I know I have posted a bread recipe before. I still really like my other recipe for whole wheat bread but I have really fallen in love with this one recently as well. It is so fast, easy, moist, and chewy.
The credit for this recipe goes to Connie Armstrong.
BEST Bread EVER
Makes 2 large loaves, 3 medium loaves, or 1 large loaf and 2 mini loaves
*For a printable version click here: Best Bread EVER recipe
1. Whisk together in large bowl:
2 1/2 cups HOT water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar/honey {I fill my cup with oil first, empty it, and then fill it with honey so it doesn’t stick to the cup}
1 TBSP salt
2. Add:
3/4 cup flour and whisk for 30 seconds
then 1 1/2 TBSP yeast and whisk for 30 seconds
3. Add 2-3 cups of flour and mix together with a spoon. If using a mixer, add the rest of the flour. The total flour should amount to about 5-7 cups—this does not include the flour used in step 2. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes plus.
If mixing by hand, add the rest of the flour and mix until shaggy looking and hard to work with a spoon. Knead in the bowl a few times and then turn the dough out onto a floured counter. Knead for 5+ minutes. I try to go for 7-8 minutes if I do it by hand.
The dough should be soft but not sticky.
4. Let rise in a clean, greased, covered bowl for about 30 minutes. You can let it rise on the counter, but it will rise nicely in the oven. Set your oven for 450 degrees for a minute or less then turn it off before placing the oven safe bowl inside.
5. When dough has risen, remove from oven and heat oven to 175 degrees.
6. Grease your bread pans and the counter with spray oil. Divide the dough.
7. Roll the dough into a long oblong shape. It is kind of fun to hear all the bubbles pop out. 🙂 Pushing air bubbles out is very good, so roll away until they are gone.
8. Roll a tight cylinder, tuck the ends under or squish them and place it in a greased bread pan. Repeat with remaining dough.
9. Place loaves in warm oven {175 degrees} for about 1/2 hour or until the dough has risen to fill the pan.
Turn the oven up to 350 degrees and cook for about 30 minutes. The bread is done when you hit the top and it sounds hollow. Don’t worry about time as much as this indicator. The bread isn’t done until you hear the hollow sound. If you are worried that the crust is getting too brown, tent it with a piece of foil.
10. Turn out on a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting. Smother the top of the loaves with butter if you desire.
***Tips: I used about 3 c. white wheat flour and 3-4 cups all-purpose. It takes slightly longer to raise and cook than white bread, but not much. If you use all whole wheat the rising and cooking time almost doubles. Add a bit more honey when using more wheat flour for good flavor.
*** The times I list for rising and baking are approximate. Weather, altitude, your oven, the moisture content of your flour, etc. can all affect how quickly {or not} your dough will rise and bake. Make sure that you check to see that the dough has at least doubled for the first rise, filled the pan for the second rise, and that the you hear the hollow sound to know when it is done baking. All these indicators supersede any time estimates I have given.
For a printable version of this recipe go HERE.
And remember this bread from earlier this week?
It is the same recipe with these changes:
Reduce water to 2 1/4 c. Add 1 additional TBSP honey with the water. Add 1 c. pumpkin, a dash of nutmeg and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon {or 1 cup pumpkin pie filling} and 1 c. oats after mixing in the yeast.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, chopped nuts, and cinnamon before rolling up. Add a little bit more rising and cooking time. Be careful not to add too much filling or the bread will unroll when sliced.
Enjoy!
wow! they look delicious, thanks soooo much for sharing, can’t wait to try them out, I am following you now 🙂
Making my own bread is one of my goals for this year. I better get cracking cause time is running out. It always seems so time sensitive but maybe I’ll give it a try.
Oh my. Those both look so yummy! I’ve tried making bread before, and it never turns out right, but I think I might try these!
Did you use regular yeast or quick rise?
Looks delicious!!
Found your blog from Dana’s
Sorry, I didn’t leave my email for above question.
leslicryer at sbcglobal dot net
OMG!
That bread is gorgeous!!!
=)
wow! so awesome. I love bread recipes and cannot wait to try this one out.
and the one with the cinnamon, sugar & nuts? awesome! I’m totally making it for guests coming next week!
Yum and dbl Yum!!
I found your blog and I totally fell in love with your projects and your photography. Then, I realized that I actually know you. I went to Marcos de Niza and was actually the same grade as Eden, but I totally remember you too. Probably that whole Mormon connection. My name is Ashley Whipple(formerly Bennett). So excited to find your blog.
I actually have a craft blog too, http://www.cuteasafox.com. We’ll have to swap or something sometime.
Hope you and your family are well!
the cinnamon sent me over the edge. i must go make this now:)
smiles,
gina
Okay, I need to make this soon
did a post of my version of this and gave you props! thanks for a great recipe!
http://thebirdspapaya.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-cinnamon-bread.html
Tonight I had success with the bread! I'm so very happy about that 🙂 This was my third attempt on it and it finally turned out for me! I just started baking bread so at first I had a few glitches. Thanks for the recipe!
I used your recipe and will be sharing your link and parts of the recipe on my blog. I LOVE your blog. We have a lot in common!
great – i will def try this, love making bread!
love your blog!
What's is the shelf life of this? Does it freeze well (after baking)? I made some this week, my first real bread baking, it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe, I'll be making it often I think
I finally tried your recipe Delia! It is so good!! Thanks for the awesome instructions.
Oh my goodness! I made this bread this morning and it is amazing! I have tried 10 or so recipes and have always been disappointed, but your instructions were very easy to follow, and now I have perfectly fluffy bread sitting on my counter. know my kids are going to love it! thank you!
This bread was INCREDIBLE! I've made it twice this week and had people cutting off huge hunks of bread after their first small, polite slice. THANK YOU for posting this recipe. It is my absolute favorite now. And so EASY.
This recipe looked so good that I had to make it today! It's currently in the oven and I can't wait to see how it turns out! Already I think it's going to be really good though because the dough felt super soft and got really fluffy! I think this might turn out to be my go to bread recipe! Much quicker than the one I usually use. I also doubled it and it didn't seem to mess
I found this recipe on pinterest today and made it. It turned out perfect. Thank you!
Is it 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup sugar?
Found your recipe. Looks Great! Do you use SAF Instant yeast in this recipe?
Thanks Deb! I have used SAF and Red Star. Both work well.
I LOVE this bread recipe!!! This was the recipe I used the first time I made bread by hand (not in my bread machine and before I got my KitchenAid mixer). I keep coming back to this recipe and my whole family LOVES it! Thanks for posting this!
great recipe! I substituted in some wheat flour and it made a heartier/more rustic bread. It was perfect for the venison stew I paired it with!
really enjoyed this one
I LOVE this bread recipe! It is the ONLY recipe I use! Yum!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I've been using it for months, we don't buy bread anymore, at all!
Is there a bread machine version of this recipe? I’m a tad lazy when it comes to bread. 😉
Thanks!
SarahFae
I am SO making this! But, do you eat 3 loaves within a few days or do you have luck freezing? If you freeze, do you slice the loaf first or keep it whole? Thank you for sharing 😉 Julie
i love the looks of this recipe and want to try. unless I missed it, though, I dont’ see any yeast in it? can you help? thanks, glo
I have a question about the recipe, when you say 1/3 cup sugar/honey are you saying you can use 1/3 cup of sugar or honey or both?
I just found this and gave it a try. It ended up being a sticky dough and I couldn’t roll it out but it turned out great. Thanks for posting!
I just made these. They're in the oven now and they look great! I can't wait for them to be done and cool so I can eat them! Thanks for the recipe!
I just tried this today and it is delicious!
Hello Delia, Thank you for sharing this recipe to us. I love baking and its my passion since I was young until now and I'll definitely try your recipe for my kids. Thanks Delia! xoxo
cakes bakery in Brooklyn
Hi there! I wanted to let you know I featured you on Sugar Blossoms today. Stop by and check it out! http://sweetsugarblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-freakin-love-pumpkin.html
OMG!!!!! It worked great!!! Lol.. The bread is sooo so good! I made them into rolls rather than loafs. big mistake! me, my mom and dad are eating it all already and i just finished baking a few minutes ago! theres just a couple left :/ lol
Made this bread this morning and at was so easy, and so delicious! Really good. I have tried alot of bread recipes and was always disappointed. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Yay! I am so glad you liked it too. 🙂
When I put the bread in the oven to raise..the oven was off…it tried to cook..where did I go wrong?
I love this recipe. I shared it today on http://findlayrecipes.blogspot.com. Thanks for sharing it.
I have made this bread twice, and have been successful both times!! This recipe is definately a keeper, especially for a beginner baker like myself! Thank you!
Your link to the printable recipe for the bread…does NOT work!
Too bad, it sounds like a great recipe.
Sorry for the inconvenience. It does work, but only if you are logged into your google account. I’ll send you an email with it attached right now. 🙂
Your pictures make the bread look AMAZING!!!
Super bummed over here — for some reason I can not get my bread to rise! Any tips?
Sorry about that. So, it could be a few things.
Your yeast may not be good. It could be old, or just a bad batch.
Your water might have been too hot and killed the yeast.
The rising environment might have been too cold, causing it to rise slowly.
I would check your yeast first, by proofing it. Try adding 1 tsp. of yeast to 1 cup of warm (not hot) water and 1 tbsp. of sugar. Mix well and then let sit in a warm spot. After about 5 minutes your yeast should bubble up and the mixture should grow. If it doesn’t bubble up and grow at all, or not very much, then your yeast is bad.
Let me know if you have more questions. I am happy to help! 🙂
This looked super good and I was real excited about making it but I for some reason couldn’t get it to completely bake all the way through. I baked it for over an hour and the bottom still was not done, my oven was working and I got several other things today to bake but this bread just didn’t work for me. Oh well, I’ll try again some other time.
Beneficial information. Fortunate enough me personally I found your website by accident, using this program . surprised why the following car accident would not taken place before! I actually book marked that.
This looks amazing and I just want make it right away but I am not sure which flour you use I meant by self rising or all purpose .please tell me as soon as you can … Thank yoy for posting awesome recipe 🙂
When I first made this bread I was so happy inside! It was the yummiest, fluffiness, moistest bread I’ve ever made! I’ve never used the rolling out and then rolling up technique before, but it works really well. The second time I made this bread I added purée pumpkin into the water before the flour and yeast and it was delicious! (:
This is by far the easiest and best bread recipe ever. I always come back to. I make three loaves with the third as the cinnamon nut loaf. Thanks for the easy instructions.
I am so glad you love it too! Cinnamon nut sounds delish!
I made this today. Easy peasy AND delicious! I did three loaves — two with a white/whole wheat mix and the third I rolled with butter, cinnamon and sugar. I used the dough hook for the kneading, so it was super simple. I think I will just make it into two loaves next time to have bigger slices, but that is just a personal preference. Thank you for a fantastic and easy recipe!
I’m so glad you like the recipe! 🙂
Stupid but quick question – what are the dimensions of the small, medium, and large loaf pans? Any chance a 9×5 is one of those?
Thanks. Your bread looks so gorgeous that I’m absolutely dying to try it!
Not a stupid question at all. The large pan is probably closest to those dimensions. Hope that helps!
I love making my own bread. I’m new at it and I wanted to ask what do you do with the 2 other loaves? Do you freeze them? I love to have fresh bread but the third one won’t be fresh anymore by the time we finish the two others. (Sorry for my English, I speak French and my iPad keep correcting me by placing french words everywhere!)
Thank you
You can freeze them. When we had just two small children we were in the same boat. I would keep two and give one away every time I made bread. Now that we have three kids and our boys are older, we breeze through three loaves in less than a week! 🙂
Wow! I have tried quite a few bread recipes over the years, but they always end up kind of stiff, dry and dense… I was weary trying this recipe, and I have never heard of rolling out the dough and rolling it into a log, maybe this is where all the other recipes failed me… But this bread was seriously the BEST BREAD EVER! My kids and I ate a whole loaf at lunch! I will definitely make this again, and I hope some of your other recipes turn out as great too…
Thanks Michele! I am so glad you liked this recipe. It is tried and true and certainly my favorite!
Hoping to make this today… I see the question was asked several time, and I looked thru all the comments that I could see… Can you clarify… Is it 1/3 cup honey AND 1/3 cup sugar? or one or the other?
Hi Patty C,
It is one or the other. Sorry for the confusion! Enjoy!
Thank you for the update!?
i have tried Sooo many other bread recipes and they all end up being stuff and crumbly. This recipe actually looks exactly like your picture when it’s baked! Thank you! We go through 4-6 loaves a week so you are a life saver 🙂
I am so glad you like it Kate! When my friend Connie shared it with me, I totally fell in love too! It’s the best!…ever! 😉
I stink at making bread, but this recipe looks doable for me. How do I know how much of the 5-7 c flour to use?
Good question. Start with five total cups and then only add more if you feel like the dough is much too wet. The dough should feel a little sticky but not wet. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. I know bread making can feel like such a mystery when you first get started.
I made this bread for the second time today. It is easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Oh my goodness, this looks delicious.
Thanks so much for this post! I’m going to link it in a blog post I’m writing today because I’ve been making this for probably 6 months every week for my husband’s lunches and we love it. Sharing is caring, right? 🙂
Awesome! I’m so glad you like the recipe so much. Thank for the sharing! <3
I tried your recipe over the holidays, but instead of making bread loaves I made rolls and they were the best I have ever made! Thank You.
Oh awesome! It’s such a versatile recipe. So glad you like it! Happy holidays Jerry!
Could you substitute butter for the oil in this recipe?
Great question. I have never tried, so I can’t answer either way. If you do try it, will you let me know how it goes?
I’ve made a lot of bread in my life but I must admit that THIS is truly THE BEST BREAD EVER from many recipes containing eggs & milk. This recipe, with hot water & honey alone, gave me bread that was as tender as a marshmallow. I could have eaten an entire loaf 1 hour after it came out of the oven. I used my Bosch Mixer and dumped ingredients as listed in the recipe, and my dough was ready to rise in less than 15 minutes. I will be taking this recipe with me everywhere I go visit family to have them enjoy this bread as much as we are here at home. Thank you so much for this delicious bread recipe!
Dorothy,
That makes me so happy that you love it! You described the texture perfectly. Thank you for commenting! <3
Delia
Nice crumb…btw, do u mean warm water and not hot water? Wouldn’t the hot water kill the yeast? ?
I know it sounds strange, but you really want it to be hot. I wouldn’t say scalding hot or boiling, but hot to the touch. It cools very quickly.
Thanks Delia! I supposed it works in cold climate? THe weather here is always at 32 deg Celsius…probably I need cold water?
This looks like crumb I’m looking for for the longest timezzzwill give this recipe a try!
Oh dear yes…That is a good point. I don’t know if I would use cold water because you still want to activate the yeast, but try warm water. I hope you like it!
Has anyone halved this recipe and made it in their breadmachine??
Has ANYONE made this in their breadmachine?? If so, how did you adjust the recipe?? I’m not well right now and the breadmachine is easier for me!
I need this a few weeks ago and it took forever to rise however the bread was really soft and we decided that I should make cinnamon rolls out of it. I am making it again today and it’s going into its second-hour trying to rise. It was good and sticky the way it is when yeast is being kneaded in your KitchenAid, but just doesn’t want to seem to rise and I used instant yeast that’s been in the freezer to keep it good. I sure hope it continues to rise so I can make these treats but it’s been in there for an hour and 15 minutes already and just barely rose. But I tell you what this bread was amazing for french toast when I made it several weeks ago!
I’m wondering, after the rise in the oven at 175, do you leave the loaves in the oven while you heat it up to 350 and THEN bake for 30 minutes or do you remove them, heat oven to 350 and put them back in?
Good question. I leave the bread in and count the heating up time from 175 to 350 as a part of the 30 minutes. Regardless, check the doneness of the bread by tapping it and looking at its color to make sure it’s done at 30 minutes. Elevation and your oven can affect the baking time.