Homemade bread is one of the best things you can make! Let the aroma of baking bread fill up your kitchen and when the bread is ready, slather a slice of warm bread and dig in! This honey homemade bread is not sweet, but it is tender and soft. You are going to love it!
My mom made THE best bread. It wasn’t artisanal or fancy. It was made without a recipe, but it never failed to be perfect and delicious.
My best memories are coming home from elementary school and finding loaves of freshly baked bread in the kitchen. The house smelled amazing and the bread tasted as good as it smelled. Fresh, warm bread might be even better than a hug (I said “might’).
I wanted to recreate my fond memories for my kids by baking my own homemade bread recipe. I was pleased to find that these loaves were gone within two days and now they have become a kitchen staple!
What Do I Need To Make Homemade Bread?
- Milk
- Granulated sugar
- Honey
- Active dry yeast
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour
- Large Bowl
- Damp cloth
- Loaf Pans
- Stand mixer
How Do I Make This Bread Recipe?
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and honey in warm milk, and then stir in yeast. Allow the yeast to proof until it resembles a creamy foam almost like the head of a root beer float.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast.
Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead the dough with the dough hook until it comes together. Place dough on a floured surface and knead by had just until soft.
Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, which should take about an hour.
After the dough has risen, punch dough down. Knead the dough for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape the dough into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow the dough to rise once again, for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen 1 inch above pan.
Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown and will thump when you knock on them.
What Does The Warm Milk Do For The Bread Recipe?
Many bread recipes use only warm water to dissolve the yeast. Using milk in bread recipes will yield a slightly sweeter bread.
The bread will be richer and have a softer texture. The sugar and the fat will also help give you get a softer, browner crust.
Cooking with milk is also an easy (and delicious!) way to add calcium and other essential vitamins. Milk adds a bit of sweetness to recipes and encourages the browning reactions you see in many baked goods, such as bread and cookies.
Whole milk has more fat than some other types of milk, which is great for baking and cooking. But you can use any type you have in your fridge.
When shopping for dairy foods or other perishable foods, know how to read expiration dates on packages, including “Sell By,” “Use By” and “Best if used by” dates. Dates are meant to ensure the best quality but should not be relied upon to indicate food safety.
Where Do I Store Homemade Bread?
Once your bread has cooled, store your unwrapped loaves of bread on the counter. Once you slice your bread, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap, foil, or store them in airtight bags or containers.
How Do I Make My Bread Recipe Last Longer?
Unfortunately, once you take that first slice, your bread is on its way to getting stale, especially if it is kept at room temperature.
The best way to get your bread to last is to freeze it. You can halve the loaves, keep once half to eat now and the other wrapped tightly in the freezer.
The half of frozen bread with keep for one month. Uncut frozen bread will last several months if wrapped tightly.
You can also extend the life of your bread by about 5 days or so if you store your bread recipe in the fridge.
What Makes My Homemade Bread Recipe Heavy?
If your bread is heavy or dense, this could be related to the kneading. Not kneading your bread long enough will leave your bread dense and tough.
On the flip side, If you think you are over kneading your dough, let it rise a little longer.
If the gluten is over-worked, it is ok, the longer the dough is left to rise, the more time the gluten has to relax.
Homemade Bread Recipe Tips
- The first thing to make sure is that your yeast has time to rise. Yeast does go bad, so use freshly purchased yeast if possible.
- Allow your yeast to proof. You need that foamy look described above.
- Make sure you knead your dough until it is soft and supple.
- Using a wet towel to cover the bread during the first rise will add humidity and moisture, this coupled with a dry place will significantly help your dough rise.
- I create a warm, dry space for my dough to rise by preheating the oven before I begin the recipe, then turning it off once I begin mixing my dough. When it is time for the dough to rise I place my bowl in the warm oven.
- Wheat flour can be used in place of the all-purpose flour.
Homemade bread is a great thing to make as it is inexpensive and made with ingredients many of us have in our pantries. Plus making homemade recipes helps you control the quality of ingredients.
Serve this bread recipe with this olive oil bread dip, alongside this Cheeseburger Soup, or to make this BLT Sandwich!
Eat healthy on a budget and help to reduce food waste by following easy tips, which include recycling recipes—buying ingredients that will be used to make a variety of meals—and making a plan before you go to the grocery store.
Homemade Bread Recipe with Honey
Homemade bread is one of the best things you can make! Let the aroma of baking bread fill up your kitchen and when the bread is ready, slather a slice of warm bread and dig in! This honey homemade bread is not sweet, but it is tender and soft. You are going to love it!
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm milk(110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and honey in warm milk, and then stir in yeast.
- Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam almost like the head of a root beer float.
- Mix salt and oil into the yeast.
- Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead the dough with the dough hook until it comes together. Place dough on a floured surface and knead just until soft.
- Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, which should take about an hour.
- After the dough has risen, punch dough down. Knead the dough for a few minutes, and divide in half.
- Shape the dough into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow the dough to rise once again, for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen 1 inch above pan.
- Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown and will thump when you knock on them.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 171Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 2mgSodium 144mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 4g
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