Homemade Amish White Bread (Printable View)

Create soft, fluffy white bread with a subtle sweetness using traditional Amish techniques. Perfect for everyday meals and special occasions alike.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 5 ½ to 6 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - 2 teaspoons salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 2 cups warm water (110–115°F)
05 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
06 - ¼ cup vegetable oil

# How To Make It:

01 - Dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let stand for 5–10 minutes until frothy.
02 - Add oil and salt to the yeast mixture, stirring to combine.
03 - Gradually add 5 cups of flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, if needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
04 - Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
05 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
06 - Punch down dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans.
07 - Cover and let rise again for 30–40 minutes until the dough rises about 1 inch above the rim of the pans.
08 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
09 - Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped.
10 - Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It requires zero fancy techniques but delivers bakery style results that make people think you have been baking for decades
  • The bread freezes beautifully so you can slice one loaf now and save the second for later
02 -
  • The amount of flour can vary by as much as a half cup depending on humidity and how you measure. Trust the dough over the recipe.
  • Letting the bread cool completely before slicing is the hardest part but cutting it warm turns the inside into a gummy mess.
03 -
  • Weighing your flour instead of using cup measures is the single best way to get consistent results every time
  • If your tap water is heavily chlorinated, use filtered or bottled water. Chlorine can inhibit yeast growth.

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