Like Iโve mentioned, itโs a VERY forgiving recipe!
Proof the dough a second time
Place the dough into a greased 9 inch loaf pan and cover again with saran wrap.
Repeat with the second loaf, then place them both back into the warm spot to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat and bake
When the rise time is almost completed, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the saran wrap and pop the loaves into the oven (make sure thereโs plenty of space above the rack for the bread to rise!).
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the loaves are puffed and golden brown.
How to Store and Freeze Homemade White Bread
- To keep the bread fresh, wrap it in saran wrap or a plastic bread holder. It will keep well at room temperature for about 4 days. It keeps best unsliced.
- Invest in a good bread knife for slicing! This is a tender loaf, which can make it tricky, but this very affordable bread knife works quite well!
- This bread freezes very well. Double wrap it in saran wrap, then bag it, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
What to Make with Amish White Bread
This breadโs mildly sweet flavor makes it incredibly versatile. Itโs quite good with nothing but butter and jam (especially warm from the oven!). We also love slathering it with a thick layer of Amish Peanut Butter Spread.
Here are a few of our other favorite ways to enjoy this bread:
- It makes AMAZING toast.
- Grilled cheese- Particularly Air Fryer Grilled Cheese, Caprese Paninis, and Mushroom Swiss Grilled Cheese.
- Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
- Grilled Fluffernutter Sandwiches
- Eggs in a Basket
- Turkey Avocado Sandwich
- French toast
More Amish Recipes To Try
I love sharing recipes from my Amish heritage! Try some of these other family favorites:
- Amish Baked Oatmeal
- Amish Chicken and Noodles in the Crock Pot
- Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles
- Amish Apple Fry Pies
- Mom’s Classic Custard Pie
Homemade Amish White Bread
If you're looking for your go-to sandwich recipe, look no further than this Amish White Bread. It is fluffy, very subtly sweet, and absolutely perfect for sandwiches, toast, and grilled cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water (if you have a probe or other thermometer, aim for between 110-115 degrees)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast (or 2 packets)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 6 cups flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the sugar and warm water (aim for between 110 and 115 degrees). Sprinkle the yeast over top, and let it set for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy and bubbly.
- Stir in the salt, vegetable oil, and half of the flour. Add the remaining flour and use the dough hook to mix the dough together on medium high speed for several minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the edges. The dough will be tacky.
- Generously flour a clean surface and your hands. Turn the dough out onto the flour and knead it for 2-3 minutes. Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Grease two 9 inch bread pans.
- Punch the dough down with your fist, re-flour your surface and turn the dough out again. Divide the dough into two even sections (weigh it if you want to be really precise). Press each section into a rectangle, about 9 x 13 inches in size. Roll the dough, starting on the short side. Fold the ends under and use your fingers to pinch in the seams. Place each section of dough in the greased pans. Cover with saran wrap and let rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden, deep brown. Remove the pans from the oven and spread the butter evenly over the top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Store bread well wrapped for up to 4 days or freeze indefinitely.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.
For posterity’s sake, I’ve included the story I originally shared with this post below. It’s quite the origin story!
I was standing nervously in the communion line at my church, caught between the tearing off of the bread and the dipping it in the cup. Our church had been experimenting with different kinds of bread for weeks, trying to find the right combination of sturdy but pullable. This Sundayโs was definitely not the one. It was dry and crumbly, and after giving it a sturdy tug I found myself gripping a piece of bread only slightly bigger than a grain of sand, willing it not to disintegrate in my hand.
I ran through my options quickly. Do I go back and try to pull off another piece of bread? Thatโs awkward. Do I skip the cup entirely? Or do I just go for the dunk, and then forever be known as โthat girl who dunked her whole hand in the communion cup.โ
I wish I could say this was the first time Iโve had an awkward moment in church, but unfortunately Iโve experienced many a communion gaffe. Sipping at the wrong time, spilling juice on myself, eating the cracker when youโre supposed to be prayingโฆletโs just say no one is using the words โproperโ to describe me.
I often wonder if Jesus envisioned these awkward moments when he instituted communion some 2,000 years ago. Did he think of all the different forms this strange sacrament would takeโa gluten free cracker, naan, a loaf of sourdough, even Hawaiian rolls. (Yes, Iโve been to a church that used Hawaiian rolls, and it was kind of amazing).
Did he know weโd quibble about whether to use wine or grape juice and have arguments about tiny individual cups vs. a common cup? Did Jesus picture me, standing there crumb in hand, caught in a moment profoundly sacred and yet so very human?
Certainly, God has his own way of doing things. If I were God (*insert heresy) I wouldโve picked something much more grand to represent meโperhaps a golden, gleaming statue or a loud and proud orchestral song. I certainly wouldnโt have picked something as commonplace as bread and wine. I suppose thatโs why heโs God and Iโm not. Jesus was always right there in the thick of things, frustrating people with his normal-ness.
These thoughts flash through my mind as I wait my turn in the communion line, then finally decide to go for it, plunging my barely-there crumb into the thinnest drop of liquid. As I do, I thank God for grace and a Savior who doesnโt shy away from our messy, complicated, awkward lives.
Then, of course, I pray we find a better loaf for communion. Luckily, a friend of mine took on the task herself, and started bringing a homemade loaf to church each week. If youโve never sat in a pew a few rows behind a communion table set with fresh homemade bread, you do not know what temptation is. This is THE bread.
I love this bread! I made a jalapeรฑo/cheese loaf by adding shredded cheddar and some sliced pickled (and thoroughly dried off) jalapeรฑos before I rolled it up. Yummmm
When do you add the 2 tbsp butter in this recipe
Can this be made in a bread maker?
I haven’t tried this myself, but it should work fine!
It surely would be nice to have a slice of that bread with my coffee or even a Fried pie!
This bread is like crack for bread lovers! It also makes a very good whole wheat bread if you substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white flour. I recommend King Arthur Bread Flours personally. Have you found a flour that is your favorite?
I also love to use King Arthur Flour in my baking. I try to stock up when it’s on sale. I”m definitely going to try it with whole wheat flour next time!
Can you also make rolls from this recipe?
I’m not sure, but it would certainly be worth a try!
Love Love Love this bread! I made it for our Thanksgiving dinner and I’m getting ready to make it again for Christmas! Everyone loves it and it’s so easy to make! Thank you for sharing, Courtney!
This makes me so ridiculously happy Melissa! I hope it was a hit again at Christmas!
Baked this bread last night and it was delicious! The only change I will make next time is to not let it rise for the full 45 minutes once its in the loaf pans. Mine was a little too high so the bread was a bit airy. We live in a warm climate (Texas) so bread probably rises quicker down here than it does in Ohio. I would suggest checking it after 30 minutes if you live someplace warm. It makes fabulous grilled sandwiches.
I’m so glad it tuned out! I’m sure the warmth probably had something to do with it. I bet your rise times will be shorter.
Here I thought I was the only one who had the most awkward time with receiving communion! If you can imagine it, I’ve probably done it. This bread looks absolutely wonderful, Courtney — I don’t see any mishaps happening with this one. Love this post so much.
You are not alone, sweet awkward friend. ๐ Thanks so much for your kind words!
thanks!
So glad you liked it!
My Heart. And how thankful I am for a Jesus that is right here in the muck of things with us. Willing to die for messy people like us.
You and me both! Thank you for taking on the ministry of the bread, friend!