Let’s Talk: 5 Best {and Easiest!} Recipes for Beginner Bread Makers
Intimidated by homemade bread? Never fear! Here are FIVE of the best bread recipes for beginners! These recipes are all foolproof, easy, and delicious!
It’s been my lifelong goal to make rock star bread makers out of everyone I meet.
Disclaimer: not all those people are thrilled with my goals…but I persist! (Ahem, story of my life.)
I truly believe there is no satisfaction quite like mixing together the simplest of ingredients (flour, yeast, water) and ending up with a perfect, golden, fluffy loaf of bread (or breadsticks…or dinner rolls…or cinnamon rolls).
**Moment of silence for that minute when you pull the fragrant, hot, amazing bread out of the oven.**
I get a lot (a lot, a lot) of questions about making homemade yeast breads.
I have dozens of homemade yeast bread recipes living on this site, and I try to provide step-by-step tutorials where and when I can.
A loooooong time ago, I even did an overall tutorial on working with yeast (be kind; the pictures are old and I am in the process of updating!), and this has helped answer a lot of questions over the years.
But making yeast bread at home can still be intimidating! And it’s ok if you feel that way! You aren’t alone.
Today, I wanted to highlight FIVE of the best bread recipes for beginners (and delicious enough for longterm bread makers!).
Each post and recipe has tons of information to make these particular recipes nearly foolproof, and most of them have step-by-step tutorials for further help!
Sidenote: Here’s a post I did a few months ago about stand mixers, in case you are interested from a bread making perspective: KitchenAid vs. Bosch {Which Mixer is Right For Me?}
Plus, all these recipes have been made my hundreds of people AND they have 5-star reviews, so you don’t have to take just MY word for it that they are a good place to start!
If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at homemade bread, I just know one of these bread recipes is your ticket to homemade bread rock star status!
1. Divine 1-Hour Breadsticks
Easy, FAST, delicious. So many people have commented that this recipe gave them the confidence to branch out and try other yeast bread recipes! While you can use a stand mixer, this dough is easy to make by hand, too.
2. Overnight Buttery, Flaky Dinner Rolls
This recipe is perfect if you are launching yourself into bread making. No mixer, no kneading – this recipe is foolproof and produces the most tender, fluffy rolls ever.
3. Rustic Crusty Bread
Just like the rolls above, this bread recipe doesn’t require a mixer OR any kneading. The dough is a bit sticky, but there’s a step-by-step tutorial and tons of tips in the recipe and comment section. This bread can make anyone feel like a rock star! One of my favorite bread recipes ever.
4. Easy White Sandwich Bread
Ultra-fluffy, ultra-easy, ultra-yummy, this easy white sandwich bread recipe is simple and straightforward! I’ve heard from a lot of you that this was your first foray into homemade bread…and it worked out perfectly!
5. Homemade French Bread
Honestly, has there ever been a prettier loaf of bread that’s ever lived? This recipe is one of the most popular on my site, and I think it’s because it is so easy and produces these magically beautiful loaves of bread with very minimal work.
There you go! My vote for the 5 easiest bread recipes for beginners.
There are a handful of other recipes that could probably just as easily fit into this list:
Herb Focaccia Bread (a super easy flat oven-baked bread)
French Bread Rolls (amazingly simple and so fluffy)
Crusty Artisan No-Knead Bread (revolutionary)
Homemade Flatbread (griddle baked!)
Almost all the recipes I’ve highlighted today are whole-grain friendly, so you can experiment adding in whole grains/flours.
However, since baking bread with whole grains can be slightly more finicky, if you are a brand, new beginner, I’d recommend starting with one of the recipes in this post and getting a good feel for making the dough (texture, flour amount, etc) and expand from there.
A few of my favorite whole grain or specialty breads to try when you’re ready:
Whole Wheat Fluffy Dinner Rolls
If you have a second, will you tell me how you feel about making homemade bread?
Do you make it? Love it? Have a favorite recipe? Hate it? Think it’s a waste of time? TALK TO ME!
My husband got me a Bosch for Christmas and it took me a few weeks to work up the courage to try your French bread rolls….but they turned out perfect! Like, I wanted to take a picture because I couldn’t believe I actually made it. So I’ve made those a few times now. Now I’m working up the courage to try another bread. I feel like your recipes have made me a rockstar with cooking meals, now I need to let them do the magic with my baking. Thank you for the great recipes! Ps I want to enter your giveaway, but I don’t have fb or Instagram (had to ban myself since I used to waste loads of time there! Ha!) Can I still enter?
Hey Jessica! You definitely could enter the giveaway without FB or Insta, but the giveaway is already closed. I’m so sorry! I have a few more coming up this year, though!
Ok ok. So I’m totally one of those people who tend to shy away from 100% whole wheat. I make it and won’t eat it so if I want to slowly get better at this then would it be better to use the white bread recipe and sub in wheat or use the Darcy recipe and sub in white flour? Help me
That’s a really good question – I’d suggest using Darcy’s recipe and do half and half white flour/wheat flour!
Hi Mel-
I feel like we know each other already!! I “met you” from our friend Katie Koch!!! They moved to Howard Lake 2 yrs ago now and we have been BFF’s since!! So when she told me about ur blog/recipes I knew I needed to try them!!!
I love ur blog, recipes, and stories of your family!! I tell so many people about ur recipes because anyone can make them!!! They are real, easy to make, not dumbed down, and they taste great!! You can find the ingredients in the grocery store!!!
Katie and I spent a whole day making French bread and bread sticks!!! It was awesome!! I’m so happy for your success!!
I wanted to post this on the anniversary page but missed the deadline!!
Keep up the Great work and keep on blogging!!
Sandy Scheuch
PS… I would have picked the Instantpot!! Lol!!
Thank you, Sandy! So jealous you get to live by Katie. Love her so much. She was instrumental to my mental sanity and happiness when I lived near her a few years ago. I’ll enter your comment in the giveaway! 🙂
Hi Mel!!
Yes we are blessed to have them here!! Katie is instrumental for mental sanity and happiness for Many people…, me included!!!
Thanks for including my comment…. I made your chicken pot pie, lemon bars, and the oatmeal Carmel bars today!!! Like I said….
Love your recipes!!
Thanks!
Sandy
You have made a bread maker out of me! I have loved all the bread/roll recipes I’ve tried from you and you give excellent guidance. Tried the French Bread today and it was a huge hit!! Thank you!
I love your bread posts. I have made so many of your yeast breads, even making all of my bread for a whole year. I fell off of that badwagon when baby #3 and then #4 came…I don’t know how you do it. You are a rockstar. I may not make it weekly like I used to, but I still love making bread!! Keep the tips and recipes coming! How about a post on making bread or something else with all of the whey that is leftover from making yogurt in the IP? 🙂
That’s a great idea, actually!
I have a lifelong goal of becoming an amazing bread maker so I’m glad you are so willing to share your knowledge! I have a whole wheat bread recipe that I love but am always looking for more! In particular I want to increase the amount of whole grains my family consumes. I haven’t tried your whole wheat quinoa bread yet, but I think that’s next on my list. I made your cornbread last night with part whole wheat and reduced sugar and it did not disappoint. I know that’s a quick bread but its delicious, whole grain, and just plain carb goodness so I think it sort of counts.
Totally counts! 🙂
Hi Mel! Have you ever made your bread in a breadmaker? I love to myself because then I don’t have to keep track of it and can leave at any point but my only regret is not having your white whole wheat quinoa bread recipe.
Hi Lindsay – I haven’t! I’ve never owned a bread maker and so I’ve always just made bread recipes in my Bosch or by hand. Sorry!
I love making homemade bread (almost always one of your recipes)! I almost always use whole wheat flour, and sometimes I have trouble getting it to turn out the way I want, but I just tried your whole wheat quinoa bread, and it was perfect!
Way to go!
This post is so timely! I’ve been working as a teacher for 6 years putting my husband through school, and am about to embark on first time stay-at-home mommyhood –
baby two is coming in June (woohoo!) I haven’t really had a hobby in years, and my husband was just asking what I want to do with my time. I mentioned bread baking! So perfect! Thanks for all the recipes! I can’t wait to get started this summer!
Good luck with that fun, new hobby AND your upcoming baby, Sandy!
Hi Mel, I have a question that isn’t related to bread, although I do LOVE bread! I could have sworn I’ve made an instant pot black bean recipe from your site, but I can’t find it. Am I imagining it? Thanks for all you do!
I don’t know that I have an Instant Pot recipe for black beans (yet!). You aren’t thinking of the IP refried beans recipe I have, are you?
Ok thank you! I would love a recipe for IP no soak beans in the future!
I have 3 things that bring peace to my soul:
-yoga
-meditation
-making bread
Okay actually four. I should add scripture study to that list.
ANYWAY.
I wasn’t super interested in baking bread, and was kind of intimidated by it, until I went to culinary school and then dropped out. Luckily, we did a month of baking bread before I dropped out. HALLELUJAH. Fear gone, interest brought to life.
I don’t make it regularly, but I make it often enough. I make my mom’s French bread recipe the most, just because it’s so easy and I know I can pull it together quickly if I decide to have soup or something for dinner. French bread is the recipe I tell anyone who is scared of bread to try first. It’s pretty much full proof.
My favorite bread to make, HANDS DOWN, is Challah. Oh my GOSH. I LOVE MAKING CHALLAH. My husband would probably love it if I made that every week.
I need to make more challah!
Making bread is the best thing I do for my family!! I have been tweaking my recipe and now my dad says it’s better than my older sisters bread!! (That’s huge!!) By the way, I agree.
I wish I could make a candle of homemade bread. I’d buy that candle.
I may be a cranky mom, but we eat good bread!!
You inspired me SO many years ago to start making all of our bread, Darcy!
LOVE baking bread and anything to do with yeast and flour! It’s so satisfying and the taste…… can’t be beat! From my weekly sourdough whole wheat sandwich bread to bagels, English muffins and ciabatta, I encourage anyone who may be intimidated to just start and try! Mel’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are one of my favorites! I get asked to bring this treat more than any other cinnamon roll recipe and they are a dream to make!
I agree, Niki! Just try!
I’ve literally learned everything I know about making bread from you. I love making it so much now! The quinoa bread is my favorite whole wheat bread ever!
It’s been fun troubleshooting bread conundrums with you over the years, Marci!
I was really intimidated by bread – I’m not sure why, as I’m a pretty competent baker. But I have tried several of your recipes and watched your roll shaping tutorial, and every single one comes out perfectly.
I so appreciate being able to really make all parts of a meal using your recipes (Meatball Banh Mi, I’m looki you!)
I’ll have to try the French bread next – it’s lovely!
Oh gosh, that meatball banh mi sandwich might be my favorite meal EVER!
I haven’t been baking as much lately, but planning to start again. Homemade is so much better. I mix by hand, no stand mixer, and while my hand mixer will handle dough it is easier to do it by hand, I think.
It did help me to use a thermometer to check the temp of the water, especially because I am using the older method of dissolving the yeast in liquid and proofing it. My sister doesn’t think it necessary, but I haven’t had a fail since I started using it and since I have a thermometer I’ll keep using it. About the same time I figured out I was kneading in too much flour, and from that point on I was successful.
Thank you for your efforts to promote bread baking and encourage everyone to enjoy this ability.
Thanks, Alice!
I was so intimidated to bake bread for the first time, but your recipes make it so easy! I have wonderful memories of my grandpa making potato bread growing up. The delicious smell and driving home from his house with a warm loaf to eat later, yum! Do you have any recipes for potato bread that have turned out well? He’s been gone for almost 14 years now and I can’t find his recipe. I’d love to be able to recreate it. Thank you for all you do. You’re my “go to” for weekly meal plannings and you have made dinner time so much easier and more enjoyable for our family!
These potato rolls are a favorite (and I bet you could make the recipe into bread!)
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/buttermilk-potato-rolls/
Thank you! I even have buttermilk I need to use!
Hi Mel! Your French bread rolls are a staple in my house, and I’ve had great success with the white sandwich bread too. I got a new Bosch for Christmas because I was tired of being limited in quantities with the Kitchenaid, so I tried Darcy’s Wheat bread for the first time last week. I was low on quick riseyeast, so I put in about half of the amount (I think a tablespoon) and the rest with regular yeast (prepping it in warm water first). The bread didn’t rise well at all. Tasted great, but was more of a brick consistency. I’m assuming it was the yeast. Can you substitute regular yeast for quick? And what are the portions?
Hey Holly, yes, you can generally substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast, but I’ve never done it where I’ve used both in the same recipe. That may be part of the problem. Also, you usually need to use 1 1/2 the amount of active dry yeast if subbing it in.
I make it from time to time and it’s usually turns out ok. But it seems like I have to gear myself up, mentally. I wish I made it more, because I really have no excise not to. I was taught by one of the best! My mother, who is 76, has made bread at least once a week and mostly twice a week since I was born (I’m 52). She is everyone’s best friend in their ward and neighborhood because what they don’t eat she takes to friends and family, weekly! She will drive over the mountain (From Brigham City to Cache Valley) just to bring homemade bread to my kids who now have kids of their own. Now her great grandchildren are getting a “slice” of heaven! I don’t think they realize that those loafs of bread are really a treat! Some day they’ll learn that bread making is becoming a lost art. Thanks for these yummy recipes! Can’t wait to try them! I need to make my mama proud!
Your mom is amazing! What a legacy she is leaving with her kids/grandkids/great grandkids! I love that so much. I totally agree that bread making is going to be a lost art to many families! Hope you pick it up again. 🙂
I’ve always wanted to be a good bread maker, but yeast has always intimidated me. I got the guts last year to make Darcy’s wheat bread from your site and I felt like a rockstar! I’ve made it several times since and it’s pretty much foolproof and so delicious. I actually just made it two days ago and gave one to my neighbor who loved it. I want to try your French bread next! Thanks for your awesome recipes and tutorials (oh and my husband thanks you ha)!
Thanks, Candace! If you have conquered the whole wheat bread, that French bread will be easy stuff for you, I bet!
I have been making French bread for a few years. Only once has it not had “the claw” on the side. How do I get the seam to stay on the bottom
so I can have a loaf that looks as nice as yours?
Thanks!
Hi Kari – how are you shaping the loaves?
I roll it into 9×13 with rolling pin, then roll it up from the long side and pinch the seam closed. Then place seam side down on baking sheet. Looks great after rising, but during baking it comes apart.
I would say give it a try shaping the loaf in your hands (lightly grease your hands, if needed). That’s *mostly* the way I shape bread. You can see a visual at the bottom of this post. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/whole-wheat-bread-step-by-step/
I was always intimidated to try making my own bread, but love the taste of fresh bread, so a couple years ago I decided to be brave and try your french bread roll recipe. They were amazing and not difficult at all. I’ve now made them so much that its second nature to whip up a batch and has given me the courage to try many other bread recipes. I’m now fearless when it comes to bread. YUM.
That is awesome, Elizabeth!
I just made 7 loaves of your white sandwich bread this week, it got passed out to family, dipped in soup, made into French toast and 1 loaf made it to the freezer. We all love it! Although I can’t convince my kids to eat sandwiches with homemade bread yet, otherwise I would make it more often. Your cornmeal dinner rolls are my favorite and both sides of the family always love when they are brought to family functions! I also love your cinnamon roll recipes! I’ve tried several of them and never been disappointed. Store bought wheat flour wasn’t very tasty when I attempted that since I don’t have a wheat grinder, my hubs gave me a Bosch for my birthday last year (best present EVER!) maybe a wheat grinder will be this year I would love to dive into your wheat bread recipes too!
Love the details of all the homemade bread/rolls you make, Misty! Your family is lucky, lucky! I hope you end up with a wheat grinder sometime soon. 🙂
You made a bread rock star out of me! Growing up, I always left bread making to my mom and older sister. In college, my roommate baked the bread. It wasn’t until I got married that I realized if I wanted wonderful homemade bread in my life (and to impress my new husband with my amazing baking skills) I needed to tackle yeast breads myself. I followed your fool-proof recipes, referenced your tutoial over and over, and practiced, practiced, practiced. I made your rolls (basically every kind), bagels, pretzels, flat bread, you name it. Fast forward 9 years, and I am now a very confident bread maker. I still love trying new recipes and am starting to be “known” for making delicious baked goods. All thanks to you Mel!
Kat! Love this. And seriously, I think you hit it on the head with your comment…it takes lots of practice, but it is so worth it. I’m so proud of you!! (And honored you are still here after nine years!)
I love making your bread recipes!! I used to make your whole wheat bread recipe weekly along with many of your rolls and breads. They are all delicious! I loved how easy it was to make your breads once I started using instant yeast, I believe at your suggestion, and bought a Bosch. Recently I was diagnosed with celiac disease and stopped making all your delicious breads. My daughter said she didn’t know how much she would miss homemade bread until I stopped making it. This whole post made me salivate! So many delicious recipes I miss eating! Thanks for teaching me to make bread and so many more yummy foods! You’re amazing! My daughter wouldn’t be missing the homemade bread without your help!
Ah, Tiffany – thanks for the comment, and sorry to hear about the Celiac diagnosis. Not because you can’t eat gluten anymore but because I know from close friends it can be a challenging adjustment (hopefully it has been smooth and easy for you!).
Tiffany, I hope it’s okay for me to pipe in- I bake gluten-free for myself and have recently discovered Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread (recipe book) by Nicole Hunn (her website was recommended by Mel a while back so I’ve been checking it out recently). I’ve made only a few of her recipes, and the flour blends require exact measuring, but reading her cookbook and learning from her expertise has brought homemade bread back into my life (and my mouth!). The first recipe I baked from her made it smell like homemade bread in my home and I almost cried knowing that I could actually eat it! Making her flour blends yourself ends up costing anywhere from $3.50 to $5.50 per batch/recipe (and that’s with me buying a lot of the ingredients from our local Winco, where some of them are SO much cheaper!), so the quality you get from your homemade batches far surpasses the quality you get from a store bought product that usually costs more but doesn’t taste as good. I highly recommend her website/cookbook if you’re wanting to dive into the world of gluten-free baking! Happy journey!
Oh, the irony of the timing of this post… after powering through figuring out gluten-free baking for myself, I decided to get back into baking with regular flour for my family. So, yesterday afternoon I got out your French Bread Rolls recipe and gave it a shot. I actually almost emailed you the pics of the before and after… because I had a veritable Bosch explosion in my kitchen. A triple batch of rolls all over the countertops and floors… (go big or go home, right???). Yes, that happened in my house yesterday. But, then I got angry and decided these rolls were going to be my friend so I cleaned it all up and pushed through, and what do you know? I ended up with a beautiful (seriously, who would have thought that rolls could be beautiful? Made me want to cry!) baking sheet full of hamburger buns (and the burgers were AWESOME on the buns!!!) and a sheet full of round, brown, decadent dinner rolls at my fingertips… I was the queen of the kitchen yesterday! You should have seen my kids’ faces! Anyway, just wanted to say thank you- along with everyone else here- for helping me have the confidence to work with yeast breads. I have a feeling that my first batch of rolls will definitely not be my last. Thanks again, Mel!!!
Yay, Amy! Way to go on powering through (cause bread explosions are nightmarish, I know!). You are amazing. Seriously!
It scares me, I’ve tried it once and it didn’t work out. I’m going to try again with one of your easy recipes and keep trying until I’ve got it right! Thank you for always encouraging us, you are awesome!
Thanks, Melanie! Seriously, if you make one of these recipes and need help, email or comment and I’ll answer any questions you have!
Good luck from someone who did finally get it right. One thing that helps me a lot is to use a thermometer to test the temp of the water and to realize that I was adding too much flour and not leaving the dough soft enough. Don’t know what your problems were, but keep on trying. It is so satisfying once you are successful.
Oh…AND I forgot to tell you, I finally got a Bosch Mixer last month because my Kitchen Aid mixer broke after 5 years of use (it couldn’t handle all the bread kneading) and all I have to say is my life is now changed! I LOVE the Bosch!!
Isn’t it amazing for making bread??
I used to make a lot of bread, all our bread for about 3 years including weekly baguettes for my husband. Then I got lazy. Hahaha, I’d really like to get back into it!
Haha, I’d say going through lazy periods is JUST FINE!
Mel, I always wanted to make my own bread but was never successful until I found your website. Now I almost always make our own bread, rolls, flatbreads, etc (always from your recipes). The problem is that now our family has become bread snobs and we can’t eat the storebought stuff anymore…so during the times when I can’t make the bread myself we all have to suffer through 🙂 Seriously, making bread is so satisfying and therapeutic to me! Thank you for helping me out with your awesome recipes!
Ha! Us too! I can hardly eat the storebought buns or rolls anymore. Homemade is just so much better.
You are amazing, Ashley! You have no idea how happy that makes me (yes, even though I know I’m making bread snobs out of people – haha!). I’m so happy that the bread making process is satisfying to you, too!
I love your french bread recipe. My husband gave me french bread pans for Christmas and now it’s even more fun to make french bread. I really do like making bread, though I don’t do it very often.
I agree! Those French bread pans are so fun.
Hi, Mel! Love your recipes so much! I’m always pointing people to your website when they ask for recipes, since that’s where most of the good ones I make are from!
I have a 22-year-old son, working his first job after college graduation, who wanted a recipe to wow his coworkers when they had a “pitch-in” at work. He does cook for himself and makes a mean lasagna, but he wanted something more special. I told him I’d been wanting to try your buffalo chicken bites, but didn’t really expect him to jump on that since he’d never made yeast bread before. However, he decided that was just the thing to impress. He made one practice batch and then a few days later made another batch for work the next day. They turned out great, and he was quite satisfied with the reactions of his coworkers when they found out he had made the dough. 🙂
I LOVE the looks of your French bread and tried to make it one day, but it just didn’t resemble yours very closely at all. My breads seem to spread quite a bit when they rise instead of rising up. Do you think this is just an issue of not enough flour? I always have this problem when I bake a free-form loaf instead of using a loaf pan. The bread is still good, but it would be nice to have taller pieces instead of short, wide slices.
Hey Christine! That’s awesome about your son! Seriously, quite impressive, really. About the French bread, I definitely think it’s a matter of needing more flour. That’s the #1 culprit of that recipe, in particular, spreading flat instead of rising up. Don’t be worried about adding more than the recipe calls for especially if the dough is still soft and supple.
I have had great success with your Homemade French Bread and Soft Pretzel Rolls. I have just started making homemade croutons with leftover French bread. They are so good!
One type of bread I would like to learn to make is sourdough bread. I am not sure how to get a starter and how much work it takes to keep it going. I would love some insight.
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Those soft pretzel rolls are AMAZING! Love them so much. And homemade croutons are incredible. I had a sourdough starter for a while but was SO bad keeping it up. I bet there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this thread who could help us!
When I was inspired (by The Great British Bake Off) to try making bread, I read a couple of books about bread. They were very good, but when it came to the actual bread making, it was trying your recipes that gave me confidence. Thank you! Now I love making bread and rolls. Being mixerless, I mix and knead by hand. I like getting the feel of the dough (even though I’m pretty sure my muscles are giving out before the dough is completely kneaded; it’s a workout!). I make your French Bread Rolls all the time. I do half batches because I’m baking for one (…or because it gives me the excuse to make my kitchen smell like fresh bread more often).
Aw, thanks, Debbie! I always get sucked into the Great British Bake Off, too, and then the somewhat fussy recipes tend to make me just go back to my ol’ go-to’s. 🙂 Love that you are making dough by hand! It’s honestly the best way to learn the feel and texture of dough.
I love making bread. I could bake bread all day long. I just got a Bosch mixer for Christmas and am so excited to play around with it. I always love your Recipes and so many of them are truly family favorites. Every time I ask my oldest son what he wants to eat he always says “sweet and sour chicken.” He even helps make it now!
I hope you love the Bosch, Julia! Oh, that sweet and sour chicken is a favorite around here. Glad your son is helping make it. That is so great!
Wow what timing! I wanted to make your Rustic crusty bread today (it sounds like so much fun). My husband is home recuperating from shoulder surgery three days ago and I think he’d really appreciate some fresh bread. I made your Sweet molasses bread a couple of weeks ago and it got rave reviews! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes and all your hard work. Now to choose between the Rustic crusty bread or the One hour breadsticks. Decisions, decisions, lol.
Glad you love that sweet molasses bread and I hope that the rustic crusty bread works out (especially as a “gift” to your recuperating husband!) – I’d definitely make that one over the breadsticks even though I love both. Brian is having shoulder surgery in a couple weeks..maybe I’ll make him some bread, too. 🙂
And it’s Rustic crusty bread for the win! And it was fun to make thank you. Very good and satisfying, it made me feel like a pro. I’m sorry that Brian has to have shoulder surgery. I know how hard that decision can be. Please let him know that two of your fans in NM wish him a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much, Lori! I will let him know. And I’m SO glad the bread turned out!
You are the reason bread doesn’t terrify me anymore! And after reading through all your tips and tutorials, I actually feel somewhat confident in breadmaking- which is a huuuuge deal. And I’m so proud that I’ve made probably 2/3rds of these recipes, each with great success. I tell everyone when they ask for the recipe that I got it from the bread queen, aka Mel’s Kitchen:)
This makes my day, Victoria! I’m proud of you, too! Seriously, so proud.
I love making homemade bread! My first loaf was with my grandmother when I was 12. We used Uncle Mike’s recipe (her brother) – a pinch of this and a good handful of that, then beat the hell out of it! I still have her handwritten recipe. That said – I make a yeasted banana cinnamon swirl bread that is awesome! Even my daughter (who claims to hate homemade bread – I know – right? switched at birth?) loves this bread. I also adore you sweet molasses bread! OK, I love just about every homemade bread!
I love that your first experience making bread was with your grandma! Love that. Plus, the directions made me laugh out loud. That yeasted banana cinnamon swirl bread sound AMAZING!
I have been intimidated by bread making my whole life. My mother made bread every Sunday and it was such a mysterious thing! A few years ago, thanks to your inspiration, I stopped letting those few simple ingredients intimidate me and gave it a shot! A few years later, by no means am I a rock star (yet!), but I do enjoy baking bread or rolls to go with Sunday dinner! I have also made my mother’s cinnamon rolls with great success and without intimidation and am thankful to you for your help in getting over that hurdle. It is a great feeling to pass on those traditions to my family! Thank you!
That is the best comment, Anna! I’m so proud of you for getting over your fears and just diving right in to bread making. And now look at you?? I think you need to give yourself more credit! You definitely sound like a rock star, especially being able to make your mom’s cinnamon rolls!
I really thought you also had a sandwich bread or similar recipe that had oats mixed in with the flour?? Maybe??
We’ve made several of these recipes & generally love them! Doing French bread again this weekend!
Your breadsticks don’t do well as a single batch in my Bosch, by virtue of a smaller recipe, I’d love any tips on that (since I’m generally a big baby with first world probs & schedule constraints & prefer kitchen power tools over hand kneading, lol)
I don’t think I have a recipe like that…unless I am having a major forgetful moment. Sounds yummy, though. I’ve learned with small batches of bread in my Bosch (cause I’m like you, probably not going to make it by hand if I have a mixer sitting right there), that adding almost all the flour at once before even turning on the mixer is key. Usually, I add the flour gradually, but with small batches, the dough hook needs to start mixing and grab onto the bulk of the dough from the start, so for the breadsticks recipe I add the full 3 cups (lightly measured) before I start mixing. Does that make sense?
Totally makes sense! I’ll give it a go – thanks much 🙂
I’m terrified of yeast breads. I’ve tried a handful of times over the years and there might have been one time where they ended up OK. There’s always something wrong (other than being a beginner). I never know if it’s old yeast, too warm of water, leaving it rise too long or too little, not enough flour….etc, etc. I live at high altitude so even that may come into play. So when it comes down to it, I’m not very adept at making anything with yeast. I won’t give up, though! One of these days I’m gonna make and re-make until I get the hang of it. Homemade bread reminds me of my grandma and I want that memory to live on forever. <3
Oh, that’s the best memory! Keep trying! If you ever have specific questions, I would LOVE to help answer them!
Try the breadsticks. They are the best and easiest! I’ve never had them not turn out tastey… and with minimal effort. And if you don’t want to worry about cutting and shaping the dough, you can make it even easier by just patting all the dough into a baking sheet with the butter, then using a pizza cutter to precut the breadsticks, but just leave them in the pan like that. Season and let rise as usual. Less work and handling… and you can just re-cut with the pizza cutter to get them apart after they bake.
Like everyone else who comments…thank you for making your name a household favorite. My kids love baking from your site. (And I love cooking from here as well!) My son has found great confidence in the breadsticks and the french bread and was excited to see this post this morning. Thanks for sharing your talents!
Thanks so much, Katie! You have no idea how much I love that your kids are making recipes from here! And bread recipes no less! That is incredible. Tell them how proud I am of them.
I love to bake bread! I use your French bread and Lionhouse roll recipes quite frequently. I’ve become the default person to bring rolls to my family’s dinners. I should try out more of your whole wheat recipes and see how they compare to mine, because I do also enjoy grinding my own wheat and whole wheat bread is our staple around here.
That’s the best title: Official Roll Bringer to Family Functions. You know you gotta be doing something right to get that honor! That’s awesome.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have wanted to try to make my own breads for a long time and have been too afraid to try. With this posting, I am now motivated to jump in and give it a try!
I’m so excited to hear how it goes, Kris! Keep me posted!
Yes! The French Bread Rolls are my staple-ie-est staple! For Christmas, I make my daughters’ teachers a menu and they get to pick a meal and dessert. I bring it to them like I would bring a meal to a friend who just had a baby…they love it! This year, my middle daughter’s teacher’s very favorite part were those rolls and I almost felt bad because they really are SO easy. The amount of love they get is far more than the effort they require!
I don’t make my own sandwich bread on the regular because I can never cut it thin/even enough for lunch boxes…
That is THE BEST teacher gift idea ever. I love it. And I totally smiled at your sentiment – so true – these rolls require so little effort but get such rave reviews!
What a wonderful post! I feared baking with yeast for DECADES due to a few tries with complicated recipes. I wish I had started with one of these recipes….all it took was one successful recipe and I was hooked (I’m embarrassed now about how many photos I took and sent of that first pan of rolls!).
Isn’t that the truth, Sandra?? It just takes the right recipe and 1-2 successes and bread making becomes so fun. And don’t you dare be embarrassed about that! It made me smile; just think of all the rest of us texting pictures of our rolls and doing bad cartwheels because our bread looks and smells amazing. 🙂
Hi Mel, I LOVE your bread recipes, and I’ve made quite a few of them (Divine Breadsticks, Homemade French Bread, Fluffy Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls, Chewy Italian Rolls, Homemade Flatbread, Easy Fluffy Pull Apart Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls and Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread just to name a few, not to mention the sweet breads like Cinnamon Swirl Bread and Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls.) You are so right about pulling bread fresh bread out of a hot oven making you feel like a goddess. I am a whole grains kind of a girl and I was a regular baker of your Darcy’s Whole Wheat Bread recipe–I love that it makes 5 loaves at a time. I was the boss of that bread for about 6 months and producing beautiful loaves but then it all went south. The last 10 times that I have made that bread either the dough is so sticky that I can’t get it to roll up into nice loaves (and then I add more and more flour by hand with the fear of over flouring) or the loaves don’t rise well once they are in the pans, or they rise well and then collapse during baking or they stick in the bread pans once they are baked…all kinds of troubles. I have gone back to buying my whole wheat bread at the store. I know that you can’t trouble shoot my bread woes without actually witnessing my follies but any tips that you can give would be great appreciated. Maybe I should try working with all purpose flour (gasp, the “unhealthiness” of it all) recipes to get my bread making mojo back? Thanks Mel! I love your recipes!!
Hey Erika! Love, love, love that you are a bread making queen! So awesome, and it sounds like you have a ton of experience. Ok, so about the homemade whole wheat bread, you aren’t the only one that goes through bad bread making mojo. The EXACT same thing happened to me with Darcy’s recipe several years ago. It was baffling! I hadn’t moved to a different climate, I was using the same wheat (grinding my own into flour), etc. My main issue was that the loaves weren’t rising well and were flattening in the oven. The first thing I did was replace my yeast, even though the package wasn’t technically expired. And the other thing I started doing with that recipe is using 3 tablespoons yeast instead of 2 (this was after helping several other readers troubleshoot that recipe – some beginner bread makers, others not). Also, once the dough has mixed, I let it sit in my Bosch mixer until it rises enough to start pushing the lid up. Then I punch it down, shape it, and proceed with rising/baking. I can’t tell you WHY those changes resurrected great bread again…it’s still bizarre to me that a recipe I’ve made for years all of a sudden had issues, but maybe a few of those suggestions might help you?? Keep me posted! Also, if the dough is sticky, keep adding flour. It stresses people out to do that, but you know how I am – always harping on the texture of the dough vs the actual flour amount. 🙂
Thanks Mel! You’re the best! I’ll try your suggestions and see how it goes (though I still have 4 loaves of whole wheat bread in my freezer from my last baking session so it may be a while.) 🙂
I am going through the exact same issues right now! I’ve made fantastic whole wheat bread for 7+ years, but for the past 5-6 months the texture has been terrible. The dough seems to be rising great but then falls during baking. I’m wondering if it’s a gluten issue I’m having. It’s so frustrating and I don’t have the time/resources to make a bunch of sub-par bread in hopes of figuring out the solution. Plus, my kids have been asking me to buy bread from the store. Anyway, just wanted you to know you’re not alone!
I had some similar issues a few months ago and because I usually make several batches of bread in one day, I discovered that my wheat was actually the culprit. I was using up wheat flour made from one bucket and starting from a new bucket. The flour from the new bucket of wheat made my bread dough feel different than normal and the bread didn’t rise well or have the same texture as it usually did and I had to use more flour for the dough to not be sticky. I experimented a few more times after that just to make sure and it was definitely the wheat (although that same wheat still makes great pancakes and waffles). Just wanted to comment in case this helps anyone.
Also, this is my first comment ever, and I wanted you to know, Mel, that your blog is wonderful!! You are funny, kind, and generous, and I so appreciate all you do. I’ve been reading since 2009.
Thanks for the comment AND the insight, Charise! 🙂